Democrat Christy Wolfe enters race for House District 90 in Iowa City
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Christy Wolfe, an Iowa City resident and sister to state Rep. Mary Wolfe, will join the race for Iowa House District 90 in northern Iowa City.
Wolfe, who clerks for her sister in Des Moines, told the Press-Citizen she watched as state politics increasingly revolved around education the past two years and more incumbents have announced they don’t plan to seek reelection. She said she initially reached out to online groups of educators to encourage others to run for Iowa House, but was instead urged to run because of her own background in education.
“As the corridor grows, Iowa City needs a loud voice at the Capitol fighting for what matters to Iowa,” Wolfe said in a news release announcing her candidacy.
Wolfe, 54, was born in Des Moines and grew up in Clinton before moving to Iowa City while pursuing her law degree at the University of Iowa in 1995 and eventually receiving her doctorate in social foundations of education. Outside of clerking for her sister, Wolfe is an occasional substitute teacher in the Iowa City Community School District.
The Clinton Herald reported in January that Mary Wolfe will not run for reelection, opting to return to practicing law full time.
“(Mary) was thrilled and she started to tell people I was going to run before I even made up my mind,” Christy Wolfe said.
Wolfe is the third candidate to join the race for the seat that Democratic incumbent and current candidate for U.S. Congress Christina Bohannan would have run for. Democrats Andrew Dunn and Adam Zabner have already filed their paperwork to appear on the ballot.
Wolfe said she also hopes to carry on the memory of two of her siblings, Susan and Sarah Wolfe, who were murdered in East Liberty, Pennsylvania, in 2014. She said she is glad she and her seven siblings all pursued careers in education and law that she thinks have made a positive impact on society.
“My sister Sarah was a doctor, a child psychiatrist, and was amazing. My sister Susan was a teacher and worked with little kids,” she said. “The legacy they left was that (my family) was going to make a difference. I like to think somewhere out there, they are laughing at me trying to (run for office).”
Wolfe said education and health care are the issues she has at the front of her mind. Wolfe said she also recognizes the losses in Des Moines of longtime educator and retiring Iowa City state Rep. Mary Mascher and Bohannan, a University of Iowa law professor.
More:Iowa Poll: Opposition increases to Kim Reynolds’ proposal for private school scholarships
Wolfe also wants to focus on the legalization of recreational marijuana. That was a top issue for Iowa City state Sen. Joe Bolkcom during his time in office, but Wolfe doesn’t expect Republicans in power to do anything about it as Bolkcom retires.
“It would be a huge economic advantage from the money the state would make on taxes alone, and not to mention the savings we would have in our criminal justice system by not charging people,” she said.
Wolfe also is worried about how the Legislature is increasing the severity of penalties for certain crimes. She said this includes crimes that put people on the sex offender registry, laws creating steeper penalties for protest-related crimes and suggestions by state lawmakers that teachers could be charged with crimes for distributing obscene materials to students.
“It doesn’t make any sense. Like why are we elevating things to prison time? Why have we moved into a society that puts some sort of egregious error, especially in your youth, on you for life?” she said. “People’s lives are ruined for things like that.”
Wolfe said the bill Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a few years ago allowing felons to vote was a huge step in the right direction. She said Iowa should help rehabilitate and welcome back members of society who have served their time.
This race takes place in a wider statewide trend of turnover due to retirements and redistricting after the 2020 U.S. Census. Four Iowa House seats and one Iowa Senate seat are on the ballot without an incumbent and all are set to be contested either in the June primary or in the November general election.
Wolfe said if she gets elected, she hopes to emulate her sister’s ability to communicate with fellow legislators and work with the Republicans who hold power. She said she thinks her own experience working in the Iowa House and the connections she’s made will help her.
She said she hopes Democrats regain control of at least one branch of government in order to force the Republican Party to compromise.
“I don’t think I’m going to single-handedly change the world, but myself and others can help Democrats push back on some of the bad legislation we’ve seen introduced and passed,” she said.
The primary election is June 7. The filing deadline to run is March 18.
More information on this election can be found at the Johnson County Auditor’s Office website, including information about how to register to vote and vote early.
More:Iowa Poll: As 2022 governor’s race takes shape, Kim Reynolds leads Deidre DeJear
George Shillcock is the Press-Citizen’s local government and development reporter covering Iowa City and Johnson County. He can be reached at (515) 350-6307, GS********@pr***********.com and on Twitter @ShillcockGeorge
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