Record number of LGBTQ candidates running for Iowa legislature in 2024

One is a Republican

Iowa state capitol photographed by Joseph Sohm (Shutterstock)

This post first appeared at Bleeding Heartland and is shared here as part of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. For regular emails linking to all recent Bleeding Heartland articles and commentary, including more coverage of Iowa’s 2024 elections or topics relating to LGBTQ people, subscribe to the free Evening Heartland newsletter. If your email provider truncates this post, you can read the whole article without interruption at this link.

At least ten candidates who identify as part of the LGBTQ community are running for the Iowa legislature this year. The previous high water mark was seven LGBTQ candidates in 2022.

The majority of Iowa’s gay, queer, or transgender candidates are Democrats, as has been the case in previous election cycles. This year’s cohort also includes the state’s first openly gay Republican lawmaker and an independent candidate for a House seat.

The candidates profiled below are mostly not highlighting issues of special concern to LGBTQ Iowans. Like others running for the legislature, they are campaigning on topics such as public education, reproductive rights, mental health services, and economic development.

At the same time, several candidates believe LGBTQ representation at the statehouse is particularly important now, in light of the many bills targeting the community that Republicans enacted or attempted to pass in 2023 and 2024.

All voter registration data mentioned below comes from the Iowa Secretary of State’s office. Figures for the 2020 presidential vote in each legislative district come from maps Josh Hughes created in Dave’s Redistricting App.

Democratic State Senator Liz Bennett is the only out queer member of the Iowa Senate and the second out LGBTQ person ever to serve in the chamber (after Democrat Matt McCoy, who retired from the legislature in 2018). Bennett is not up for re-election this year, having won a four-year term last cycle in Senate district 39, covering part of Cedar Rapids.

INCUMBENT: ELINOR LEVIN IN HOUSE DISTRICT 89

First-term State Representative Elinor Levin is the third openly LGBTQ Democrat to serve in the Iowa House. Daniel Lundby served a term in 2013-2014 representing parts of Linn County. Liz Bennett represented a House district in Cedar Rapids for eight years before being elected to the Iowa Senate.

Levin was first elected in 2022 in House district 89, covering University Heights and part of Iowa City in Johnson County. She is unopposed for this year’s general election after defeating a Democratic primary challenger by a ten-to-one margin. This seat is Iowa’s bluest state House district; Joe Biden received 79.1 percent of the vote in 2020 in its precincts, and registered Democrats outnumber Republicans and no-party voters combined.

After being elected to the legislature for the first time, Levin told Bleeding Heartland, “There are members of our current legislature who work to demonize, to ostracize, and to remove Queer Iowans from participation in daily life. […] This has to end, and it’s my turn to be one of the people standing up and pointing out the fallacy of their logic.”

She followed through on that promise, speaking against many harmful proposals during Iowa House debate. Those included last year’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors, school “bathroom bill,” and a wide-ranging education billthat banned many books from K-12 school libraries, prohibited instruction about gender identity or sexual orientation in grades K-6, and required school staff to out transgender kids to their parents.

Levin is one of three Iowa legislative candidates endorsed this year by LPAC, “the nation’s only organization dedicated to advancing the political voice and representation of LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary candidates.”

Asked this month about the record number of LGBTQ Iowans seeking to become lawmakers, Levin told Bleeding Heartland,

As a population facing broad proposed changes to Iowa laws that will affect our daily lives and ability to seek happiness and fulfillment, it will be incredibly helpful to have more direct input from queer Iowans in the process. The intentional presence of the queer community in the building, in committee meetings, and on the floor will demonstrate that taking away our right to marriage, reducing our access to recreation and health care, and trying to force us out of existence are never going to be winning strategies for Iowa’s future. 

She added, “My queer identity is only one of so many, and we need to uplift the normalcy of queer life in our state. These candidates are brave and compassionate, and I look forward to working alongside them.”

INCUMBENT: AUSTIN HARRIS IN HOUSE DISTRICT 26

First-term State Representative Austin Harris worked in the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the Trump administration and managed GOP candidate Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ 2020 Congressional campaign. He served as Miller-Meeks’ deputy chief of staff for most of 2021 before returning to live and work on his family’s farm in Appanoose County. He won his first legislative race last cycle in a House seat with no incumbent, defeating former State Senator Mark Chelgren in the GOP primary.

House district 26 covers all of Davis and Monroe counties, most of Appanoose County, and parts of Wapello County. The district contains more than twice as many registered Republicans as Democrats, and Donald Trump received 71.9 percent of the vote in these precincts in 2020. Harris was unopposed in the 2022 general election but will face Democrat Darcie Whitlow and Libertarian Donald Gier this November.

Harris declined comment for this article, other than to confirm he is openly gay. On “National Coming Out Day” in October 2023, he posted on X/Twitter that he came out to friends and family more than five years earlier, adding, “To anyone considering it, I say this: Do it. Be you. It’s worth it.”

As a member of the legislature, Harris has emphasized a traditional mix of conservative policies, such as cutting taxes, shrinking government, and banning abortion. He has not spoken out on LGBTQ issues at the capitol and was not among the House Republicans who voted against the 2023 bills on gender-affirming care, school bathrooms, or school library books and curriculum (see here, here, and here for roll call votes).

OPEN-SEAT CANDIDATE: IAN ZAHREN IN HOUSE DISTRICT 64

If elected in November, Ian Zahren would accomplish something more rare than being a gay legislator in Iowa. His campaign noted in an August 7 news release that the public school teacher and former city council member in Lansing (Allamakee County) “would be the first person without party affiliation to be elected to an Iowa state office in more than 100 years.”

House district 64 covers Allamakee and Clayton counties, plus one precinct in Dubuque County. It’s an open seat, since Republican State Representative Anne Osmundson opted not to seek another term. Democrats are not fielding a candidate here, so Zahren’s only competition in November is Republican Jason Gearhart.

The GOP has a large voter registration advantage, and Trump outpolled Biden in this area by 63.9 percent to 34.5 percent.

Zahren served as executive director for Lansing RAGBRAI in 2022. He and his husband were featured in “Shift,” the 2023 documentary about the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa.

OPEN-SEAT CANDIDATE: AIME WICHTENDAHL IN HOUSE DISTRICT 80

Bleeding Heartland profiled Aime Wichtendahl in June. The Hiawatha city council member already broke one lavender ceiling nine years ago by becoming the first openly trans person elected to public office in Iowa. She’s not the first transgender candidate for Iowa House—Democrat Elle Wyant and Libertarian Jeni Kadel both ran two years ago. But Wichtendahl is favored to become the first trans person elected to our legislature, and LPAC has endorsed her candidacy.

House district 80 covers parts of northwest Cedar Rapids and the suburbs of Hiawatha and Robins in Linn County. It’s an open seat because Democratic State Representative Art Staed opted to run for the Iowa Senate instead of for re-election to the House. Wichtendahl was unopposed in the Democratic primary and faces Republican John Thompson in the general election.

Democrats slightly outnumber Republicans here, but a plurality of voters have no party affiliation. Biden gained 53.9 percent of the vote here in 2020, to 43.7 percent for Trump.

Wichtendahl spoke to Bleeding Heartland in June about her advocacy on LGBTQ issues and why she is running for the legislature. Asked this past week about the record-setting cohort of LGBTQ candidates, she said the trend was exciting and encouraging. She observed that “it’s a lot to run, especially when you know people are just going to throw the worst garbage at you.”

The attacks on the LGBTQ community are so intense, Wichtendahl said, “I sometimes feel like we don’t have any choice but to stand up.” She thinks most voters are “sick of these attacks” and just want to know what elected officials will do to improve their lives. She also believes it will be harder for some of the most hostile Republican legislators “to spew that nonsense when we are in the room where those decisions are being made.”

CHALLENGER: DUSTIN DURBIN IN HOUSE DISTRICT 12

Dustin Durbin is running against one of the legislature’s leading advocates of bills targeting LGBTQ people. Republican State Representative Steve Holt floor managed both the ban on gender-affirming care for minors and the school bathroom bill during the 2023 session. This year, he floor managed the so-called “Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” which opponents worry will enable discrimination against LGBTQ people. Holt and State Senator Jason Schultz, who ran the bill in the upper chamber, have denied the law will be used for that purpose.

House district 12 covers Ida and Crawford counties, plus parts of Shelby County. It’s a deep red area, where Trump received 69.9 percent of the vote in 2020. There are about as many Republican registered voters in the district as Democrats and independents combined.

Durbin lives with his partner outside the small town of Dow City in Crawford County and is the volunteer coordinator for the area’s hospital. He told me it is “very important” for Iowans to see members of the LGBTQ community running for the legislature.

Public education and other issues, such as adequately funding mental health and encouraging young people to return to their hometowns after college, are the main drivers for Durbin’s campaign. That said, the Democrat is also “looking forward to protecting our rights” against Holt’s policies and ideas, which Durbin sees as outside the mainstream.

CHALLENGER: BRAD MAGG IN HOUSE DISTRICT 38

Business owner and longtime Colfax city council member Brad Magg is running against GOP State Representative Jon Dunwell, who was first elected to the Iowa House in a 2021 special election and was re-elected the following year. House district 38 covers most of Jasper County, including the Newton area. For many years, the county was blue; it has shifted dramatically, in line with trends in other once-thriving manufacturing towns. The Maytag plant in Newton (the area’s dominant employer for generations) closed in 2007.

The GOP voter registration advantage here is just under 2,000. The recent voting history is more lopsided, with Trump taking 58.4 percent in 2020, to 39.8 percent for Biden.

In a recent telephone interview, Magg told Bleeding Heartland he’s “been very, very fortunate.” As a lifelong resident of Jasper County, he’s never experienced any “negativity or hatred about my sexuality,” which “says a lot about rural Iowa.” It helped that he was active in his community from a young age, so many people knew him before they knew he was gay.

After Magg “realized my true self” in his early 20s, he hesitated to come out, for fear of damaging his business. He told close family he was gay about three years before going public. When he became more open, “I got zero pushback” and “never lost one customer.” More recently, he had a booth at the Jasper County fair and “was blown away” by the kindness, positivity, and support he encountered.

Magg described his opponent as “very, very anti-LGBTQ” and expressed sadness about the narratives conservatives have spread about trans people. One of his biggest pet peeves is the widespread hoax about litter boxes in school restrooms. While he is “passionate about equal rights,” Magg was motivated to run for the legislature primarily because of how Republicans have approached public education and school funding. Those are the issues he’s emphasizing and hopes to focus on if elected to the House.

CHALLENGER: PHIL WIESE IN HOUSE DISTRICT 82

Democrats didn’t field a candidate against State Representative Bobby Kaufmann in 2022. The six-term GOP incumbent (whose father is Iowa GOP state party leader Jeff Kaufmann) chairs the powerful House Ways and Means Committee and served as a senior adviser to Trump’s presidential campaign before the 2024 Iowa caucuses.

Phil Wiese stepped up to run this year in House district 82, covering all of Cedar County and parts of Scott and Muscatine counties.

This district leans strongly Republican but is not as lopsided as many of Iowa’s rural legislative districts. Trump outpolled Biden by 57.1 percent to 41.1 percent. Registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by about 2,600.

Wiese is a sixth-generation farmer living outside Blue Grass (Scott County). He has volunteered for many community organizations: as a fundraiser for the Muscatine Art Center, board member for the Domestic Violence Intervention Program of SE Iowa, and as a firefighter and first responder with the Montpelier Fire Department (“one of the most rewarding experiences of my life”).

He told Bleeding Heartland, “I’m incredibly grateful for the life I’ve built with my partner Bao on our family farm.” In addition, “I’m also proud to be openly gay, and I believe that being true to who we are is essential to living a fulfilling life.”

Wiese characterized Kaufmann as one of the “extreme Republican politicians” who “try to divide us and take away our freedoms, bullying people and pushing laws to remove LGBTQ+ people from public life.” The Democrat wants to ensure Iowans are not left behind and have freedom and dignity. “We know our communities are stronger no matter our race, religion or who we love when we are free to be our authentic selves, work together, and accept each other for who we are.”

CHALLENGER: ANNA BANOWSKY IN HOUSE DISTRICT 92

University of Iowa graduate student and teaching assistant Anna Banowsky moved from Iowa City to Washington last year, impressed by the small town’s friendliness and sense of community. She’s running against first-term Republican Heather Hora in House district 92, which covers all of Washington County and parts of Johnson County.

This district is red but not overwhelmingly so; Trump gained 54.4 percent of the vote in these precincts, to 43.5 percent for Biden. The district contains about 2,500 more registered Republicans than Democrats.

Banowsky identifies as queer and is the third Iowa House candidate endorsed by LPAC this year.

In a news release announcing her candidacy in March, Banowsky highlighted inadequate school funding, lack of mental health care services, restrictions on reproductive health care, and diminishing protections for the environment.

CHALLENGER: JIM BERES IN HOUSE DISTRICT 99

Jim Beres describes himself as a mostly-retired attorney. Over a 43-year career in the law, he has worked as a county attorney, in private practice, and as a public defender.

He’s running against first-term Republican State Representative Matthew Rinker in a district that includes the cities of Burlington and West Burlington, plus a few other precincts in Des Moines and Lee counties. It’s a classic example of a “micropolitan” area that was heavily Democratic for decades, but has swung toward the GOP during the Trump era. Democrats need to win back districts like this one to have any hope of regaining an Iowa House majority.

On paper, Democrats have a slight voter registration advantage in House district 99. But Trump carried these precincts in 2020 with 50.0 percent of the vote, to 47.5 percent for Biden.

Beres’ identity as a gay man strongly influenced his decision to run for the legislature. He told Bleeding Heartland, “I decided to be a candidate this year because of the flood of anti-LGBT laws” Republicans enacted. “It was time to get up off the couch, and do something to stand up to all of the hate.” He cited the school book ban: “Its only purpose is to censor books with LGBT content. Yet it has led to hundreds of titles being taken off library shelves. What could be more totalitarian than book censorship?”

Beres also pointed to the gender-affirming care ban for minors: “The power to make important medical decisions has been taken away from trans youth and their families. […] The power to decide has been stolen from the very people who know and love them best. There are struggling young people who may not stay with us, because of this legislation.”

Alluding to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Beres said the legislature “enshrined the power to discriminate in employment, housing, and public accommodations, if the discrimination can be tied to a religious justification.” He speculated that “God tells us LGBT persons are sinful” might be enough to pass such a legal test.

“A cursory look at the 2024 Platform of the Iowa Republican Party shows they are not satisfied and are not done,” Beres added. “They want to remove LGBT protections from the Iowa Civil Rights Act. They are still going after same-sex marriage, and will not rest, until it has gone the way of Roe v Wade.” (That’s an accurate summary of the Iowa GOP’s official position on those issues; you can read the party’s 2024 platform here.)

Reflecting on what being a gay candidate means to him, Beres said, “It is all about acceptance.” When he ran for county attorney during the 1990s, someone spray-painted “FAG” on the sidewalk in front of his house. “That was upsetting,” he recalled. Years later, a young man served Beres a drink at the Blazing Saddle (the oldest gay bar in the city of Des Moines). “He told me he remembered seeing me, at a candidate forum at school. It had meant a lot to him, to see someone like himself running for an office.”

For Beres, “seeing gay candidates tells us not to be afraid, and the laws can be made to protect us all.” It is also a chance for LGBTQ candidates “to show that we are not all that different from everyone else. We want to live in good homes, with our families and friends, and just feel safe and accepted. We just want our seat at the table too.”

CHALLENGER: BRIAN BRUENING IN SENATE DISTRICT 32

Brian Bruening, a gay man who ran for Iowa House district 64 last cycle, filed paperwork on August 13 as a Democratic candidate in Iowa Senate district 32, covering Howard, Winneshiek, Allamakee, and Clayton counties, and a small area in Fayette County. The incumbent here is State Senator Mike Klimesh, who was first elected to the legislature in 2020.

According to the Iowa Senate map Josh Hughes created in Dave’s Redistricting App, Trump gained 59.9 percent of the vote in this area in 2020, while Biden received 38.5 percent. The GOP’s voter registration advantage in the district is substantial—as of August 1, about 7,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats lived in Senate district 32.

Bruening told Bleeding Heartland, “Given the raft of anti-LGBT legislation over the last couple of sessions in Iowa, especially those targeting trans kids, it is more important than ever to have more LGBT voices in the legislature. Of course there are already allies and advocates and they are invaluable, but it doesn’t replace actual representation by members of the community.”

He added, “While I’m running to be a representative for all of District 32, even a rural area like mine contains a diverse range of people including LGBT folks and they deserve a voice too.”

---

I’m proud to be part of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. Click here to subscribe to our free Sunday roundup of columns from the week, and here to find our new political podcast, Iowa Down Ballot.