WAUKEE, Iowa – State Senator Sarah Trone Garriott, D-Windsor Heights, announced on Wednesday that she will re-locate within her current district and seek re-election in the new Iowa Senate District 14, which includes central and southeastern Dallas County.
She currently represents Iowa Senate District 22.
“The people of this district deserve a Senator who shows up, listens, and brings people together for the greater good,” Trone Garriott said. “As I’ve spent time with my neighbors, they have shared with me that our public schools are the heart of the community. I feel that deeply, too. I am committed to working with parents, children, and educators to make Iowa’s schools the strongest in the nation.”
“I am announcing my re-election to Senate District 14 to continue to prioritize the issues that make life better for Iowans: good schools, clean water, quality accessible healthcare, economic opportunity, and civil rights,” she added. “I am honored to continue working hard for the people of Waukee, West Des Moines, and Clive, and excited to serve the people of Adel, Van Meter, and Dallas County.”
Trone Garriott, 43, was elected in 2020 and was the only Democrat to flip a Republican-held state Senate seat last cycle, narrowly defeating Republican Scott Cirksena in a seat previously held by Republican State Senator Charles Schneider of West Des Moines.
By moving, Trone Garriott avoids a contested primary with State Senator Claire Celsi, D-West Des Moines, in the newly drawn Iowa Senate District 16 but could face Iowa Senate President Jake Chapman, R-Adel, who has not yet announced his re-election plans.
Eighty percent of the constituents in the new district are from Trone Garriott’s district, while only 20 percent are from Iowa Senate District 10, Chapman’s current district. However, the more Democratic-leaning precincts in her current district were redrawn into the new Iowa House District 16. She lost to Cirksena by 1,571 votes in the Dallas County precincts in her current district while beating him in her Polk County precincts, which are not part of Iowa Senate District 14, by 1,735 votes.
Trone Garriott is an ordained Lutheran minister and preaches at churches throughout central Iowa. She joined AmeriCorps right out of college to help victims of domestic violence. She served as a hospital chaplain and most recently served as the Coordinator of Interfaith Engagement at the Des Moines Area Religious Council Food Pantry Network.
“I believe hard work deserves fair pay, but our economy isn’t working for hardworking Iowans right now,” Trone Garriott said. “I know what it is like to be caught between childcare payments, student loans, and a mortgage. Folks are being squeezed by higher prices. Parents have seen their kids’ schools get turned into political battlefields. Not only can I relate to the economic and social pressures that our families are facing, but I’m ready to get to work on solutions that will make our communities strong.”
She serves on the Education Committee, Human Resources Committee, Health & Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, and is the ranking member on the Natural Resources & Environment Committee.
Trone Garriott and her husband, Will, have two boys in elementary school.
