Feb. 8, LAWTON, IA – Dave Dawson (age 44) of Lawton, Iowa has announced he will be a candidate to represent Senate District 3 in the Iowa Legislature. The district includes every town in Plymouth County and large parts of Woodbury County from Correctionville to Morningside and from Pierson to Salix.

“Over the last two years, I have grown concerned that officials in Des Moines are failing to work together to make progress for Iowans,” said Dawson. “If I am elected, I will listen to the concerns of all people and be responsive to the issues important to Northwest Iowa.”

Dawson was born in Cherokee and grew up in Washta. He graduated from the last class of Willow Community High School (now part of River Valley Schools). Several summers, he worked at his parents’ fertilizer business, Dawson’s Cropmate.  He received an undergraduate degree at Iowa State University and earned a law degree at UCLA School of Law. For three years, Dawson worked on legal matters for a variety of businesses at a law firm in Chicago. Dawson has lived in Woodbury County for sixteen years, and during that time, he has practiced law in Sioux City. He ran his own law office for over five years and is currently a prosecutor for Woodbury County, where he has worked for over 10 years.

Dawson said, “As an attorney, I have been a strong advocate for children and families, and as your next State Senator, I will stand up for the right of Iowa students to receive high-quality education, I will strive to raise wages for Iowa workers, and I will fight to cut income tax rates for Iowa families.” He added, “I believe the legislature should focus on policies to help Iowa grow and create more good-paying jobs, so more of our youth will stay in Iowa.”

Dawson is a former Sioux City West High School volleyball coach, has served as an elder at Redeemer Lutheran Church, and is currently a member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Dawson was a member of the 2011-2012 Class of Leadership Iowa, a premier issues-awareness program promoting leadership, which is sponsored by the Iowa Association of Business and Industry. Since 2011, Dawson has been a board member at the Community Action Agency of Siouxland. He is currently vice-president for New Perspectives Inc. and has served on its board since 2014.  He joined the board of Siouxland CARES in 2017.

In 2012 and 2014, Dawson was elected to the Iowa House of Representative. While in the Iowa legislature for two terms, he served on various committees, including Commerce, Ethics, Human Resources, Judiciary, Transportation, and Public Safety. While in the Iowa House, Dawson worked cooperatively on several bi-partisan pieces of legislation.

Dave Dawson with Iowa Governor Terry Branstad in 2013

Dawson and his wife, Liza, live in Lawton, Iowa. They have three children, including her son, Kaleb, her daughter, Kali, and their daughter, Izabel. Kaleb and Kali attend Lawton-Bronson Elementary School, where Izabel will start pre-school in the fall of 2018.