Jim Mowrer, a special assistant to the undersecretary of the Army, is all but certain to run for the seat held by GOP Rep. Steve King, according to a source close to his thinking.

Mowrer has met with staff at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and, per the source, will run regardless of whether King seeks the open Senate seat or re-election to the 4th District.

Democrats competed fiercely for the 4th District in 2012, but King won by a resounding 8 points. But an open-seat race would likely make it easier for Democrats to pick up the seat.

A native of Boone, Iowa, Mowrer served in Iraq in both military and civilian capacities. He was a Midwest veterans chairman for the Obama-Biden 2008 campaign and a senior adviser to VoteVets.org, according to his LinkedIn page.

Last cycle, King defeated one of the best-known Democratic names in the state, former Iowa first lady Christie Vilsack. Vilsack announced last month that she would take a post in the federal government, a move that suggests she will not run again in 2014.