MASON CITY – Senator Amanda Ragan of Mason City has announced she plans not to seek re-election.
Ragan represents Iowa Senate District 27 which includes portions of Cerro Gordo, Mitchell and Worth counties, as well as Rock Grove and Rockford townships in Floyd County.
A statement by State Senator Amanda Ragan of Mason City:
“I am announcing today that I will not seek re-election to the Iowa State Senate. I want to thank the people of North Iowa for giving me the opportunity to represent them in the Iowa Senate. With their support, I have worked in a bi-partisan manner with Republicans and Democrats to make Iowa a great place to live, work and raise a family.”
“One of the joys of my service in the Senate was working to help my constituents. There are times when the forest of government bureaucracy can be quite dense. I was always grateful when I could help people find the correct answers or contacts. I consider that the heart of my work.”
“My hope is for even greater legislation to be enacted based on the foundation we have set over the last two decades. There are many wonderful things about our beautiful state. My goal has always been to make Iowa better and better.”
“For the past 20 years, I have had the honor of representing the people of North Iowa in the Senate. I am proud of our bipartisan work on legislative initiatives that have improved the lives of Iowans, including:
Expanding access to affordable health care for tens of thousands of Iowans.
Fighting to protect the rights of workers across the state.
Leading the fight to improve the lives of seniors, low income Iowans and Iowans with disabilities by advocating for safety net programs.
Expanding services and protections for veterans and servicemembers in Iowa. This includes making sure veterans and servicemembers have better access to affordable education and quality health care, protections against losing their jobs or facing foreclosure if they’re called up for active duty, and better access to home ownership and other key services.
Raising the state’s minimum wage to give more than 250,000 Iowans a better chance to help themselves and their families.
Helping make Iowa a leader in the creation of jobs that can’t be outsourced to other countries and in the production of renewable energy.
Giving Iowa children a chance for a better tomorrow by expanding access to quality child care and early childhood programs, and boosting funding to our K-12 public schools.
Making sure more Iowa high school graduates have access to affordable higher education because of our increased investment in our community colleges, private colleges and state universities.
Increasing voter registration and participation by enacting same-day registration and other key election reforms.
Making Iowa offices, factories and storefronts more welcoming by approving a significant expansion of civil rights for Iowans.”
Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls’ statement on Senator Ragan’s retirement:
“Senator Amanda Ragan has been a hard-working public servant during her 20 years in the Iowa Senate. From leading the effort to expand access to health care to tens of thousands of Iowans, to improving the lives of seniors and Iowans with disabilities, to honoring and protecting service members and veterans, and standing up for the rights of hard-working Iowans across the state, Amanda has been a tireless advocate for the residents of North Iowa. She is often the first one in the Senate chamber in the morning and the last one to leave the Capitol during the legislative session. Her advocacy on behalf of the communities she has represented is an example of how all legislators should serve. I congratulate Amanda on her well-earned retirement — from the Iowa Senate, as well as her recent departure from the Community Kitchen of North Iowa and Meals on Wheels in Mason City — and I wish her and Jim all the best.”
