Gary Dickey: Austin Baeth is uniquely positioned to diagnose our state’s problems and build consensus to provide solutions.
It is a cliché in politics to exclaim that “this election is the most important in our lifetime.” The reality is that every election is the most important until the next.
But it is hard to remember a time in which the most basic notions of what it means to be an Iowan have hung so precariously in the balance.
While other states have soared, Iowa continually has lost altitude for more than a decade under the failed policies of Governors Terry Branstad and Kim Reynolds. Having served as the policy director and general counsel to Governor Tom Vilsack and Lieutenant Governor Sally Pederson, it is especially disappointing to see all the gains for which we all fought so hard so easily unraveled.
It feels as though the Iowa Democratic Party must either rise to the challenge in 2022 to reclaim our state, or we risk being destined forever to the reliably red side of Steve Kornacki’s big board.
Shuddering as that is to imagine for others, my greater fear is personal. I worry that if we do not change the trajectory of our state, my two teenage children will not want to live, work, and raise a family in Iowa. I am afraid all the richness and beauty Iowa has to offer will not be enough to keep them here if our leaders remain openly hostile to the strength in diversity, dignity of work, and protection of vulnerable.
So for me, there simply is no margin for error this election cycle.
Austin Baeth, running for the Democratic nomination in House District 36, is uniquely positioned to diagnose our state’s problems and build consensus to provide solutions. I know because he is my personal physician.
In my experience, Austin has demonstrated the intellect, honesty, and compassion to begin the long process of rebuilding Iowa. I trust Austin as a doctor with my life. I trust him as a candidate with something far more important to me—my children’s future.
I hope you will join me in voting for Austin Baeth for Iowa House District 36 on June 7.
Gary Dickey is a founding member of Dickey, Campbell, and Sahag Law Firm whose practice focuses primarily on criminal defense, personal injury, and regulatory litigation. Prior to that, Gary served in the Office of Governor Tom Vilsack and Lieutenant Governor Sally Peterson as general counsel and policy director. While with the governor’s office, he drafted Executive Order No. 42, which restored the right to vote in Iowa for tens of thousands of ex-felons that had already completed their sentences. A lifelong resident of Des Moines, Gary resides on the south side with his wife and two kids.
Iowa House district 36 covers parts of the south and west sides of the city of Des Moines.
Top photo: Austin Baeth.
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