DES MOINES, Iowa — Senate District 22 is believed to be one of the closest statehouse races this election cycle. The competitive district includes Johnston and Urbandale.
It will be up to voters to decide if they want a long-time legislator or a newcomer representing them. Republican incumbent Brad Zaun (BZ), who has served in the senate for the past 20 years, faces Democrat Matt Blake (MB) for the seat. Four years ago Senator Zaun won his seat by just about 2 percentage points.
Local 5 sat down with both candidates on their experience, their campaign and their priorities if elected.
Tell me about your background.
MB: I'm originally from South Dakota. I came here to go to law school at Drake in about 2012. I'm a member of the Iowa Army National Guard, where I serve as a JAG officer and hold the rank of Major. Another hat that I've worn is that I'm a former city council member of Urbandale. I was on the council from 2019 to 2023. I stepped off the council and didn't run for reelection in order to run for state senate.
BZ: Most people know me from my having the hardware store in Urbandale. I had that for 18 years, and then wanted to get more involved in the community. I was on the city council for two years, mayor for seven years and currently serve in the Iowa Senate.
Why did you decide to run for office?
MB: I looked around our state and I realized there were some policies in the direction that I just wasn't agreeing with. I have a son and a daughter. My son's 4. My daughter's 1-year-old. My son starts kindergarten next year. When I was looking around with the policies that were happening at the state level, in particular in education, I wanted to make sure that his future was secure. I wanted to make sure that his education was the same quality as generations of Iowans before him. And that's really what struck me as the main reason that I decided to take the leap and run for office.
BZ: You ask yourself do you still enjoy it? Do you contribute? I check both boxes. I'm the president pro tem of the Iowa Senate. I'm the judiciary chair, and I really can make a difference. I've seen a lot of my constituents' ideas become signed into law. I really worry about the future of the state of Iowa, mostly for younger people. There's a lot of unfinished business to do. As I door knock, there's a lot of people asking questions about why their property taxes are so high. As you know, we went to a flat tax that's starting this this year, and I would love to see Iowa get to a 0% income tax. I have five kids, and two of them, unfortunately, live outside of the state of Iowa. I want more youth to stay in the state of Iowa. And I think we've done some terrific things, but we definitely have a lot more work to do.
What are your priorities day one, if you're elected?
MB: When it comes to education, I've gone door to door and talked to hundreds, if not 1000s, of folks, and they have a common refrain that they're upset about the direction that education has taken. One of my priorities day one would be trying to make sure that the private vouchers for private schools is overturned, that we try to remove the money that's going into that system and make sure that money is going to where it's supposed to be going: public education. I would also try to go after some of these laws related to book bans, make sure that we fund the AEAs. I also want to say that the six week abortion ban is too extreme for Iowa, and that's something that I would also seek to repeal.
BZ: I mean, the number one priority is property taxes. We've got to do something there. We have some changes that I'd like to see happen in regards to curriculum in our schools. I floor managed the bill where we let professionals give us some recommendations on improvements. I mean, we're ultimately always going to be interested in improving student performance. Unfortunately, some of the curriculum that's out there, I think it's debilitating to students when they enter the workforce. I want to go back to phonics, go back to multiplication tables, and then we're looking over the teaching methods as well.
How do you plan on representing the people of Johnston and Urbandale?
BZ: I've lived in Urbandale since 1988 and certainly, as I do the door knocking, I hear from people almost every other door talking about property taxes and that they're too high, especially for people that are on a fixed income. I think that it's really important that we do better, like I said, with mental health. We've made some education reforms and I'm very passionate about education as well.
MB: When I was Urbandale City Council I always tried to make sure that I was leading in a position that was focused on improving the quality of life for all of the residents in my community. For example, on the police force while adding police officers, I also worked with other council members to try to add a crisis intervention team. That crisis intervention team hired a mental health professional to go out with police officers to deal with mental health issues and substance abuse issues. You need to make sure that when you're focusing on policies, you're focusing on the quality of life for the individuals, you're focusing on what the needs of the community are.
How do you plan on defeating your opponent, who is a long-time senator?
MB: We're working very, very hard. We have door knocked thousands and thousands of doors. I have gone to community events. I have done what I can to get out there in the community to let people know who I am. I think from what I have heard at the doors, is that people are a little tired of my opponent. He's gotten a little too extreme for what our community wants. And I think one of the key messages I bring is that if you want some common sense and decency back up to the state capitol, you need to look at potentially electing somebody that has proven that he has done that.
If you're reelected, this would be your 21st year in the legislature. How did that kind of impact the way you campaign this go around?
BZ: I've always done door knocking. I’ve already done about 80% in the district that I'm lucky to represent. I really haven't changed the way I do things. One thing that, if you talk to a lot of people, I am very aggressive when it comes to constituent services. All the emails that I get, and I literally get over two or 300 emails a day while we're in session, phone calls, I return every phone call. I will meet with anyone that wants to meet with me, and that's what I've done the previous years that I've been in the Senate, and I will continue to do that.
Why should people vote for you versus your opponent?
BZ: Look at my record. I think my record is a common sense record. I work hard for my constituents. I try to listen to all sides of the issue. You get what you see with me. I've been doing this a long time. I try to be honest with people, and I tell it the way it is. I think that’s why I've been rewarded all those years. I'm going to always remember what my dad said to me when I first got elected way back when I was mayor. Always remember how you got where you're at, and always wear the same hat size. I've always continued to do that, and that will be something that I'm not going to change.
MB: When it comes to the future of this state, I'm looking out for what is best for Iowans. I'm looking to make sure that my children have the future that should be guaranteed to them. Their education, their right to make decisions about their own body, I'm fighting for that. I'm fighting for the fact that Iowans here in this state expect a better quality of life than what they're currently getting. If we want to make any change in the state, my election is critical to making sure that we can turn that road and make sure that we get on the same path that many, many Iowans believe that we should be on.