DES MOINES, Iowa – State Senator Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, announced on Thursday that he would not run for re-election in 2022. Bolkcom represents Iowa Senate District 43 and was placed in the newly drawn Iowa Senate District 45 after redistricting.
“I am deeply grateful for the trust, guidance and strong support I have received from the people of Iowa City and Johnson County. It’s been a privilege to work every day to make life better for everyday Iowans,” Bolkcom, 65, said in a Facebook post.
“I’m proud to have been part of the progressive Iowa Democratic majority from 2007 to 2010 and the one vote Iowa Senate Democratic majority from 2011 to 2016. For six years, we blocked today’s ferocious, ongoing Republican attacks on Iowa workers, reproductive rights, health care, environment, and public education,” Bolkcom stated.
“During the 2022 election cycle, I will encourage and support Iowans who step forward to again bring new ideas and new energy to solving problems facing working people and our communities. I look forward to continuing to work hard in the year ahead to represent my constituents,” he added.
Bolkcom was first elected to the Iowa Senate in 1998. He is serving his fifth term. Before his election to the Iowa Senate, he served on the Johnson County Board of Supervisors from 1993 to 1998. Bolkcom currently serves as the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He is also a member of the Human Resources, Judiciary, Rules and Administration, and Ways and Means committees.
“Senator Bolkcom is a close friend, a dear colleague, and a relentless champion for a better Iowa. Since he was first elected to public office nearly thirty years ago, Joe has provided outstanding service to his community and to our beloved state,” Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, said in a released statement.
“I know that choosing to bring his decades-long career in public service to an end was not easy, but I appreciate his decision and am grateful that he is encouraging a new generation of Iowans to get involved in state government. His experience, his hard work, and his commitment to the people of Iowa will be missed, and I wish him all my best,” he added.
The new Iowa Senate District 45 consists of Iowa City and some unincorporated parts of Johnson County just south of Iowa City. It remains a safe Democrat district.
