Stephanie Steiner of Sutherland is shifting her political focus to the state level, announcing this week that she will run for Iowa House District 5.
The district covers all of O’Brien and Osceola Counties, along with parts of Cherokee and Buena Vista counties.
Steiner, a retired women’s health nurse, livestock producer, and mother and grandmother, previously sought the Democratic nomination for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District. She lost last week’s primary to Dave Dawson of Lawton.
Steiner says the decision to pivot to the Iowa House came after looking at the challenges facing rural communities — and realizing the state legislature is where she believes she can make the most immediate impact.
Her campaign is centered on affordability, rural health care and what she calls “corporate capture” — the growing influence of large corporations in agriculture and state policy. Steiner says rural hospitals and clinics are at risk, and she believes lawmakers need to take a more active role in protecting access to care.
Steiner also points to the decline of family farms and small town businesses, saying consolidation has drained money and people from rural communities.
On policy, Steiner says lawmakers are getting taxes and school funding wrong — especially when it comes to Iowa’s private school voucher program.
Steiner describes herself as a public servant, not a politician, and says she wants voters to see her as an everyday Iowan who understands their struggles.
She says her commitment is to the people of the district, not to party leadership.
Steiner will face Republican nominee Keith Glienke of Aurelia, who secured his party’s nomination in last week’s primary. The General Election is November 3.
Steiner says she hopes voters will look past party labels and see her as someone ready to work for them.
