Ian Zahren announces run for State House as an Independent

Ian Zahren, of Lansing, has announced his campaign for Iowa House of Representatives District (HD) 64, where he is running as an Independent candidate. HD 64 includes all of Allamakee and Clayton Counties and a single precinct in Dubuque County.

The seat is currently held by Republican Anne Osmundson, a member of the House Education Committee. Osmundson has not yet announced her intentions for the 2024 election.

Zahren, 35, grew up in South Amana, in rural southeastern Iowa, the son of small business owners and the grandson of farmers. He has been a public school teacher for more than a decade and currently teaches music in both the Eastern Allamakee and MFL/MarMac Community School Districts.

As a former Lansing city councilman, he worked with Lansing city employees to create an effective infrastructure budget and a five-year plan for the city and initiated a grant-writing studio for area nonprofits and municipalities to help northeast Iowa communities apply for federal, state and local grants.

In the summer of 2022, Zahren was the lead organizer and executive director for Lansing RAGBRAI. His and his team’s efforts made Lansing the most profitable town in RAGBRAI history, resulting in a $1.4 million economic impact for the town.

If elected, Zahren would be the first person without a party affiliation to be elected to state office in Iowa. He said he is running as an Independent because he feels neither party is speaking adequately to the issues that matter to Iowa communities.

“The people of northeast Iowa deserve to have their voices represented. If elected, I will focus on the needs of farmers, small business owners, retirees and, most important, our kids,” Zahren shared.

Zahren said the root of his campaign is an emphasis on not simply identifying problems, but on finding and implementing viable solutions to those problems.

“I believe passionately in the power of people and the power of community,” he said. “I want to be an independent voice, beholden to the people in our communities - and not to any political party or any corporation.”

For more information on Zahren and his campaign, visit www.ianforiowa.org.