Hello John,

I ran for the US Senate in Iowa in 2020 because I wanted to help make life more just and fair for everyone.  Since the US Senate race, I've been keeping my eyes open for an opportunity to run for office again, so I can forward justice in our communities. As a lawyer for kids and parents for nearly 20 years, I work in our criminal and juvenile justice systems and know they can be improved.



I live in Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa. The current Polk County Attorney has been in office for about 30 years and has never had an opponent. His office has higher than average racial disparities in marijuana and other prosecutions. He once told a reporter that the disparities were because Black people commit more crimes than white people.  (Incorrect, the data contradicts this.)

Most recently, his office made national headlines. A journalist for the Des Moines Register, covering a Black Lives Matter protest last year for her job, was arrested. But rather than dismissing the charge, they took the case to trial, where they lost for lack of convincing evidence. Prosecuting a journalist for doing her job is appalling. 

We can do better. 

Yesterday we announced the formation of an exploratory committee for my run for Polk County Attorney.

Donate to our Exploratory Committee HERE!

Forward-thinking County Attorneys (called District Attorneys in some states) have been doing amazing, innovative work throughout the country advancing the cause of real justice to make communities safer.

Just a few things progressive prosecutors have been able to do are: declining to prosecute low-level possession of marijuana charges, connecting people accused of crimes of poverty with services, rather than jailing them, and declining to prosecute peaceful protestors.  Taking these actions frees up resources to better investigate and prosecute violent crimes - from assaults on children to sexual assaults to hate crimes to domestic abuse.

We can also use those freed-up resources to create diversion programs for children who are accused of crimes, to do everything we can to keep them out of the criminal justice system permanently.  Additionally, prosecutors who seek truth and justice work with police to keep our community safer, while also holding officers accountable when they violate the law in the performance of their duties. No one is above the law.

If you don’t live in Polk County, Iowa, you might wonder why you should donate to help a prosecutor in Iowa get elected. Here’s why: with the election of each new, forward-thinking prosecutor, we make our criminal justice system more . . . just.

If we can’t get the sweeping reforms we need on a federal or state level, we will get them one prosecutor’s office at a time.  I’ve donated to candidates I believe in, even when those candidates won’t be my own representative. 

When forward-thinking, justice-oriented folks get into positions of power, and they effect change, we all win, no matter where we live.

I need your help.  It’s estimated we will need to raise around $400k to pay for all the things a campaign needs to win - staff salaries, advertising, literature, yard signs, texting and calling software, and so much more.

Anything you can contribute toward that goal puts us on a solid footing to begin this campaign.  No amount is too small, it all adds up. I deeply appreciate your support.