Two Republicans and one Democrat are running for a Polk County-based Iowa Senate seat being vacated by retiring state Sen. Jack Whitver.
Iowa Senate District 23 includes north and east Polk County and parts of western Dallas County, including some of Granger, Grimes, Bondurant, Mitchellville and Runnells.
The two Republicans running are state Sen. Mike Bousselot, R-Ankeny, and Wes Enos, the deputy chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn.
Bousselot represents Iowa Senate District 21 in Ankeny, but he has said he is moving to run in District 23.
Democrat Tony Thompson is unopposed for his party’s nomination.
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.
Click below to see learn more about the candidates and where they stand on key issues:
| Bios | Top issue | Education | Taxes | Cancer rates | Eminent domain | Budget deficits |
Who is Mike Bousselot?
Who is Wes Enos?
Who is Tony Thompson?
What would be your top issue if elected?
Bousselot (R): Affordability. The most glaring driver of higher costs for Iowans at home and businesses is property taxes. We must ensure the burden paid by families is reduced. Iowa families deserve an affordable Iowa with jobs readily available, great schools for their kids and safe communities to call home. As a small business owner, I know firsthand the impact of property taxes on the housing I build. Controlling these runaway costs for families and businesses is critical to growing our state over the long term so we can stop stifling investment in our communities.
Enos (R): Protecting private property rights and reforming Iowa’s property tax system are my top priorities. Government should never weaponize eminent domain for private gain — your land belongs to you. At the same time, rising property tax bills driven by soaring assessments are hurting Iowa families. I support reforms that limit sudden increases, create transparency and ensure taxpayers — not government — remain in control of what they’ve worked their lives to build.
Thompson (D): Our government needs to start listening to and working for everyday people. Iowa can again be a place where families thrive, where opportunity is real and where our young people choose to build their futures.
What policies would you support to improve Iowa’s education system?
Enos (R): I support policies that strengthen the partnership between parents and teachers — through clear curriculum transparency, expanded parental options and stronger individualized supports for students. As a foster parent, I’ve worked closely on Education Improvement Plans and seen how collaboration between families and educators drives real results. I’m grateful for the outstanding teachers and staff at Bondurant-Farrar who have gone above and beyond for our foster kids. We should empower great educators, support tailored learning, and ensure parents are engaged partners in every child’s success.
Thompson (D): I want our education system to facilitate kids becoming the best version of themselves, like it did when I was in school. Since that time, however, what was the finest educational system in the world has been dismantled. Public school staff need our respect and our support. We must not turn our education system into private profit centers. We need parents as partners in education, and we need an economy that gives parents the time to show up.
Bousselot (R): The most impactful and important people in my education, besides my parents, were the great teachers I had growing up in Davenport public schools. We all remember those great teachers, the teachers who made a difference. Maybe they kept us on the straight and narrow or maybe they gave us opportunity to shine. We are losing too many of our greatest teachers from making that impact in the classroom. Instead, administration is growing. We need to treat our educators professionally and pay the best teachers to teach and reward them for staying in the classroom and being the best or in demand.
Do you support Iowa’s recent tax policy changes, including lowering income taxes, and what additional tax law changes would you support?
Thompson (D): For years, Iowa Republicans have played a dishonest shell game with taxes. They boast about lower tax rates and surpluses while starving schools and forcing impossible choices between police, fire, public health and other essential services. Everyday Iowa families like mine lose this game every time. Our grandparents knew education and public services were strategic investments in our future, not costs to cut. We need a fair tax system that funds those priorities without shifting the burden to middle-class families while giving the biggest breaks to the wealthy.
Bousselot (R): I’m proud to have supported eliminating the state income tax on retirement income and a 3.8% flat tax for all Iowans. We must get property taxes under control. Cities have increased their budgets by 110% over the past decade. They’ve done that through runaway assessments. We have to stop this from coming on the backs of homeowners and realize that property tax dollars kept are better used by families than government.
Enos (R): Yes. I support Iowa’s efforts to lower income taxes and make our state more affordable and competitive for families and businesses. We should continue moving toward eliminating the income tax. At the same time, we must address rising property taxes driven by increasing valuations. I support reforms that limit these increases, improve transparency, and ensure taxpayers — not government — stay in control of their budgets.
What actions would you support to address Iowa’s high cancer rates?
Bousselot (R): Far too many of my friends and family are fighting cancer. Every Iowan has loved ones who have battled cancer or continue in their cancer journey. In March, we heard from experts from the University of Iowa College of Public Health about cancer rates, risk factors and driving forces. The university has studied the drivers for cancer on a county-by-county level. The study is ongoing and will provide recommendations to the Legislature on potential actions we can take to help combat cancer. You can count on me to take action based on the data-driven, science-based approach.
Enos (R): Iowa’s high cancer rates demand a serious, science-driven response. We must invest in water quality by reducing nitrate levels through improved nutrient management, expanded conservation practices and modern drainage infrastructure. At the same time, we should support early detection, increase access to care, and continue research into environmental factors — ensuring we address root causes while protecting Iowa families’ health.
Thompson (D): Let’s acknowledge there is a problem and that we can address it. Some easy steps include improving health: diet, exercise, having access to care and reducing radon in homes. Then let’s solve multiple issues at once by reinventing Iowa agriculture: raise more fruits and vegetables; grow oats here instead of importing them; develop biofuels from crops with active roots early and late to utilize those nitrates; produce energy from solar while grasses filter nitrate. We can build a resilient ag economy and confront our cancer crisis at the same time — we have to look for synergistic solutions.
When do you believe it is appropriate to use eminent domain, and should it be used to build carbon capture pipelines?
Enos (R): Eminent domain is a last resort for government to build critical public infrastructure — roads, sewers and drinking water systems. It should never be weaponized to choose economic winners and losers. Using it for carbon capture pipelines hands private companies the power of government to take land for profit. That’s wrong. If a project is viable, it should move forward through voluntary agreements — not by forcing Iowa families off their land.
Thompson (D): Iowa law sets limits on the use of eminent domain. These limits must be respected. Carbon pipelines present a real and difficult question. Our state has a budget deficit of more than a billion dollars, so we must build an economy that works for Iowa families and strengthens our communities. We cannot pretend the tradeoffs are simple. Property rights, public safety, the environment and economic opportunity all matter. Our job is to move beyond false choices and build new opportunities that grow the middle class without sacrificing constitutional protections or local voices.
Bousselot (R): I support landowner rights. For two years, I have brought legislation forward that would empower landowners, end eminent domain as the only solution and improve the process for all. Hopefully, eminent domain is never used for a project. Whether that is a transmission line, internet, water, pipeline or power generation, eminent domain is never desired as a solution. If an entity seeks eminent domain then it should follow a thorough, transparent and lawful process.
How would you remedy Iowa’s budget deficits driven by lost revenue? Are there certain services you would prioritize for cuts?
Thompson (D): Our state government has gone beyond cutting fat and is now cutting meat — quite literally taking food out of people’s mouths by cutting programs that help access food. We cannot cut our way to a balanced budget. Too many Iowans are strained by having to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. We must grow our economy; not for the sake of growing the economy, but with a purpose: to enable families and their communities to thrive.
Bousselot (R): Lowering taxes should result in more money in Iowans pockets and a reduction in government coffers. The impact of lower taxes on government revenues was anticipated. Just like a family saving up for a large expenditure, or a small business getting ready to make a big investment, the state of Iowa set aside the funds to make up for the reduction. We are already seeing revenues coming back up as the state of Iowa grows economically. We planned for this. We have more than $4 billion in savings and the 6th lowest income tax in the nation. My priority is ensuring Iowans keep more of their money.
Enos (R): Iowa faces tighter budgets as tax cuts phase in and growth remains modest — but the answer isn’t raising taxes. Government should do what families do: live within its means. We must prioritize core services like public safety and education while cutting waste, bureaucracy, and special interest spending. The long-term solution is growing Iowa’s economy, attracting families, and expanding our tax base — not asking taxpayers to pay more.
Read more about the midterm candidates at: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/news/elections/.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Meet the 3 candidates vying for Iowa Sen. Jack Whitver’s seat
Reporting by Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
