Government : Iowa House District 76 Candidate Profile: Derek Wulf

There are two main things that I would say make me the best candidate to represent the newly created Iowa House District 76: experience and philosophies. The experience I've gained as being a lifelong family farmer, working in agribusiness, and most importantly growing a young family in my rural community can't be learned anywhere else, and I think they'll serve our district well in Des Moines. I know the value of hard work, early mornings, late nights, and that there are times where you just have to push through challenges. Many of the good folks here in our District 76 can relate to this experience.

When it comes to my philosophical stance on the real issues that matter to the many that I have talked to in the district, I think my vision is more aligned with that of the folks here in HD76 than my opponent. I believe in keeping more of our hard-earned dollars as opposed to sending it to the government. I believe in parents being in the driver's seat of our kids' education. I believe in backing police and emergency responders. And ultimately, I believe in the value of freedom and individual agency. These don't seem to be the values of the opposing party. 

I think as a state, we need to do more to keep our rural communities not only thriving but growing.  A big reason I hear folks are moving away from rural Iowa are jobs and housing. I want to make sure that when we fund programs and tax credits at creating jobs, that rural Iowa receives the attention it deserves for these programs. The vast majority of this state is rural, District 76 exemplifies that, and we need to prioritize skyscrapers in Des Moines less, and businesses on main street more. 

I also believe that when it comes to housing, if you build it, they will come. We need to incentivize developers to build or restore homes in Iowa's smaller towns. If given the right incentive, I think you'll see developers want to build in places like Traer, Dysart, Hudson, or La Porte rather than another development in a suburb of a major metro area. 

When it comes to issues I'm hearing about, it's mainly around the impact of the economic disaster that the federal government is leading us into.  I can definitely relate to them in my own family farm operation, where our expenses have risen in some cases by over 300%, fuel prices have more than doubled, and interest rates are on a runaway train higher with no end in sight. I plan to prioritize any efforts that can bring some economic relief to my constituents. That could take the shape of lower taxes, cutting red tape to get people into jobs faster, or helping educate and train the next generation to be ready to fill the jobs that will await them. 

My family is the most important part of my campaign team and they have been with me every step of the way on this journey to the State House in Des Moines.  My wife, Dresden, has been an instructor in the Animal Science Department at Hawkeye Community College for 15 years.  I have two beautiful and extremely talented daughters, Aubrey, who is 11, and Claire, who is 7.  They attend Hudson Community School and are active in youth rodeo, 4-H, choir, piano and violin.  I am truly blessed to have them by my side to help with the early mornings and late nights of feeding cows, tending to planting and harvest in our row crop operation, and everything else that keeps our family farm running.