Zahren files petition to appear on General Election ballot for Iowa House District 64
Ian Zahren ...
Educator and former city councilman Ian Zahren has filed his petition with the Iowa Secretary of State to appear on the November ballot as an Independent for Iowa House District 64. This district Zahren is seeking to represent includes Allamakee and Clayton counties, along with a single precinct in Dubuque County.
If elected, the Lansing resident would be the first person without party affiliation to be elected to an Iowa state office in more than 100 years. Zahren, 36, will face Republican Jason Gearhart from Strawberry Point in the November election. No Democratic Party candidate is running for the District 64 seat.
Zahren, who grew up in South Amana and moved to Lansing in 2020 where he served on the city council, is a music teacher at MFL MarMac Community School District. “Like many Iowans, I have chosen to make my home in a small town because of the people,” Zahren said. “Our rural communities deserve support from their state government and creative solutions to allow rural Iowa to thrive now and into the future. I am running for the Iowa State House to be that voice.”
Driven by a belief that elected officials should be present and accessible, Zahren has spent the past several months campaigning across the district, learning much from talking with voters at county fairs, school board and city council meetings, and town halls. “Voters are concerned about our schools, infrastructure, and support for our first responders,” Zahren said. “In every place I have gone in this district, people have shared an enthusiasm for our campaign and a hope for a new kind of politics.”
The son of small business owners and the grandson of farmers, Zahren has been a public school teacher for more than a decade. In 2022, Zahren was the lead organizer and executive director for Lansing RAGBRAI, which led to Lansing becoming the most profitable town in RAGBRAI history, resulting in a $1.4 million economic impact for the city and $115,000 of profit dispersed to local nonprofits, churches, schools, and towns.
For more information about Ian Zahren, visit www.ianforiowa.org
