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‘I want to be the governor bringing folks together’

An interview with Democratic candidate Deidre DeJear

Deidre DeJear (center left), on her campaign for the governor’s seat, stopped at Meskwaki Bingo Casino and Resort to hear the concerns of Tama County citizens. Photo contributed by the DeJear for Governor campaign.

Gubernatorial candidate Deidre DeJear visited Tama County on Oct. 22 at the Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel conference room for a town hall meeting with the local community. She took the opportunity to talk a little more about why she’s opposing Republican incumbent Kim Reynolds.

“The reason why I’m running is because I believe in my state. I believe in my state because I believe in our people. We’ve been known to be a petri dish for progress in this state, making unpopular decisions but making those decisions for the good of humanity,” DeJear said. “We still have that in us to be that type of person, ensuring access to life, liberty, and justice unburdened by government. We’ve got to get back into helping [our] fellow Iowans. We have it in us to accomplish our goals collectively.”

A passionate standing point for DeJear’s campaign is education — specifically, increasing funding for public schools and opposing the governor’s plan for private school scholarships or vouchers.

“We’ve got to fund public schools. Schools are fundamental to our future, and our school systems impact every aspect of our lives. We want to increase compensation for starting teachers, retain our teachers, and attract new professionals, but we have to fund our system. The state has a history of prioritizing the allocation of education funding, but we’ve made sure we make substantial increases on an annual basis of 4 to 5%,” DeJear said. “Under current leadership, we’re standing on average at 2%. The world is facing inflation, and we’ve got to ensure we’re funding our system [so] they’re equipped to weather the storm. That’s with an immediate $3 million from the [state] surplus to our school systems. I want to reinstate loan forgiveness and ensure every three to four-year-old has at least 30 hours of early childhood education weekly.”

DeJear also recognized the mental healthcare needs of children within Iowa’s schools, which have only gotten more complex in recent years.

“I want to make sure we have mental healthcare practitioners in every one of our schools. When our elementary students ask for mental healthcare services [and] counselors, that should signal to all of us [that] we’re not meeting the need,” she said. “It’s a sobering moment when a fifth-grader comes up to you, and you ask them what their number one issue is, and they say mental health. We’ve got to solve this crisis with mental health, and that means meeting our students where they are in our school system.”

The essential ticket items on DeJear’s agenda exceed beyond education. She also wants to see Iowa’s smaller communities grow and thrive in the future.

“Whether we live in urban, rural, or suburban areas, we all need rural revitalization. We must set up all our rural communities for success and safety. A part of that is improving healthcare access and affordability. We have insured people being turned away from services,” she said. “I hear folks driving 45-50 miles in rural communities to get care. In urban communities, people live next door to the hospital and can’t get the care they need. We’ve got more than 80 counties in this state where a mama doesn’t have access to an OBGYN in her county. That’s problematic. We’ve got to strengthen our healthcare system.”

DeJear is also the small business owner of Caleo Enterprises, which helps small businesses with marketing, project management, and business strategies. With these skills she’s built over 15 years, DeJear is ready to step up for Iowa’s small businesses.

“I want our small businesses to be set up to compete. Small businesses in Iowa provide jobs for more than 50% of the workforce. These folks have brick-and-mortar [businesses], acreages, and operate out of their homes. When we think about the jobs and goods they provide in our state, it offers great value, and we have to show up for and build that value. In addition, we need to ensure that small businesses have access to affordable healthcare options they can pass down to their employees. These are some folks having the most challenging time recruiting and retaining employees. A large part of that is because they have to compete against larger corporations that can provide those benefits. The least we can do is ensure that small businesses can provide that healthcare.”

While traveling on her campaign, DeJear witnessed firsthand how small businesses have been hurting especially since the pandemic.

“Because it hurts my heart as I’m traveling throughout our communities, and I’ll stop in a place I’ve never been before, Google a restaurant to go to, and come to find out when we show up to that restaurant they’re closed indefinitely,” she said. “Right below the closed sign, there’s a help wanted sign. You see everything this business had to endure in writing on the window. That’s not the type of future we want to see in our economy. We want to see our economies bolstering and growing. So we will also strongly commit to supporting our Iowa-based small businesses.”

One thing DeJear has been doing is talking about how Iowa can strengthen its economy.

“Our state is in strong need of a comprehensive economic plan that all counties can tap into. We have to have a strong, intensive economic development plan to make sure we can live, work and play in our community, and have a quality of life in all 99 counties of our state,” she said. “I’m fortunate to have Eric Van Lancker as a running mate. He intimately understands how counties are run, and we realize the conundrum that this current governor is putting our counties in. It’s challenging for them to have the safety nets necessary for their community. We want to work from the county level to ensure those counties have equal access to a strong vital economic thrivancy that we all need in the state.”

DeJear supports a woman’s right to choose and finds governmental bodies imposing policies on individuals immoral.

“Governors are now on the front lines in defending the rights for a woman to choose. More than 55% of women in Iowa believe in the right [to choose]. This idea that politics belongs in that examination room, it’s not in any other examination room. So why should it be in there unless it’s protecting the patient? We’ve forgotten how important it is to protect individuals through policy,” she said. “I’m like, nope, the state’s not going to decide. The woman will decide in the privacy of her appointment with her doctor. That is where we have to leave. The idea that we want to regulate the process of pregnancy in black and white is undemocratic and irresponsible. We cannot criminalize women for getting the care they need or nurses and doctors for providing the quality of care women deserve.”

The importance of Iowa’s future is at the forefront of DeJear’s mind with every step she takes in her campaign.

“I know we have it in us to move forward. Clearly, under this current leadership, we’re taking monumental steps backward. We were #1 in education, and now we’re 18th, and we know that’s not where we belong. Our mental healthcare services were more accessible. Now, we’re 45th in the nation in mental healthcare worker availability,” she said. “We’re 50th in the nation in bridges and infrastructure. We’re 45th in the nation for broadband speed–these rankings [show] the evidence throughout our communities in this state. We can stay down, or we can stand up because we’ve done it time and time again. The state had overcome challenges even when it was difficult and even when it was unpopular. I see [Iowa] having a bright future. My being on the ballot is a testament to what our state is capable of. We’ve got it in us. We’ve just got to be willing.”

With the divisiveness between parties growing, DeJear takes a hard stance on teamwork amongst all political parties for the betterment of Iowa. If she is elected, she would likely have to work with a Republican-held House and Senate.

“I can’t guarantee that I’m going to have the majority in the house or senate, and as a result, that means we’re going to have to stick together as we’ve done before, historically, as Iowans, Republicans, and Democrats alike, to overcome these challenges ahead of us. I want to be something other than a governor that reaches across the aisle. I want to be in the middle bringing folks together so that we’re creating sustainable change for all of our communities,” she said.

“I’m the type of leader who likes the vision of many to be a part of one vision. We’ve seen courageous stances from both Republicans and Democrats on education and our redistricting process. I’m of the mindset that we’ve got it in us to move forward because healthcare, mental healthcare, education [and] our economy. These are all things that Iowans want to see growth on regardless of their party identity. We’ve got to put people first. We’re beholden to the people. Our commitment is to Iowans.”

DeJear is dedicated to the betterment of Iowa and those hardworking individuals who live within its communities.

“My focus will always be on our state’s progress [and] Iowans as individuals. My agenda is truly about moving our state forward [concerning] our rural areas, improving education and childcare services, ensuring healthcare and mental healthcare are affordable and accessible, but that we’re also lifting our labor force with not just job and training availability, but the access to a home they can afford to live in,” shes said. “We think about Iowans working incredibly hard because we are hardworking people, but right now, folks are working just a little too hard. The government places the burden on them, and we must ensure that Iowans are in pursuit of their life, liberty, and happiness. I’m hoping folks will choose me on Nov. 8 so that we can move this state in a direction we can all believe in and that we’ll all be proud of.”