Monica Vernon (born October 19, 1957) is an American politician. She is a former two-term member of the Cedar Rapids City Council and the former Mayor Pro Tempore of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Vernon was elected to the Cedar Rapids City Council in 2007 as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to represent District 2. In 2009, she switched her party affiliation to the Democratic Party. In 2014, Vernon was defeated in the Democratic primary election for

Iowa's 1st congressional district Iowa's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers its northeastern part, bordering the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, and the Mississippi River. The district includes the cities o ...

. That same year, she was an unsuccessful nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Iowa, running alongside Jack Hatch. In 2016, she won the Democratic nomination in Iowa's 1st congressional district. She was defeated by incumbent Republican

Rod Blum Rodney Leland Blum (; born April 26, 1955) is an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 1st congressional district from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected in 2014 a ...

in the general election. In 2017, she unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Cedar Rapids.

Early life and education

Vernon was born on the Francis E. Warren Air Force Base in

Cheyenne, Wyoming Cheyenne ( or ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming, as well as the county seat of Laramie County, Wyoming, Laramie County, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 US Census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne ...

. She graduated from Regis Catholic High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Vernon attended the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a 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 organized into 12 col ...

and received her B.A. in journalism in 1980. Vernon received her M.B.A. from the

Tippie College of Business The Tippie College of Business, also known as Tippie, is the business school located at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. Established as the College of Commerce in 1921, Tippie is one of the oldest and highest-ranked business schools in ...

at the University of Iowa in 1999. She later worked as an adjunct professor at the University of Iowa.

Private sector career

Vernon worked as associate director of college relations at

Dickinson State University Dickinson State University (DSU) is a public university in Dickinson, North Dakota. It is part of the North Dakota University System. It was founded in 1918 as Dickinson State Normal School and granted full university status in 1987. History Di ...

from 1980 to 1981. She was a reporter for '' The Gazette'' from 1981 through 1983. From 1983 through 1985, she was the director of public information for

Mount Mercy University Mount Mercy University is a private Catholic liberal arts university in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1928. Students take a core of liberal arts courses as a foundation for areas of study including English, fine arts, ...

. From 1985 through 1987, she was a market research consultant for Frank N. Magid Associates. In 1987, Vernon founded the Vernon Research Group, a privately-owned market research firm. Vernon was the company's president and CEO until it was purchased in 2013 by The Gazette Company.

Political career

Cedar Rapids City Council

In 2007, Vernon was elected to represent Cedar Rapids' 2nd district on the City Council. In 2009, Vernon switched her party registration to the Democratic Party and supported a one cent local option sales and services tax to help with flood recovery. After the

Iowa flood of 2008 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 ...

, Vernon, as a member of the city council, helped create a post-flood redevelopment map.

2014 elections

In the fall of 2013, Vernon announced she was running for Congress in

. She came in second behind former Iowa House Speaker Pat Murphy in the five-way primary for the seat vacated by

Bruce Braley Bruce Lowell Braley (born October 30, 1957) is an American politician and attorney who served as the U.S. representative for from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was defeated in his attempt to win an open seat in the 2014 Unit ...

. That seat was eventually won by Republican

. After that loss, in June 2014, Jack Hatch asked Vernon to join him on the Democratic ticket as his lieutenant governor running mate in the Iowa gubernatorial election, 2014. Hatch and Vernon ran against Republican incumbent

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 f ...

and lost 59% to 37%.

2016 election

On January 15, 2015, Vernon announced her bid for

in the 2016 election. Vernon won the Democratic primary against Pat Murphy on June 7, 2016. She faced incumbent Republican

in the general election. Blum defeated Vernon with 54% of the vote.

2017 election

Vernon ran for Cedar Rapids Mayor in 2017 but lost, marking her fourth electoral defeat in four years.

Personal life

Vernon married her husband, Bill Vernon, in 1984. The couple has three adult daughters.

Electoral history

References

External links

Monica Vernon for Mayor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vernon, Monica 1957 births Living people Iowa Democrats Iowa city council members Politicians from Cheyenne, Wyoming University of Iowa alumni Iowa Republicans Women city councillors in Iowa Politicians from Cedar Rapids, Iowa 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians