The Truer Better Agenda: Opportunities for All

I grew up in small-town Iowa, in Decorah, hunting, fishing, even catching chickens as my first ever job. Back then, I never felt like kids in other parts of the state had access to more opportunities than I did. But our small towns and main streets are struggling, young workers and families are leaving for better opportunities in different states, small businesses are suffering, and the Iowa way of life is becoming a thing of the past.

A decade of one-party rule has left Iowa families across our state behind. We don’t have to keep going down this path. In fact, we can’t afford to. That’s why I’m releasing these proposals to help keep Iowans and Iowa farmers here at home, strengthen our rural communities, and help all Iowa families not just get by, but to thrive.

As governor, I’ll work to:

Invest in Iowa’s economy and workforce:

Increase the minimum wage: Iowa has one of the lowest minimum wages in the country at just $7.25/hour. The last time it was increased was in 2008 – nearly 20 years ago! Iowans could move to any of our neighboring states to make more money or have access to better opportunities. In fact, we have the lowest minimum wage in the Midwest. We need to increase the minimum wage to keep Iowa workers here at home with good-paying, family-supporting jobs and to keep up with inflation and the sky-high cost of living. I support raising the minimum wage to $12/hour.
Expand Statewide Work, Statewide Jobs: In small towns, we live and die by each person and family that stays or rejoins. As State Auditor, I started the Statewide Work, Statewide Jobs program, allowing employees of the Auditor’s Office to move to rural communities instead of forcing them to live in Des Moines, Ames, or Iowa City. We shouldn’t force employees to live in Iowa’s most prosperous cities when we do work in all 99 counties. As governor, I would expand Statewide Work, Statewide Jobs to the government workforce for jobs that can be done anywhere in Iowa, to support economic opportunities in small towns and rural areas.
Support Small Businesses: As State Auditor, I made recommendations for a program to cut red tape and streamline application processes to better support our small businesses owned by women, veterans, and disabled Iowans. As governor, I would expand this program to ensure any Iowan who wants to start a small business has the support they need and the opportunity to succeed, especially in our rural communities. Ohio has changed the rules to match the reality for micro-businesses – allowing small businesses to qualify for specialized state and federal programs, including training grants, matched savings accounts, and small business support – for businesses with 10 employees or fewer. We should do the same here in Iowa.
Improve high-speed internet access: In 2026, we know we need access to high-speed internet to do just about anything – to work, to learn, for doctor’s appointments, even for our farmers to stay connected out in the fields. Access to high-speed internet is not a luxury, but a necessity, and we must ensure Iowans in every corner of the state can get connected. I have a satellite in my truck, allowing me to work from wherever, even in my truck at 60 mph as I travel Iowa (as a passenger). Whatever technology we have at our disposal that can deliver that last mile faster – fiber, satellite, wireless – we should implement to help Iowa families get and stay connected.
Keep Iowans in Iowa: A decade of one-party control, culture wars, and policies that prioritize insiders over Iowans has sent our next generation of Iowa workers fleeing our state. Iowa should be as welcoming as Iowans are, and be a place people feel they can stay or move to. We need to bring an end to the focus on culture war issues that make people feel unwelcome or that they can’t live here.

Save the family farm: We know it’s not the farmers who need to work harder – it’s the farms that need to work smarter. Here are some ways we can do that:

Implement multiple revenue streams: By implementing multiple revenue streams on farms, including agri-tourism like cideries, selling farm-produced products like milk and cheese, land based services, and equipment rentals, farmers can increase their revenue while boosting local economies and workforces across the state.
Invest in sustainable commodities: We need to identify more enterprises that can allow farmers to turn manure into a commodity they can use and sell. That means investing state economic development funds and incentives in plants and facilities that can convert agricultural waste into valuable bio-based products, creating more income for farmers and good-paying rural manufacturing jobs. That includes things like biomass conversion programs, selling renewable natural gas generated by methane digesters, organic fertilizer, and more. For example, manure can be converted into renewable natural gas, a key ingredient in sustainable aviation fuel. This supports farmers’ bottom lines while also helping to improve water quality.
Invest and expand in renewable energy production: But without sacrificing agriculture production to lower costs of energy for farmers and for the communities where they live. We can do this by leveraging federal programs to lower energy costs for rural areas and on renewable energy, and working with Renewable Electric Cooperatives (RECs), which administer the programs and buy excess energy from farmers who own turbines. This spreads economic benefits and lowers electricity rates for Iowans, increasing energy supply. As governor, I would advocate for the expansion of community credit though public-private partnerships, with 65% mandated to go to farmers.
Increase Investment in Local/Regional Food Programs: Iowa grows and produces food that feeds the world. We should also grow more food to feed ourselves. We need to invest in and create more locally owned processing capacity through a coordinated use of existing federal programs and state programs (Choose Iowa, Farm to School, USDA’s LAMP programs, Resilient Food System Infrastructure Fund, Iowa Economic Development Programs) to maximize efforts to grow food that can be consumed locally. Think farm to school, farm to hospital, farm to prison, farm to food bank. The federal government had a local food purchasing agreement program, but the program was cut. As governor, I’d model the former federal policy to the state level, and establish regional food business centers, a division tasked with advocating and assisting farmers with things like technical assistance and market development to boost the supply chain and support local job growth. Tax dollars from schools, hospitals, and jails go to feed people every day; the more that can get spent locally, the longer that money circulates in our local economies, and the more vitality we have outside of our towns.
Establish the Office of Rural Prosperity: Our rural communities’ needs look different than those of our urban or suburban communities. Establishing the Office of Rural Prosperity, a first-of-its-kind in the state, would give our rural communities a direct contact to help address their specific needs. This office would be tasked with convening other state departments to discuss ways that rural communities are impacted, foster cross-department collaboration, and ensure an understanding of rural issues. This office would also establish mentor programs for young and new farmers interested in learning more about starting their own farm or exploring other/new types of farming. I’d require reporting on the level of investment and progress made in stemming the losses of farming operations the state has experienced to Iowans on an annual basis to not only see what’s working and what’s not, but to hold myself and my administration accountable.

Protect rural health care: Similar to our schools, Iowa’s rural hospitals serve as economic engines and major employers for our rural communities. But too many communities across our state are being left behind, forcing people to drive miles for basic health care or even to give birth. Policies at both the federal level – including the One Big Beautiful Bill, which kicked 110,000 Iowans off Medicaid and threatens rural hospitals – and at the state level are putting care out of reach and leaving communities without options. We need to do everything we can to support and protect our hospitals across the state from closing their doors. That starts with reversing the privatization of Medicaid – which I will begin on day one of my administration.

Build more housing: It’s no secret – if we want more people to live in rural Iowa, we need more housing and types of housing for people to live in. As governor, here are some ways I’d do that:

Tax out-of-state landowners at a higher rate and ban hedge funds and LLCs from buying up Iowa land: While we face significant budget challenges and our economy struggles, out of state interests are buying up farmland and housing while the proceeds flow out of state, leaving Iowans with fewer opportunities. For the last ten years, state government insiders have given tax breaks to out-of-state corporations while Iowans have gotten the short end of the stick. Iowa should belong to Iowans, and as governor, I would tax out-of-state landowners at a higher rate and ban hedge funds and LLCs from buying up too much Iowa land.
Cut bureaucratic red tape: We need to simplify the permitting, fees, and inspections processes as well as the requirements set by the Iowa Finance Authority to support housing development. Eliminating bureaucratic red tape can reduce administrative time and costs so we can build more housing and types of housing, including duplexes, quadplexes, ADUs, and tiny homes.
Protect Iowans against price gouging: As governor, I’d push for policies to protect renters from rent hikes by banning landlords from using AI algorithms to price fix and raise rents.
Establish the Rural Iowa Housing Task Force: This group, which would be managed by the Iowa Finance Authority, would be tasked with studying new ways to develop more affordable housing options, working with state and local leaders, private stakeholders, and taking input from Iowans to tailor housing solutions to specific communities across the state. One model the task force should consider is the CDBG-Disaster Recovery program administered by the IEDA after the 2008 floods. This approach, with up-to-date stakeholder input, could address the challenges of securing funding for affordable housing and creating infrastructure in rural Iowa.

Most importantly, we need to get back to protecting the Iowa way of life. I was born and raised in Iowa, and have started and raised my own family here. The fight to protect Iowa’s way of life is personal to me – the water we drink and play in, the strength of my kids’ public schools, and the state of our economy. I’m the only candidate in this race with a stake in those fights – and with a plan to solve some of rural Iowa’s toughest challenges. These steps will help us support communities across our state and strengthen Iowa for generations to come.