John,
For National Coming Out Day, I thought I'd introduce you to someone you likely don't know unless you live in a small Midwestern community.
Meet Aime Wichtendahl, the Democratic nominee for the 80th District of the Iowa House of Representatives. She's one of three Victory Fund-endorsed "Spotlight" candidates who are transgender women running for higher office this year, joining Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride (who's running for Congress) and Palm Springs City Council member Lisa Middleton (who's running for California state Senate).
Two years before I became the first out-and-seated transgender state legislator in American history on January 10, 2018, Aime was already in elected office. She made history of her own in 2015, winning her first of three terms to the Hiawatha City Council. When she was sworn-in January 1, 2016, she became the first out-and-seated transgender elected official in Iowa history.
That part of her story's cool. Cooler though is what she's done in office, which makes her my type of candidate -- and the fact that she's been an author, journalist and a member of a musician's union certainly helps too!
She won her first race with the most votes out of five candidates running and got to work spurring economic development for small businesses, reducing property taxes, creating green energy projects, raising the minimum wage in Linn County and building multi-family housing so more people could afford to live in Hiawatha.
Aime did such a good job, no one opposed her in either 2019 or 2023. She's been a constituent service-focused, results-oriented, good governance elected official who's led by example.
At the same time she's earned her neighbors' votes and respect for her political acumen, the Republican trifecta leading Iowa's government has just been outright awful to LGBTQ people. The supposed small-government, parents-rights party interjected decided they know better than the parents and doctors of trans kids by telling them what medical decisions are best for their families and patients. Meanwhile, they also passed into law the sort of "bathroom bill" that my predecessor in the House of Delegates introduced in 2017 that led to his defeat that fall.
Simply put, we've seen this sort of transphobic BS in Virginia before -- and we not only defeated it but turned the ship around so much that we became the leader in the for LGBTQ equality bills signed into law.
Aime wants Iowa to be an inclusive leader like it was when the state became one of the first in the country to legally recognize marriage equality, one where you're welcome there because of who you are, not despite it. She wants to focus on the bread-and-butter core constituent service issues that bring people together and improve the quality of life of the people she's running to serve, just like she's done for nearly nine years as a city councilor.
So my ask for you on National Coming Out Day is to please split a donation between Aime and me. She needs the support to win her seat this fall and I've got bills to pay after putting aside my own fundraising for most of this year so we could focus on 2024 candidates instead. Please donate $10, $25, $50, $100 or whatever you can do today and help make history in Iowa.
I've donated to all three of the Victory Fund-endorsed "Spotlight" candidates mentioned above this year because I believe in their cause and because I believe they can win. All three would be historic -- and Aime's victory in a deep-red state House would bring hope for LGBTQ+ Iowans who feel trampled by their state government. I know first-hand the power of presence, of how the conversation changes just when we have representation in the room with a seat at the table where decisions are made.
Representation matters. Aime's a proven winner and a bona fide public servant. She has a better-than-even chance of claiming victory this fall. I'm all-in on supporting her and I hope you are too. So please donate today and happy National Coming Out Day.
Warmly,
Danica
