ANKENY, Iowa — Three candidates are currently vying for a seat in the Iowa House representing District 41 in Ankeny.
Democrat Molly Buck currently represents the district after winning the seat by just 130 votes in 2022.
Ryan Weldon and Matt Smith will be on the primary ballot Tuesday, and whoever wins will be running against Buck in the November election.
Who is Ryan Weldon?
Weldon is a former Ankeny School Board president who hopes to utilize his past experiences on the school board to stand up for what he believes in.
"I don't think that Ankeny's being represented right now at the Statehouse," Weldon said. "So, I want to be a representative that can listen to all the people in our district, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, Republican. Obviously, I'm a Republican, so I lean a certain way. But that doesn't mean that we can't sit across the table and have a discussion so that I can actually go back to the statehouse and have a conversation with all the stakeholders in the building."
Some issues Weldon is standing for in his campaign are individual freedom, fiscal responsibility, state sovereignty and a strong education system.
Weldon says he will advocate for Ankeny residents if elected by knowing all the people he works with and understanding the landscape of the legislature.
"So to really understand the landscape and have relationships with the stakeholders, to at least have a professional relationship of mutual respect and understanding, so that we know that we're both logical, rational human beings just trying to do the best for Iowa," Weldon said.
Who is Matt Smith?
Smith is another candidate running in Tuesday's primary election. Smith is a retired banker who plans to use his knowledge of financial matters and experience working with many people to advocate for Ankeny residents.
Smith decided to run for this seat because he believes it is important everyone brings their unique experiences to the table at the statehouse.
"I have an extensive background in finance but with that also came the ability to work with people and influence processes and build relationships," Smith said. "All that is I think important in government to be able to actually work with people on the other side and come together and make agreements and get jobs done."
If elected, Smith plans to reduces taxes by streamlining government spending, advocate for local control of Iowa's education system, support economic growth and tackle mental health challenges Iowa is facing.
Smith plans to advocate for Iowans by being a listener and working with others.
"I'm [an] open book, I read emails, I take phone calls, " Smith said. "As I've been knocking on doors, I build this base of coalition of people that have interest in certain areas. So, I know who experts are in my, in my district, and I welcome feedback from all sides of Ankeny to help me understand what their needs are, so we can represent their voice at the Iowa House."
Who is Molly Buck?
With no Democratic challenger, Buck is already on the November ballot, running as an incumbent.
She said she wants to run for reelection because of how much she learned in her first term.
"I feel like I've made a lot of new connections, I feel like I made a lot of new pathways and inroads. People know me now, they know that I am a teacher, they know they can trust me," Buck said. "I feel I earned a lot of respect, and I would just like to continue making those connections and speaking up for educators and education in our state at that level."
Buck is currently a fifth-grade teacher in the Ankeny Community School District.
Buck is running on issues such as funding public education, lowering health care and prescription costs and giving Iowans relief for rising costs.