Andrew John McKean (born June 23, 1949) is an American politician and retired attorney in the state of

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

. He represents District 58 in the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

. McKean represented

District 23 A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

from 1979 to 1983 and

District 44 A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

from 1983 to 1993. Afterward, he served in the

Iowa Senate The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly, United States. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . ...

, representing

District 28 A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

from 1993 to 2003. He served as a supervisor of Jones County from 2003 to 2011. McKean returned to the Iowa House in 2016 after being elected to District 58, defeating Jessica Kean. In 2018, he was reelected, defeating Joe Oclon. McKean was a Republican from 1978 to 2019 and the longest-serving Republican in the Iowa state legislature. On April 23, 2019, he left the Republican Party, citing

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

's influence on the party as his main reason. Following McKean's departure from the Republican Party, he decided that he would run for reelection as a Democrat. On August 21, 2019, Republican Steven Bradley of

Cascade, Iowa Cascade is a city in Dubuque and Jones counties, Iowa, United States. The Dubuque County portion is part of Dubuque Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Jones County section is part of Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area. The populatio ...

, announced that he would run against McKean. In the 2020 elections, Bradley ended up defeating McKean.

Early life and education

McKean was raised in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

state. He earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

from Oneonta State College and a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

community planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...

from the

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of the state of Rhode Island ...

. He moved to

to explore his family roots in Anamosa and earned a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the University of Iowa College of Law.

Political career

In his nine terms in the

and three terms in the

, McKean has had several leadership positions, including Senate President Pro Tem and Judiciary Committee Chair. He served as the House Ethics Committee Chair in the 88th General Assembly. From 1979 to 2003, McKean served in both the Iowa House and Senate. McKean served as a Jones County Supervisor from 2003 to 2011 and was appointed to the Iowa Public Information Board by Governor

Terry Branstad Terry Edward Branstad (born November 17, 1946) is an American politician and former diplomat. A member of the Republican Party, he served three terms in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979 before serving as governor of Iowa fro ...

. As an attorney, he served for Morley, Martelle, and Mechanicsville. In 2016, McKean was elected to the Iowa House from District 58, defeating Jessica Kean. During that year, McKean accepted $111,954 from the Iowa GOP. He was reelected in 2018 with 5,752 votes (69%) to Joe Oclon's 2,567 (31%).

2019 switch from Republican to Democrat

McKean was the longest-serving Republican in the Iowa state legislature. In 2019, he changed

political parties A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or pol ...

and joined the Iowa House Democratic Caucus, citing

's "poor example for the nation" as the main reason for his switch. Democratic representatives

Todd Prichard Todd Prichard (born 1974) is a Democratic member of the Iowa House of Representatives, representing the 52nd district. Prichard was first elected in a January 22, 2013 special election. Prichard was considering running for governor in 2018, but ...

and Karin Derry praised McKean for the decision. McKean has announced that he will run for reelection as a Democrat. After the switch, McKean became the seventh Republican to switch parties since the

2016 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: Kirib ...

. On August 21, 2019, Republican dentist Steve Bradley of

, announced that he would run against McKean. On June 13, 2019, McKean hosted Montana Governor

Steve Bullock Steve, Steven, or Stephen Bullock may refer to: *Steve Bullock (British politician) (born 1953), first directly elected mayor of the London Borough of Lewisham *Steve Bullock (American politician) (born 1966), 24th Governor of Montana (2013–2021) ...

at his house. In October 2019, McKean endorsed Democratic presidential primary candidate

Amy Klobuchar Amy Jean Klobuchar ( ; born May 25, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Minnesota, a seat she has held since 2007. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Minne ...

of Minnesota.

Political positions

McKean believes that health care should be more affordable and Iowa's mental health system should be improved, which would help improve healthcare access. During his 2016 election, he believed that healthcare should be improved with an "emphasis on preventative efforts". He also supports legalizing marijuana for medical use, but not for recreational use, as he considers it a "gateway drug". In 2017, he twice voted to legalize medical marijuana. He voted against establishing a healthcare budget for 2019 and 2020. McKean has expressed support for any tax reforms that would end loopholes, simplify tax systems, strengthen businesses, and fund state services. In 2018, he pledged to increase Iowa's minimum wage, but said he was concerned that it would end entry jobs and cause small businesses to have a strong "disadvantage with large corporations such as

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

”. In 2017, McKean voted for a bill that bans abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. But he opposes six-week abortion bans, saying they would “allow undue government intrusion into private family concerns”. He also voted against banning abortions after a heartbeat. In 2020, he supported a 24-hour waiting period on abortions, the lone Democrat in the Iowa House to do so. McKean expressed support for Iowa's Constitution to protect the "right to bear arms", as well as the Second Amendment, but expressed doubt about telling judges to apply strict scrutiny to gun-related legislation. After the

Parkland shooting On February 14, 2018, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the Miami suburban town of Parkland, Florida, murdering 17 people and injuring 17 others. Cruz, a former student at th ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, McKean expressed support for enacting gun laws, but questioned whether raising the age to buy guns would be helpful. He also expressed support for a Democratic alternative bill that is similar to the Second Amendment.

Personal life

McKean and his wife, Connie, a native of

Dubuque Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...

, live in a historic home on the edge of Anamosa, where they operated the Shaw House Bed and Breakfast for many years. Andy often plays piano for local events, at church functions, and in care centers and congregate meal sites. Connie was a three-term member of the Anamosa School Board. They have four children and three grandchildren. McKean is a retired attorney and a member of the Jones County Bar Association. He attends the First Congregational

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximately 4 ...

and calls

square dance A square dance is a dance for four couples, or eight dancers in total, arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, facing the middle of the square. Square dances contain elements from numerous traditional dances and were first documente ...

s with his band, the Scotch Grove Pioneers. His hobbies include gardening and taking care of the couple's property; reading about history, politics, and culture; hiking; and playing music. McKean practiced law in Anamosa for 35 years, retiring in 2015. He taught planning law courses at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

's graduate program in Urban and Regional Planning from 1978 to 1992. His grandfather, John McKean, was a judge who served in the Iowa State Senate and represented Jones County.

References

External links

Andy McKean's Biography at Votesmarts.org

Andy McKean's Biography at iowahouse.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKean, Andy 1949 births Drake University alumni Living people Republican Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives People from Anamosa, Iowa Iowa lawyers State University of New York at Oneonta alumni University of Iowa College of Law alumni University of Rhode Island alumni People from New York (state) 21st-century American legislators Democratic Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives Republican Party Iowa state senators