Mark Costello (born October 24, 1961) is the Iowa State Senator from the 8th District. 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 ...

, he has 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, . ...

since being elected in 2014. He had also previously served 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 ...

from 2013–2014.

Biography

Costello was born in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

but moved to

Imogene, Iowa Imogene is a city in Fremont County, Iowa, United States. The population was 39 at the time of the 2020 census. Geography Imogene is located at (40.878715, -95.427688). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of ...

as a kid. He graduated from Nishna Valley High School before going on to attend the

University of Northern Iowa The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) is a public university in Cedar Falls, Iowa. UNI offers more than 90 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities, Arts, and Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences and gr ...

, receiving a B.A. in computer information systems. After college Costello worked five years as a computer analyst with Garst Seed Company based in Coon Rapids before eventually returning to work on his family farm. He and his wife Rachel were married in 2001. They have five children and currently reside on their family farm in Mills County.

Iowa House of Representatives

Mark Costello (R-Imogene) was first elected to the Iowa House in 2012 representing the 23rd District. Mark served as Vice Chair of the Iowa House Health & Human Resources Budget Subcommittee. His other committee assignments of the 85th General Assembly include Human Resources, State Government, Veterans Affairs, and Labor.

Iowa Senate

He won the December 30, 2014 special election to replace

Joni Ernst Joni Kay Ernst (née Culver; born July 1, 1970) is an American former military officer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Iowa since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served in the Iowa State Se ...

in the Iowa State Senate after she was elected to the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. Ernst's predecessor in the 12th Senate district,

Kim Reynolds Kimberly Kay Reynolds (née Strawn; born August 4, 1959) is an American politician serving as the 43rd governor of Iowa since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Reynolds served as the 46th lieutenant governor of Iowa from 2011 to 2017. B ...

, also went on to be elected statewide as Governor. As of February 2020, Costello serves on the following committees: Ethics (Chair), Agriculture, Appropriations, Human Resources, and Veterans Affairs. He also serves on the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee (Chair), as well as the Health Policy Oversight Committee, Administrative Rules Review Committee, and the Medical Assistance Advisory Council.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Costello, Mark University of Northern Iowa alumni Republican Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives Republican Party Iowa state senators Living people People from Fremont County, Iowa Place of birth missing (living people) 1961 births 21st-century American politicians