Bradley Zaun ( R- Urbandale) is an Iowa State Senator formerly from the 32nd District and currently the 20th District. He was the

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 ...

nominee for

Iowa's 3rd congressional district Iowa's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers its southwestern quadrant, which roughly consists of an area stretching from Des Moines to the borders with Nebraska and Missouri. From 2013 t ...

in the 2010 general election.

Iowa Senate

Zaun has served in the Iowa Senate since 2005. He is the former mayor of Urbandale, serving from 1998 to 2005 and a former city council member of Urbandale, serving from 1996 to 1998. He is former owner of Zaun's Hardware and Vice President of R&R Realty Marketing Group, and received his Bachelor's degree from Grand View College. Zaun currently serves on several committees in the Iowa Senate – the Judiciary committee; the Labor and Business Relations committee; the Rules and Administration committee; the Transportation committee; and the Ways and Means committee, where he is the

ranking member In United States politics, a ranking member is the most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the minority party. On many committees the ranking minority member, along with the Chair, serve as '' ex officio'' member ...

. He also serves on the Justice Systems Appropriations committee. In January 2017, Zaun proposed a bill to end tenure in public universities in Iowa.

Political campaigns

2008

Zaun won with 23,190 votes, running unopposed.

2010

In the 3rd District Republican primary, he won with 42% of the vote in a crowded seven-candidate field to face the district's Democratic incumbent,

Leonard Boswell Leonard Leroy Boswell (January 10, 1934 – August 17, 2018) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1997 to 2013, a district based in Des Moines. A member of the Democratic Party, he was defeated for reelect ...

. Zaun eventually lost to the incumbent Boswell 46% to 51%.

2014

After Republican Tom Latham of the newly-redistricted 3rd congressional district announced his retirement, Zaun ran to succeed him. Despite finishing first in the Republican primary with 10,522 votes (24.7%), he did not clear the 35% necessary to avoid a nominating convention. At the convention, after five ballots, Zaun was defeated by David Young, who had come fifth in the primary with 6,604 votes (15.5%). On July 4, Zaun voiced his disappointment and suggested he would leave the Republican Party, leading some to encourage him to run for the seat as an Independent. He had previously announced that he would introduce legislation to hold runoff primary elections instead of conventions. On July 10, Zaun announced that despite his frustrations, he would not leave the Republican Party or run as an Independent.

2022

Immediately after the Roe V Wade reversal was revealed by the Supreme Court of the United States, tens of demonstrators at the Iowa Capital shared Zaun's opinion that Iowa should quickly enact extreme measures before the public has a chance to voice their opinion through the voting process by calling a special session of the Iowa Legislature.

Legal difficulties

On February 19, 2021, Zaun was found with a handgun at the Des Moines International Airport. The Des Moines Police Department confirmed that the gun was found on the Republican senator during his screening. Police said Zaun does have a permit to carry. Zaun was cited for violating Iowa ordinance 22-55.

References

OpenSecrets.org OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP). ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaun, Brad 1962 births 21st-century American politicians Grand View University alumni Iowa city council members Republican Party Iowa state senators Living people Mayors of places in Iowa People from Urbandale, Iowa Place of birth missing (living people) University of Iowa alumni