One Democrat and one Republican are running to replace retiring state Rep. Rick Olson in Iowa House District 39, which includes Pleasant Hill and northeast Des Moines.
Democrat Nate Boulton is unopposed in the Democratic primary and Republican Troy Clark is unopposed in the Republican primary.
To help voters, the Des Moines Register sent questions to all federal and Des Moines area legislative candidates running for political office this year. Their answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Iowa’s primary election is June 2.
Who is Nate Boulton?
Age: 45
Political party: Democratic Party
Current town of residence: Des Moines
Occupation: Attorney
Education: Simpson College (bachelor’s), Drake University (JD and MPA)
Political experience: State senator (2017-2025)
Who is Troy Clark?
Age: 56
Political party: Republican Party
Current town of residence: Pleasant Hill
Occupation: Insurance advisor
Education: Associate’s, DMACC. Fully-licensed insurance agent
Political experience: Candidate for Iowa House in 2024, Current member of the Polk County Republican Party Central Committee, 2024 Trump Caucus Captain
What would be your top issue if elected?
Boulton: Let’s deliver a better deal for Iowans. That means working families must be the focus of our economic plans. We need to market our state as having the most educated, skilled and productive workforce in the nation, not the best giveaways for out of state corporations. We get there by restoring Iowa as the national leader in public education, with wage growth for families to thrive, better access to quality health care, safe and clean water, tax fairness and new initiatives like paid family leave to help achieve the work-family balance needed to enjoy a great quality of life here in Iowa.
Clark: President Kennedy stated “A rising tide lifts all boats.” Improved economic prosperity helps everyone, not just the wealthy. Since COVID slammed a lid on our economy, followed by four years of high interest rates, inflation and stagnant growth, the country and Iowa are recovering due to strong conservative Republican leadership. But many families and small businesses are still suffering greatly. The governor and Legislature have done much to keep Iowa strong and growing, but there’s always more to be done. We need to do all we can to lower costs for housing, fuel, groceries, health care and more.
What policies would you support to improve Iowa’s education system?
Boulton: For generations, we have valued an education system that has made sure every child can reach his or her full potential. That starts with a public education system that meets the needs of every individual student from preschool through high school graduation. It also means that students can continue pursuing educational opportunities that lead to outstanding careers. That means having the resources for our small colleges in public universities, community colleges and skilled apprenticeship programs to succeed. Finally, we must have policies that help us recruit and retain exceptional teachers.
Clark: I strongly support parental choice in education and Education Savings Accounts, which allow students from all backgrounds to receive the education best suited for them. One of education’s biggest problems is the excessive number of administrative personnel in the system, which diverts school resources away from children and hardworking teachers. We need to focus on educating students on the fundamentals — reading, writing, math, science and accurate history, as well as strong vocational training. Lastly, music and fine arts education is extremely important and needs to be funded.
Do you support Iowa’s recent tax policy changes, including lowering income taxes, and what additional tax law changes would you support?
Boulton: We are long overdue for meaningful and fair tax reform in Iowa. Our tax system continues to unfairly put far too much of the burden on working families while massive corporations benefit from tax exemptions, tax credits and corporate giveaways. Targeted tax relief leads to real, sustainable economic growth and helps working families make ends meet in the face of rising costs. While I supported many of the latest income and property tax cuts, too much of the relief went to those who don’t need the help. Better targeted tax cuts can help with rising costs without making a mess of our budget.
Clark: I am absolutely in favor of tax cuts and I think we ultimately need to eliminate the state income tax as it punishes productivity. In addition, we need to work much harder on reforming and ultimately eliminating property taxes. Property taxes penalize investment and ownership. Though it may take time, we need to stop tinkering year after year with the current property tax system and do a complete overhaul — starting over from the bottom — doing this with the full input of towns and cities of all sizes, schools and businesses.
What actions would you support to address Iowa’s high cancer rates?
Boulton: Most of us have lost people we care about to cancer. Iowa’s alarming cancer rates must be a policy priority. Recognizing risk factors and understanding causes is needed to get to real solutions. We have clear indications that environmental factors, including water quality, are at play here. It’s time to act on research-based water quality solutions so we can truly implement measurable policies to truly address the problem. Ignoring it, or worse, doing things like protecting chemical companies with liability shields related to cancer-causing products, will never be the right answer on this.
Clark: Cancer is a huge problem in Iowa. Ultimately, we need to clean up our water, environment and grocery store shelves. I believe that cleaner eating would be a step in the right direction for our state and our nation as a whole. Too much of the food in our grocery aisles is “engineered” and outlawed in other countries. In addition, laws and regulations related to cancer treatment in Iowa need to be relaxed. Why should patients have to travel to other states for the cancer treatments they wish to receive, but are not available in Iowa? We have great hospitals and doctors here.
When do you believe it is appropriate to use eminent domain, and should it be used to build carbon capture pipelines?
Boulton: Eminent domain should always be the last resort, not the first option, when we look at projects designed to benefit the public. I’m a supporter of creating meaningful standards — not just guidelines — for the use of eminent domain to ensure we have a clear and unmistakable benefit for Iowans in terms of economic development, urban renewal, education, transportation or public utilities. Whether for a pipeline or a new highway, we need standards that protect landowner rights while also making sure our state has clear direction for projects that provide a clearly defined, needed benefit to Iowans.
Clark: Eminent domain should only be used as a last case option, and only for roads, utility easements (again, last case option) and items for the betterment of the vast majority. It should not be used for profit by private companies, and definitely not for carbon capture pipelines which, as of now, can still be deemed as risky and likely not environmentally acceptable.
How would you remedy Iowa’s budget deficits driven by lost revenue? Are there certain services you would prioritize for cuts?
Boulton: We have to be smart about budgeting but can’t ignore the elephant in the room: massive tax cuts for the wealthy, corporate credits and giveaways and uncapped income for school vouchers created this budget disaster. When we talk cuts, the first thing we have to look at is how much money we are shoveling out of Iowa to pad the profits of some of the wealthiest corporations in the history of the planet. Instead of asking teachers to do more with less, ignoring infrastructure needs or compromising on public safety, we have to focus on the corporations getting more than their fair share first.
Clark: I truly think we still need to do a lot more trimming of government, but we especially need to do a deep dive to find additional efficiencies, as well as any and all fraud, waste and abuse of the system. As shown by states like Minnesota, there is so much of it, and even in a conservative, and well-run state like Iowa, we will most surely find money that is not being spent as it should.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Meet Iowa House District 39 candidates Nate Boulton and Troy Clark
Reporting by Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
