Meet the candidates for Iowa Senate District 20 in Altoona, Pleasant Hill, Des Moines

Two candidates are running to represent Iowa Senate District 20, which includes Altoona, Pleasant Hill, part of Des Moines' east side, a portion of southern Ankeny and sections of unincorporated Polk County, such as Norwoodville, Berwick and the area around Saydel High School.

Incumbent Sen. Nate Boulton, a Democrat, is seeking a third term in the Iowa Senate. Mike Pike is running in the Republican primary. Boulton and Pike are expected to face each other in the November general election.

To help voters, the Des Moines Register sent questions to all federal and Des Moines area legislative candidates running for political office this year. Their answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

The primary election is scheduled for June 4 ahead of the Nov. 5 general election.

More: Everything you need to know about the June 4 primary election, including voting absentee

Who is Nate Boulton (incumbent)?

Age: 44

Party: Democratic

Current town of residence: Des Moines

Education: Simpson College, Drake Law School

Occupation: Attorney

Political experience and civic activities: State senator and Democratic whip

Who is Mike Pike?

Pike did not respond to the Register's survey.

What would be your top issue should you be elected?

Boulton: Creating a better quality of life for the next generation of Iowans with strong schools, job opportunities with excellent wages and benefits, and safe and thriving communities. That includes making Iowans one of the leading states in the nation on paid family leave, refocusing on improving public schools, and investing in public safety, accessible quality health care and mental health care, and revitalizing our communities’ infrastructure.

What policies would you support to improve Iowa’s education system?

Boulton: For generations, Iowa has led the nation in public education. Sadly, the past four years have seen our schools underfunded and undermined by Republican efforts to push tax dollars into private school tuition and dismantle our Area Education Agencies that provide special education and support services across the state. We need to get serious about recruiting and retaining the best teachers, giving students the classroom resources they need to excel, and stop pushing divisive political agendas into our schools and libraries.

What do you think Iowa’s tax policy should be? Do you believe the state’s priority should be on lowering rates or spending on services for Iowans?

Boulton: We need a fair tax system that targets tax relief to the working Iowans. That means income and property tax relief that actually helps stimulate economic activity by targeting the impact of tax reform to those who need it most. I’ve voted for income and property tax relief these past two sessions, while also being an outspoken critic of our state’s use of massive tax credits, exemptions, and giveaways to the wealthiest corporations in the world. By getting a handle on those handouts to huge out-of-state corporations we can continue to fund essential services to educate our kids, keep our communities safe, and rebuild our state's infrastructure.

What policies would you support to improve school safety in Iowa?

Boulton: Our most important duty as a state is giving our children access to a quality education so they reach their full potential when they graduate. That means funding for exemplary educational opportunities and ensuring further success with a strong system of state universities, small independent colleges, community colleges, and skilled trades apprenticeships. But students first must be safe in their learning environments. We have to act on causes of school violence with access to mental health services and address bullying and cyberbullying with early intervention. I support allowing schools to employ school resource officers but cannot support school staff carrying firearms in our schools.

What next steps do you believe the Iowa Legislature should take when it comes to abortion?

Boulton: The state has taken too many extreme steps in placing major obstacles for women to get access to quality reproductive health care services in Iowa. This goes beyond being pro-choice and protecting the rights of Iowa women to make the right, informed decisions for their own situations. Actions in recent years have pushed OB-GYN doctors out of Iowa, threatened in vitro fertilization services for families struggling to have children, and created labor and delivery “deserts.” Prior to these drives to outlaw abortion and undermine reproductive health care, Iowa was in a good place. These anti-choice efforts have had far-reaching consequences that will continue as long as the laws are in place.

Chris Higgins covers the eastern and northern suburbs for the Register. Reach him at [email protected] or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins_

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Meet the candidates running for Iowa Senate District 20