House Dem candidate has lofty goals, but moderate appeal

WASHINGTON — In some respects, Anna Banowsky is a conventional Democratic candidate. She said her top priorities if elected would include support for public schools, maintaining the progressive tax system and restoring abortion rights to what they were before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

But in other areas, she said she agreed with traditionally conservative opinions. Banowsky said she wanted the state to focus more on providing resources to local governments so they can make their own decisions on mental health management, property taxes and school curriculum, rather than mandating statewide guidelines. She’s also opposed to subsidies — especially for private education — saying market management is generally not the state’s job.

The daughter of a Quad Cities Democrat and a Texas Republican, the candidate said she was used to hearing people out on either end of the political spectrum.

“There are going to be times that I agree with my party, and there are going to be times that I have to do what’s best for the district as it is,” she said. “Those might not always be the same thing.”

She hopes the open-minded appeal will resonate with not only her own party members, but even among constituents who lean to the right.

It’s an important element of her campaign for Iowa House District 92. Banowsky said she’d heard complaints about local control frequently on the campaign trail, and said she hoped to make herself more accessible than current lawmakers, planning to hold multiple forums at different times of day every month, alongside sporadic informal meetings, if elected to the office.

Her work is cut out for her. Washington County is historically Republican, and every state house representative from the area since 2011 has held that party membership. Still, Banowsky said she thought the 2024 election presented a unique opportunity.

“We’ve seen people plain getting tired of what’s been going on,” she said, referencing discontent she’d heard about the closure of Hills Elementary School, and a recent state supreme court ruling in favor of Iowa’s “fetal heartbeat” abortion ban, which prevents the procedure for most women around the sixth week of pregnancy. “I haven’t spoken to many people that are thrilled about that ruling, and I think a lot of people didn’t think that was going to be one that the court allowed to go through.”

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Banowsky said she wasn’t sure what specific tax approach would be best for Iowa. While she’s skeptical about raising taxes further, she’s also opposed to Republican efforts to do away with progressive income tax altogether, replacing it with a flat tax. She said she was interested in finding alternative state revenue streams, like from legalizing and taxing the sale of marijuana.

Banowsky is a bit of an unusual candidate in apolitical ways as well. In her 20s, she’s younger than much of the electorate in Washington and southern Johnson counties, especially compared to those who typically run for office. As a current grad school student at Iowa, the Washington resident is juggling her political obligations with her schoolwork.

She expects to have about a semester to go in pursuit of her master’s in anthropology by the time the next legislative session begins. It’s certainly a full plate: Banowsky met with The Union for an interview at the Iowa City Old Capital Mall, after being called in to substitute teach another class for a sick T.A. on the day of the meeting.

The Democrat she’d balance the workload of academia with lawmaking by taking remote courses and independent study options, continuing her education off campus.

“It can be self-directed,” she said. “And people have other commitments when they’re in the legislature regardless, whether that’s family, whether that’s full-time jobs, so I think of it more akin to, ‘What does anybody do to balance that?’”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com