Desmund Adams

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Desmund Adams

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

June 7, 2016

Education

Bachelor's

Drake University

Law

Drake University

Contact

Personal website

Desmund Adams was a 2016 Democratic candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 3rd Congressional District of Iowa. Adams was defeated by Jim Mowrer in the Democratic primary.

Adams was a 2012 Democratic candidate for District 22 of the Iowa State Senate.

Elections

2016

See also: Iowa's 3rd Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as a race to watch. Incumbent David Young (R) defeated Jim Mowrer (D), Bryan Holder (L), Claudia Addy (I), and Joe Grandanette (I) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Young defeated Joe Grandanette in the Republican primary on June 7, 2016, while Mowrer defeated Desmund Adams and Mike Sherzan in the Democratic primary.

U.S. House, Iowa District 3 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	David Young Incumbent	53.4%	208,598
	Democratic	Jim Mowrer	39.7%	155,002
	Libertarian	Bryan Holder	3.9%	15,372
	Independent	Claudia Addy	1.6%	6,348
	Independent	Joe Grandanette	1.2%	4,518
	N/A	Write-in	0.1%	449
Total Votes				390,287
Source: Iowa Secretary of State

U.S. House, Iowa District 3 Democratic Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Jim Mowrer	49.6%	13,024
Mike Sherzan	36.5%	9,573
Desmund Adams	13.9%	3,650
Total Votes		26,247
Source: Iowa Secretary of State

U.S. House, Iowa District 3 Republican Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
David Young Incumbent	85.2%	17,977
Joe Grandanette	14.8%	3,134
Total Votes		21,111
Source: Iowa Secretary of State

2012

See also: Iowa State Senate elections, 2012

Adams ran in the 2012 election for Iowa State Senate District 22. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on June 5, 2012, and was to face District 30 incumbent Pat Ward (R) in the general election on November 6, 2012. However, Ward died of cancer on October 15 and a special election was called for December 11.

Ward and Adams remained on the November 6 ballot and counts were tabulated but not canvassed. Republican Party officials held a special nominating convention to name a replacement candidate for Ward, choosing Charles Schneider. Schneider defeated Adams in the December 11 special election.

Iowa State Senate, District 22, Special Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Charles Schneider	56.5%	5,378
	Democratic	Desmund Adams	43.4%	4,136
	Write-In	Various	0.1%	8
Total Votes				9,522

Campaign themes

2016

The following issues were listed on Adams' campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

“	Justice For All: Our justice system is unequal and does not represent the principles and ideals of our country. Our prisons are crowded with people who have committed non-violent crimes as well as those who have committed no crime at all. Innocent people are being killed in the streets, while known issues and injustices from a decades ago have continued to get worse. Equal Pay For Equal Work – Period.: It is 2015, and women still make roughly seventy-seven cents for every dollar that men make. This is shameful. Women should not be forced to choose between their careers and starting a family because of pay inequality. Additionally, paid family leave is still considered a luxury instead of a standard, which creates additional burdens on families and households. Living Wage: When over sixteen million children are living in poverty and parents are working two and three jobs just to make ends meet, something has gone terribly wrong in our country. Minimum wages have been grossly outpaced by inflation and the cost of living. There may have been a time when minimum wage jobs were filled by high school kids, but that day is long gone. The average minimum wage employee is thirty-five years old. Clean & Renewable Energy: Iowa leads the nation in the production of renewable fuels and wind energy, yet there is no clear direction from Washington on how this nation can become more energy independent. It’s time to stop talking about an “all-of-the-above” and start focusing on true innovation and technology in wind, solar, and clean and renewable energy resources that not only protect our environment but also ensure our children and grandchildren have a future they can look forward to. Education: Pre K – 12: The public school system has been in a downward spiral for years. Enough is enough—children are not a partisan chip to play—children are the future of this country. Teachers should be paid in accordance with the importance of the work they do. Studies have shown that children who attend pre-kindergarten perform better in school; it’s time we provide universal pre-k, and quality, public education for all.	”
—Desmund Adams' campaign website, http://www.desmundadams.com/priorities

2012

Adams' website highlighted the following campaign themes:

• "I believe that our government system should be open and transparent. As a citizen you should expect government to be trustworthy, accountable and disciplined."
• "I believe your quest for economic security based on having a job that pays a fair wage for fair work should be available for everybody."
• "I believe that every American should have access to affordable health care, including a woman’s right to reproductive health."
• "I believe with all my fiber that our nation, states and cities must insure equal rights in every area involving race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation and we maintain those rights by continuing our long tradition of separation between Church and State."

Campaign finance summary

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Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.

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Adams and his wife Shondalette have two children.

See also

• United States House of Representatives
• Iowa's 3rd Congressional District election, 2016
• Iowa's 3rd Congressional District

External links

Suggest a link

• Official campaign website
• Facebook page
• Twitter feed
• Biography from Project Vote Smart
• Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart

Footnotes

[show]

Iowa's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Joni Ernst (R)

Chuck Grassley (R)

Representatives

District 1

Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R)

District 2

Ashley Hinson (R)

District 3

Zach Nunn (R)

District 4

Randy Feenstra (R)

Republican Party (6)