Nannette Griffin announced on February 10 that she will seek the Democratic nomination for the coming special election in Iowa House district 100. A lifelong resident of southeast Iowa, Griffin is the founder and owner of Griffin Muffler & Brake Center, a longstanding auto repair business in Fort Madison. She has been active in numerous civic organizations and received an award for women entrepreneurs from the Small Business Development Centers of Iowa.

Griffin was the 2024 Democratic challenger in Iowa Senate district 50, which includes this area as well as House district 99, covering the city of Burlington and its surroundings.

In a news release, Griffin said, “I decided to run for the Iowa House because I know that Lee County families and workers need a real voice in the state legislature.” She added,

Too many Southeast Iowans are struggling to make ends meet while too many politicians are more focused on lowering taxes for corporations than they are on lowering costs for our families. As a small business owner, I know first-hand what it takes to build our economy and as your representative, I’ll work to lower daily costs and raise wages for the hardworking folks here in Southeast Iowa. I will focus on bringing real economic opportunity back to our community.

Both parties will hold district nominating conventions in the coming days. Griffin is unlikely to face competition for the Democratic nomination, but Republicans appear to have several candidates interested in running for House district 100.

The winner of the March 11 special election will replace Martin Graber, who died unexpectedly in late January.

House district 100 covers most of Lee County, including the population centers of Fort Madison and Keokuk. According to the latest official figures, the district contains 6,175 registered Democrats, 6,485 Republicans, and 6,947 no-party voters.

Bleeding Heartland’s analysis of precinct-level results from the November election indicates that voters in this area preferred Donald Trump to Kamala Harris by 9,429 votes to 5,368 (62.2 percent to 35.4 percent).

---

February 10 news release from Iowa House Democrats:

Nannette Griffin Announces Candidacy for Iowa House District 100 Special Election

Fort Madison, IA — 2/10/2025 — Local small business owner and lifelong Iowan Nannette Griffin officially declares her candidacy for State Representative for Iowa House District 100, representing Lee County in upcoming March 11 special election. She will run as a Democrat in a special nominating convention. 

“I decided to run for the Iowa House because I know that Lee County families and workers need a real voice in the state legislature,” Griffin said of her run. “Too many Southeast Iowans are struggling to make ends meet while too many politicians are more focused on lowering taxes for corporations than they are on lowering costs for our families. As a small business owner, I know first-hand what it takes to build our economy and as your representative, I’ll work to lower daily costs and raise wages for the hardworking folks here in Southeast Iowa. I will focus on bringing real economic opportunity back to our community.” 

Griffin was born and raised in Burlington, Iowa. She has been in customer service since the age of 19, starting as an Insurance Agent then as a Finance Director until 2002. She opened Griffin Muffler & Brake Center over 27 years ago, serving Southeast Iowa. Griffin is currently a member of the Fort Madison Chamber of Commerce and was the 2023 Deb Dalziel Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Achievement Award presented by Small Business Development Centers of Iowa.

Griffin and her husband, Clark, have a daughter, Caitlin, a son-in-law, Dalton, and a granddaughter, Reagan. She also has three stepchildren—Michael, Sara, and Matthew—and eight step-grandchildren.

You can learn more about Griffin and her campaign by visiting her website here or reaching out to nannetteforiowa@gmail.com.