A southeast Iowa man announced his plans to run for a seat in the Iowa House of Representatives in November.
Thomas O’Donnell, 65, was nominated by Democratic delegates from Henry, Jefferson, and Van Buren Counties via a special convention on a teleconference call last week.
O’Donnell is a resident of rural Keosauqua where he lives with his wife, Paula Mohr. O’Donnell is the father of two children who live out of state.
O’Donnell, a Democrat, will face Jeff Shipley, the Republican incumbent in District 87, and Curtis Oliver, an Independent candidate in the General Election in November.
“I put my name on the ballot because voters deserve to have options at the polls. No candidate should win by default. But I’m mainly running because House Republicans have undermined and underfunded our rural schools. Their focus on culture war issues does nothing to improve the lives of rural Iowans.”
O’Donnell is a board member of the Bentonsport Improvement Association. According to a press release, he recently worked with the Van Buren County Conservation Board to successfully seek a $1.6 million federal grant to rehabilitate the iron Bentonsport pedestrian bridge over the Des Moines River.
O’Donnell is also board secretary for the Rural Restoration Project, a nonprofit that seeks to build economic and social opportunities in the five counties of Iowa Senate District 44 through education and advocacy. He is secretary of Science Iowa, a nonprofit that promotes science in the public interest, publicly supported research, and evidence-based policy.
