Democrat David Dawson will make a second bid for the Iowa House in 2012. Follow me after the jump for background on his campaign in the new Iowa House district 14.
This district covers most of western and downtown Sioux City, plus some of the city’s north side and rural areas in western Woodbury County:
On paper, this is a good pickup opportunity for Iowa House Democrats–the kind of district they need to win to regain a House majority later this decade. As of April 2011, the new district 14 contained 5,958 registered Democrats, 3,982 registered Republicans and 4,873 no-party voters.
No incumbent lives in the district. Its shape is similar to the old House district 1, where Republican Jeremy Taylor defeated Dawson in 2010 by 632 votes (pdf). That was Taylor’s second bid for the Iowa House; he nearly defeated State Representative Wes Whitead in 2008.
The redistricting plan put Taylor next door in House district 13. Staying put would allow Taylor to run for re-election in a district with a smaller Democratic voter registration advantage than the new district 14. The downside for Taylor is that he would have to run against first-term State Representative Chris Hall. On a generally disastrous 2010 election day for Iowa Democrats, Hall defeated well-funded GOP candidate Cate Bryan in the old House district 2.
Taylor hasn’t disclosed his plans for next year. He might move into House district 14 to avoid a race against Hall. Most of Taylor’s current constituents live in the new district 14, and he was able to overcome a sizable Democratic voter registration advantage in winning House district 1 last year.
One bright spot for Taylor is that President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign will not make the Sioux City area a priority for GOTV. Democratic turnout was relatively poor in Woodbury County in 2008. The Democrats’ coordinated campaign is not likely to invest a lot of resources in this area.
No other Republican has publicly expressed interest in House district 14. Presumably they are waiting for Taylor’s decision.
I doubt anyone will challenge Dawson for the Democratic nomination. Here’s the biographical information from his November 22 campaign announcement:
A native of Washta, Iowa, Dawson has lived on the west side of Sioux City for nearly a decade. He received his undergraduate degree from Iowa State University and earned a law degree at UCLA School of Law. For three years, Dawson worked on legal matters for a variety of businesses at a law firm in Chicago. He spent the next eight years as a prosecutor for Woodbury County. Since 2010, Dawson has run his own law office in Sioux City where he represents children and families.
“After working with families and children as a prosecutor and attorney in juvenile court, I understand the struggles of middle class families and have witnessed the negative results families suffer when they are unable to access adequate education, decent health care coverage, or real economic opportunities,” said Dawson. “I will stand up for the right of every child to attend high-quality schools and find a good-paying job right here in Iowa, and will be an advocate for protecting the middle class and the rights of workers.” He added, “I believe the legislature should be focused on issues to help Iowa businesses grow and to improve Iowa roads and infrastructure, which will create more jobs for Iowans.”
Dawson is a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Sioux City and has served as a church elder. He is a former West High School volleyball coach and is a past Finance Chair for the Woodbury County Democrats. He has also been a member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Dawson served on state and local committees dedicated to improving child welfare, delinquency, and juvenile court laws and policies, including the Woodbury County Detention Reform Committee; the Woodbury County Community Collaboration Team; the Woodbury County Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Committee; and the Iowa County Attorney’s Association Juvenile Justice Committee. Dawson is currently a member of the 2011-2012 Class of Leadership Iowa, a premier issues-awareness program promoting leadership within Iowa and sponsored by the Iowa Association of Business and Industry. Dawson was recently appointed to the board of directors for the Community Action Agency of Siouxland.
There will be no 2012 Iowa Senate race in the area that covers the new House districts 13 and 14. First-term Republican State Senator Rick Bertrand will be up for re-election in the new Senate district 7 in 2014.