DES MOINES – Democratic hopeful for Iowa Governor Cathy Glasson’s bold progressive movement showed up strong at Iowa Democratic Party County Conventions, the campaign said in a statement this week:
After winning the largest number of committed delegates last month at the Iowa Democratic Caucuses, grassroots activists racked up new victories for Cathy Glasson’s insurgent campaign on Saturday at County Conventions across the state. More than 1,000 Glasson supporters braved snowstorms and icy roads to attend conventions in 95 counties where more than 300 of them were elected as delegates to upcoming District and State conventions. Additionally, hundreds more were elected as alternates. If no candidate receives at least 35% of the votes cast in the June 5 Primary, the gubernatorial nominee will be chosen by delegates to the State Democratic Convention on June 16.
Many of the Glasson delegates are getting involved in politics for the first time. College students and young activists helped Glasson secure the largest number of committed delegates in Johnson, Story, and Poweshiek counties. Glasson also performed strongly in many rural and suburban counties, winning the largest number of committed delegates in Jefferson, Cedar, and Washington Counties.
The Glasson campaign’s statewide grassroots organizing has shifted into overdrive. Since last month’s Democratic Caucus win, Glasson’s 1200 volunteers have increased the campaign’s outreach to nearly 60,000 direct voter contacts with Iowa Democrats.
“I was a first-time delegate this year because Cathy inspired me with her plan to raise Iowa’s minimum wage to $15,” said Des Moines resident Lisa Lai. “I moved to Iowa after obtaining my master’s degree and was paid less than $15 an hour. I struggled to pay my rent and went into debt. Cathy Glasson knows every Iowan deserves a living wage and she’ll fight hard for that as our next Governor.”
“I braved the bad weather on caucus night and I did it again Saturday to support Cathy because she supports making it easier for people to form and join a union wherever they work,” said Urbandale resident Joe Ellerbroek. “Without my union fighting for benefits in the workplace, I wouldn’t have the health coverage I need to obtain medications and the care I need to live.”
“House by house, street by street, town by town, we’re building a bold new movement of hard-working Iowans who are rising up to take our state government back,” Cathy Glasson said. “This campaign belongs to thousands of Iowans who are ready to fundamentally change the way we do politics. They want an Iowa where everybody’s in and nobody’s left out. They want a Governor who will fight for universal, single-payer health care and the right to join a union no matter where you work. I’m honored to stand shoulder to shoulder with my neighbors across Iowa in this fight for the future of our state.”
Cathy Glasson, 59, is the President of SEIU Local 199 representing thousands of nurses, health care workers and school support employees across Iowa. She is a registered nurse who worked in the intensive care unit at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics where she led the effort to unionize her fellow nurses 18 years ago. She lives in Coralville, Iowa with her husband Matt, a labor educator.
——
Classon’s gun law plan includes:
· A ban on assault rifles and bump stocks
· Universal background checks on all gun sales in the state
· Creating a 72hr waiting period on all gun sales in the state
· Raising the minimum age for gun purchases to 21
· Increase funding for mental health services
