Sean Bagniewski (born 1983) is an American politician and attorney who has represented the 35th district 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 ...

since January 2023, which consists of parts of northwest

Des Moines 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, ...

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 ...

. He is a member of 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 ...

Early life

Bagniewski was born in 1983 in

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...

, and was raised in

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, ...

, in a trailer park by a single mother. He attended Theodore Roosevelt High School. He received 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 ...

from

Truman State University Truman State University (TSU or Truman) is a public university in Kirksville, Missouri. It had 4,225 enrolled students in the fall of 2021 pursuing degrees in 52 undergraduate and 11 graduate programs. The university is named for U.S. Presiden ...

and 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

Drake University Law School Drake University Law School is a professional graduate law school of Drake University, located in Des Moines, Iowa. The school has over 330 full-time students. The school is led by Dean Jerry Anderson. Founded in 1865, Drake Law School is one of t ...

Political career

Bagniewski clerked for Governor

Tom Vilsack Thomas James Vilsack (; born December 13, 1950) is an American politician serving as the 32nd United States Secretary of Agriculture in the Biden administration. He previously served in the role from 2009 to 2017 during the Obama administration. ...

and served as chair of the Polk County Democrats prior to his election to the Iowa House. Bagniewski announced his candidacy for the open 35th district seat in the Iowa House of Representatives shortly after decennial redistricting in 2021. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on June 7, 2022, winning with over 98.8 percent of the vote, and defeated independent candidate Dennis McCullough in the general election on November 8 with over 76 percent of the vote. Bagniewski is a member of the Appropriations, Commerce, Government Oversight, and Transportation committees. In December 2023, Bagniewski announced that he is running for reelection. He won the Democratic primaries unopposed on June 4, 2024, and will face Republican Angela Schreader and Libertarian David Green in the general election on November 5, 2024. Bagniewski has said that his priorities include economic growth and education. He is

pro-choice Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pre ...

and supports stricter gun laws.

Personal life

Bagniewski works as an attorney and federal contract administrator. He has a wife, Lindsay, and two children. He resides with his family in the Beaverdale neighborhood of Des Moines. He is the co-founder of the New Iowa Project, a Democratic volunteer network that seeks to increase voter registration and turnout. Bagniewski was terminated from his job as a

Medicaid Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and pers ...

contract manager with Maximus Health Services shortly after being elected, stirring minor controversy. According to

Axios Axios commonly refers to: * Axios (river), a river that runs through Greece and North Macedonia * ''Axios'' (website), an American news and information website Axios may also refer to: Brands and enterprises * Axios, a brand of suspension produ ...

, Maximus received a letter from Iowa Medicaid director Elizabeth Matney eight days after his election stating that Bagniewski's position was full time and that they do not allow exceptions. Matney also wrote that the state required Maximus to submit a transition plan for Bagniewski within two weeks. Bagniewski claimed that there were no alternative positions available, and he was fired on January 29. He pointed to an Iowa law requiring workers elected to a government office be granted a leave of absence from their regular employment, and also claimed that he was falsely told by Iowa Department of Human Services officials that he could keep his job if he was elected. A spokesperson of the DHS told Axios that Maximus has the sole discretion to make employment decisions necessary to their work. Bagniewski said that he would seek legal advice regarding the termination.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bagniewski, Sean Date of birth missing (living people) Living people 1983 births Democratic Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives 21st-century American legislators 21st-century American lawyers Truman State University alumni Drake University Law School alumni Politicians from La Crosse, Wisconsin Politicians from Des Moines, Iowa Lawyers from Des Moines, Iowa