Jerry Crawford (born October 26, 1949) is a United States lawyer and leader in the Democratic Party from

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

. Crawford has also worked for the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

as fundraiser and lobbyist. Crawford has helped every Democratic presidential nominee succeed in the Iowa Caucus. He had been working for Hillary Clinton´s 2016 presidential campaign in Iowa since 2014.

Early life and education

Crawford was born into a family involved in Iowa politics, growing up on a farm in

Warren County, Iowa Warren County is a rural county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 52,403. The county seat is Indianola. Warren County is included in the Des Moines–West Des Moines, IA Metropolitan Statistical ...

. sharing his grandfather's love of horses. According to the bio on his webpage he attended

Macalester College Macalester College () is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1874, Macalester is exclusively an undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 2,174 students in the fall of 2018 from 50 U.S. states, four U.S te ...

, graduating with a B.A. in Political Science in 1971, then the

University of Iowa College of Law The University of Iowa College of Law is the law school of the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. It was founded in 1865. Iowa is ranked the 28th-best law school in the United States by the '' U.S. News & World Report'' "Best Law Sch ...

, earning his J.D. degree in 1975, after which he was admitted to the Iowa Bar.

Career

Crawford established Crawford & Mauro Law Firm in Des Moines Iowa, and specializes in civil litigation, personal injury, sports law, racing and gaming. In 1976, he won the chairmanship of the

Polk County Polk County is the name of twelve counties in the United States, all except two named after president of the United States James Knox Polk: * Polk County, Arkansas * Polk County, Florida * Polk County, Georgia * Polk County, Iowa * Polk Count ...

Democrats "in a landslide". He became a "state Democratic power player, a strategist and tactician".Tim Paluch
King (or Queen) Maker.
dsm Magazine, 27 October 2015, Business Publications Corp., Inc. retrieved 17 January 2016 Since 1980, Crawford has worked for the

as fundraiser and

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

. He has helped every Democratic presidential nominee succeed in the Iowa Caucus, including

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic no ...

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

twice,

Michael Dukakis Michael Stanley Dukakis (; born November 3, 1933) is an American retired lawyer and politician who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history a ...

and Hillary Clinton in 2016. During Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential bid he co-chaired her Midwest campaign. Since at least 2014, he had been working for Hillary Clinton´s 2016 presidential campaign in Iowa. Crawford's work as a lobbyist for

Monsanto The Monsanto Company () was an American agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation founded in 1901 and headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Monsanto's best known product is Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, developed in ...

has been discussed in connection with his work with Clinton's campaign and issues of lobbyist influence on elections.

Business activities

In 2007, Crawford founded the

Iowa Energy 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 th ...

basketball team, which he has owned through Iowa Basketball, LLC since. In 2011, the Iowa Energy won the NBDL Championship. In 2008 he founded Donegal Racing, a company that owns thoroughbred racehorses, some of which have participated in the Kentucky Derby. In 2015, Donegal horse Keen Ice defeated triple crown winner American Pharoah in the Travers Stakes. Crawford serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Macalester College. In 2014, Crawford invested in a little known play called, "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" which went on to win a Tony Award for "Best Musical".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crawford, Jerry 1949 births Living people Businesspeople from Des Moines, Iowa Iowa Democrats Iowa lawyers American lobbyists Monsanto employees Macalester College alumni University of Iowa College of Law alumni