Make Your Voice Heard in November

October 14, 2022 | Elections in Iowa Brad Hartkopf, Director, Public Policy, ABI, bhartkopf@iowaabi.org

By this time, you’ve been inundated with campaign mailers, bombarded with pop-ads telling you this candidate will oppose that or this candidate doesn’t support that, riddled with text messages asking you for money and so on. What all of this means is we’re in on the closing stretch of the 2022 general election campaign and it is imperative that you cast your ballot this fall.

Though 2022 isn’t a presidential election year, there are still several important races that will be decided at the federal, state and local levels. 

Statewide races will be held for Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of Agriculture, Treasurer, Secretary of State and Auditor. These are all four year terms. One of Iowa’s two U.S. Senate seats will also be on the ballot, which is a six year term.

Every two years, all 100 seats in the Iowa House are up. In the Iowa Senate, there are 34 seats up for grabs which is larger than normal due to the decennial redistricting process that recently took place. Iowa Senate terms are four years. As you can tell, there is a lot at stake and plenty of reasons to get out and vote.

ABI’s public policy team has been busy and engages in the election process through a number of different channels. Our PAC, the Iowa Industry Political Action Committee (IIPAC), recently issued Friend of Iowa Business Endorsements to 68 candidates running for either the Iowa House, Iowa Senate or statewide. The IIPAC Board takes into account an individual’s voting record if they’re an incumbent, the composition of a district, voter registration totals, feedback from public policy staff and more when deciding whether or not to endorse a candidate. We strongly encourage our members to consider whether or not an individual has been endorsed by IIPAC as they vote. The policy team also meets with candidates, writes and provides comprehensive political analysis for our members and more.

There is no question that elections matter and that each vote counts. ABI has been able to accomplish much over the last several legislative sessions because pro-business majorities have existed in the Legislature and worked in conjunction with Governor Kim Reynolds, who is a staunch champion and supporter of pro-growth policies as well.

We will continue to work on behalf of the business community as we enter the fourth quarter and look towards 2023. We are asking you to get involved in the civic process and make your voice heard by supporting projobs candidates at the ballot box in November.