DES MOINES, Iowa – Americans for Prosperity-Iowa (AFP-IA) on Thursday announced its support of six additional candidates running for election and reelection to the Iowa Legislature.
The following candidates earned the support of AFP-IA for their leadership and commitment to increasing opportunity for all Iowans: Reps. Matt Windschitl (HD-15), Skyler Wheeler (HD-04), and Eddie Andrews (HD-43), as well as first-time candidates Barb Kniff-McCulla (HD-37), Mark Thompson (HD-56), and Kerry Gruenhagen (SD-41).
AFP-IA will continue to leverage the full weight of its grassroots outreach, in addition to direct-mail and digital advertisements to support these candidates.
“AFP-IA is proud to support these principled candidates in their primary bids. The primary elections on June 7th will largely determine whether Iowa will continue to pursue limited-government, conservative policy solutions that lead to greater economic growth, increased educational opportunities, and lower taxes for Iowa families and businesses. Our activists are excited to get out and connect with voters to help ensure electoral wins for these outstanding candidates and ultimately the continued advancement of free-market principles in our state,” AFP Iowa State Director Drew Klein said.
2022 is the first political cycle that AFP-IA has engaged during the primary election, but the organization has demonstrated tremendous success during previous cycles since establishing the state chapter just over 10 years ago.
State Rep. Matt Windschitl (HD-15):
State Rep. Matt Windschitl, R-Missouri Valley, has fought to expand economic opportunity in Iowa. Windschitl has worked tirelessly to lower taxes on families and businesses and cut burdensome red tape, voting for legislation to ease occupational licensing restrictions and broadly cutting business regulations in Iowa. Windschitl has also championed smart labor policy to grow our economy and supported greater educational opportunities to ensure all Iowa students have a chance to succeed in an environment that works for their needs.
State Rep. Skyler Wheeler (HD-04):
State Rep. Skyler Wheeler, R-Orange City, has been a leading voice in the legislature for transforming the education system in Iowa, by supporting universal education scholarship accounts (ESAs) in particular. He is a champion of tax reform and has been a key contributor in advancing health care reforms such as Certificate of Need (CON) reform. Wheeler also has a consistent track record of working across the aisle to advance sound policy that reduces red tape in Iowa.
State Rep. Eddie Andrews (HD-43):
State Rep. Eddie Andrews, R-Johnston, has been a champion of empowering families to pursue the education that fits their individual needs and supporting personalized health care options that our families can trust. Additionally, Andrews has been an active and vocal supporter of smart criminal justice reforms that make our communities safer while providing real second chances.
Barb Kniff-McCulla (HD-37):
Barb Kniff-McCulla’s experience as a business owner in a highly regulated industry positions her well to be a key voice in cutting burdensome regulations across our economy so Iowa families and businesses can thrive. In office, McCulla will also be an advocate for tax cuts and sound fiscal policy and will join a growing coalition of lawmakers working to advance greater educational opportunity by supporting education scholarship accounts (ESAs).
Mark Thompson (HD-56):
As a substitute teacher, Mark Thompson believes that every child should have an opportunity to learn. Thompson is supportive of education scholarship accounts (ESAs) and will fight to expand educational opportunities for all children, regardless of their ZIP code. In office, Thompson will also fight for additional tax cuts and critical reforms to increase access to quality, affordable health care that our families can afford.
Kerry Gruenhagen (SD-41):
Longtime friend of AFP-IA Kerry Gruenhagen is passionate about creating more opportunity across Iowa. In office, Gruenhagen will fight to rein in wasteful government spending and lower taxes so Iowa families can keep more of their hard-earned paychecks. Gruenhagen is also supportive of improving access to personalized health care by reducing the barriers that new providers face. Additionally, he supports expanding educational opportunities through greater choice for every child.
In January, the grassroots group announced their first round of candidate endorsements for the Iowa State Legislature. All candidates are currently engaged in primary battles but have earned the support of AFP-IA for their commitment to key policy priorities and increasing opportunity for all Iowans.
The full list of AFP-IA endorsed candidates now includes State Reps. Skyler Wheeler (HD-04), Matt Windschitl (HD-15), Eddie Andrews (HD-43), and Dr. Steve Bradley (HD-66) as well as first time candidates Zach Dieken (HD-5), Barb Kniff McCulla (HD-37), Mark Thompson (HD-56) and Kerry Gruenhagen (SD-41).
