Kim Weaver, Democratic challenger in the 4th House District, speaks Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016, at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. (Photo: Michael Zamora/The Register)
Before she got into politics, congressional hopeful Kim Weaver was a professional psychic.
Weaver, a Democrat from Sheldon who lost to Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Steve King in 2016 and plans to challenge him again in 2018, operated an array of psychic services websites, hosted an internet radio show and participated in online discussions of the supernatural, records reviewed by The Des Moines Register show.
Known as “Kimberanne” — a portmanteau of her first and middle names — and “the Spirit Weaver,” Weaver charged customers as much as $3.99 per minute for readings online and over the phone and dispensed advice on matters ranging from romance to careers to real estate.
In one recording obtained by the Register, Weaver performed a tarot card reading to reassure a distraught woman that her missing husband was not dead.
In an interview, Weaver, 52, did not deny dabbling in psychic services, but described her activities as "life coaching" and said they never amounted to more than a "hobby."
“I didn’t really actually do anything," Weaver said. "It was all for entertainment purposes. Did I make a living from it? No, definitely not.”
Weaver is currently the only declared Democratic candidate in the conservative 4th District, and has recently garnered substantial attention for her challenge to King, an eight-term incumbent. In addition to her candidacy, Weaver serves on the Iowa Democratic Party’s state central committee.
She lost to King by more than 22 percentage points in 2016, but has been buoyed this year by a surge of national support following King’s repeated inflammatory remarks on race and immigration. She formally announced her candidacy in a nationally televised appearance on MSNBC last month, and has been publicly endorsed by dozens of Iowa Democratic officeholders and activists as well as actress Rosie O’Donnell.
Weaver raised $179,000 in the first three months of 2017, according to her latest campaign filing. The vast majority of the donations came from out of state, including a $500 check from O’Donnell.
In a statement provided to the Register on Monday, Weaver's political director, Todd Prieb, suggested that information about her psychic activities originated with Republican campaign groups concerned that she could unseat King in 2018.
"Frankly, the idea that people would care about something Kim did 10 years ago on an entertainment website more than Steve King's horrendous voting record is insulting to the voters of this district," Prieb said in the statement. "Kim does not actually believe she has psychic abilities, but she does foresee Steve King being unemployed after 2018."
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