While participating in the Grinnell 4th of July Parade, House District 53 Democratic candidate Tommy Hexter, adorned with a patriotic shirt, handed out a generous amount of candy and fliers and spread his message of opportunity and unity. PHOTO BY JONATHAN MEYER

Raised a Catholic in central Virginia while living on an egg and vegetable farm has shaped House District 53 Democratic candidate Tommy Hexter into the person he is today. Raised much like an Iowan, Hexter did plenty of farm chores and attended parochial school as a youngster, eventually making his way to Grinnell College in 2017, the same school his mother graduated from in 1985. After graduating both Hexter and his family made Iowa their full time home and settled down.

In a sitdown interview with the Tama-Toledo News Chronicle, Hexter, 24, answered questions about his candidacy and shared his background. When asked about his reason for running to serve HD53, which includes all of Poweshiek County and about ¾ of Tama County excluding the northeast quadrant, Hexter pointed to the theme of opportunity.

“Since being here I’ve been able to own a small business, be the executive director of nonprofits, be elected to the soil and water conservation district, be on several boards of statewide organizations (and) have my own farm for a summer,” he said. “There’s been no shortage of opportunity here. I see Iowa as a place young people can thrive and find opportunities for meaningful work.”

When Republican incumbent Dean Fisher was first elected to the Iowa House in 2012, Hexter was in middle school. His age and being relatively new to the district doesn’t scare the first time candidate, who shared insight on his work experience.

“I definitely respect Dean as a lifelong Iowan, landowner, and someone who has been elected this long. I recognize I’m someone new to the political scene here. I’m a first time candidate. I want to emphasize my experience in life over the last six or seven years, since moving to Iowa, has been about getting to know this place and getting to know the politics, small businesses, and farms here,” he said. “My experience running Grinnell Farm to Table has introduced me to a lot of small farms in the area. I’ve learned about the larger organizational community in Poweshiek and Tama County. Working as an organizer for the Iowa Farmers Union I got to know a lot of the issues facing family farms in rural communities in the state. I’ve dedicated my life to this point to getting to know the issues that make me qualified for this job. I know the policy issues like the back of my hand. I’m at the statehouse all the time with my job at the Farmers Union. I’m someone who comes from out of the district and doesn’t have near the experience but I bring passion, new perspective, and a new voice. I’m different from the partisan legislators who won’t work with the other side.”

PHOTO BY JONATHAN MEYER

Off hand, Hexter talked about his friends who had moved out of Grinnell and even some older folks who left Iowa because of the state’s political climate. He spoke of wanting more young people to stay and enjoy what Iowa has to offer. He welcomes voters to engage with him and ask the questions they have.

“I want to do things differently and let people know who I am, as much as possible. I guarantee we’re so much more similar than different,” he said.

In closing, Hexter shared his values and a bit of his vision for Iowa moving forward.

“One thing I want to leave with voters is this is not a campaign about me. It’s about us, about the collective future of our district and of Iowa. I want to encourage people to be active in their communities and start engaging with their neighbors again,” he said. “We aren’t going to change the world with just politics. One of the main values with this campaign is respect and recognizing that we need to work together and have civility again. Division is a problem and more issues are just stemming from that division.”

PHOTO BY JONATHAN MEYER