Ken Carlson (born 1951) is an American politician, retired teacher and retired farmer who has represented the 13th district in the Iowa House of Representatives since January 2023, which consists of parts of southern Plymouth County, western Cherokee County, eastern Woodbury County and the whole of Monona County. He is a member of the Republican Party.[1]
Ken Carlson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 13th district | |
| Assumed office January 9, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Chris Hall (redistricting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1951 (age 72–73) Whiting, Iowa, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Carolyn |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Buena Vista University |
Early life
editCarlson was born in 1951 near Whiting, Iowa, where he was raised. He graduated from Whiting Senior High School and attended Buena Vista University.[1]
Political career
editFollowing decennial redistricting in 2021, Carlson announced his intent to run for the open 13th district seat in Iowa House of Representatives in March 2022.[2] He was challenged in the Republican primaries on June 7, 2022, by Mark Peters, a farmer and truck driver, whom he defeated by over 300 votes, and defeated Libertarian candidate Amy Janowski in the general election on November 8 by over 8,400 votes.[3]
Carlson is a member of the Agriculture, Economic Growth and Technology, Veterans Affairs, and Natural Resources committees, the lattermost of which he serves as vice chair.[4]
Carlson endorsed Ron DeSantis for president in 2023.[5] In 2024 he announced that he will not seek reelection.[6]
Carlson has described himself as a constitutional conservative. He has said that his priorities include education, taxpayer dollars and eminent domain for CO2 pipelines. He opposes abortion and supports the Second Amendment.[2][7]
Personal life
editCarlson has a wife, Carolyn, and three adult children. He resides in Onawa, Iowa. He is a retired farmer and a former math and science public school teacher, having taught for 12 years. He is also an on-call preacher at the Onawa First Christian Church and is a member of the Monona County Farm Bureau, Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Soybean Association and Western Iowa Experimental Farm.[1]
Electoral history
edit| Election | Political result | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa House of Representatives Republican primary elections, 2022 [3] District 13 Turnout: 2,636 | Republican (newly redistricted) | Ken Carlson | Republican | 1,488 | 56.4 | ||
| Mark Peters | Republican | 1,140 | 43.2 | ||||
| Other/Write-in votes | 8 | 0.3 | |||||
| Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2022 [3] District 13 Turnout: 11,897 | Republican (newly redistricted) | Ken Carlson | Republican | 10,157 | 85.4 | ||
| Amy Janowski | Libertarian | 1,703 | 14.3 | ||||
| Other/Write-in votes | 37 | 0.3 | |||||
References
edit- ^ a b c "State Representative". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ a b Gottburg, Woody (March 18, 2022). "CARLSON TO SEEK IOWA HOUSE DISTRICT 13 SEAT". KSCJ 1360. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Ken Carlson". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ "Ken Carlson - Iowa Legislature". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ Isenstadt, Alexander. "Ron DeSantis rolls out a major slate of Iowa endorsements". Politico. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ Gottburg, Woody (March 17, 2024). "SITZMANN TO SEEK IOWA HOUSE DISTRICT 13 SEAT". KSCJ 1360. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ Dreeszen, Dave (June 8, 2022). "Newcomer Ken Carlson wins Iowa House District 13 GOP race against Mark Peters". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved March 23, 2024.