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Iowa House of Representatives District 53

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Iowa House of Representatives District 53
Incumbent
Assumed office: January 1, 2023

Iowa House of Representatives District 53 is represented by Dean Fisher (R).

As of the 2020 Census, Iowa state representatives represented an average of 31,924 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 30,538 residents.

About the chamber

Members of the Iowa House of Representatives serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Iowa state representatives always assume office the first day of January after their election.[1][2]

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

The Iowa Constitution states, "No person shall be a member of the house of representatives who shall not have attained the age of twenty-one years, be a citizen of the United States, and shall have been an inhabitant of this state one year next preceding his election, and at the time of his election shall have had an actual residence of sixty days in the county, or district he may have been chosen to represent."[3]


Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2024[4]
SalaryPer diem
$25,000/year$178/day for legislators who live outside of Polk County. $133.50/day for legislators who live within Polk County.

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in the Iowa General Assembly, the vacant seat must be filled by a special election. The governor of Iowa is required within five days of a vacancy in the General Assembly to call for a special election. If the vacancy happens in session or within 45 days of the session convening, the governor must call for an election as soon as possible with at least an 18-day notice. All other special elections require a 40-day notice as long the election does not happen on the same day as a school election within the district.[5]

DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: Iowa Code § 69.14


2016 pivot county

206 Pivot Counties Logo.png
See also: Pivot Counties and Legislative districts intersecting with Pivot Counties

This district was one of 710 state legislative districts that, based on boundaries adopted after the 2010 census, intersected with one or more Pivot Counties. These 206 Pivot Counties voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012.

The 206 Pivot Counties were located in 34 states. Iowa, with 31, had the most such counties. At that time, the partisan makeup of state legislative districts intersecting with Pivot Counties was slightly more Republican than the overall partisan makeup of state legislatures throughout the country.[6]

District map

Redistricting

2020 redistricting cycle

See also: Redistricting in Iowa after the 2020 census

On November 4, 2021, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed new congressional and state legislative maps into law after the state's Legislative Services Agency had proposed them on October 21, 2021. The Iowa legislature approved the maps on October 28, 2021, by a vote of 48-1 in the state Senate and 93-2 in the state House.[7] The legislature could only vote to approve or reject the maps and could not make any amendments. These maps took effect for Iowa's 2022 congressional and legislative elections.

How does redistricting in Iowa work? The Legislative Services Agency prepares redistricting plans for approval by the Iowa State Legislature. According to All About Redistricting, the Legislative Services Agency (LSA) consists of "civil servants committed to nonpartisanship and otherwise charged with tasks like legal and fiscal analysis of state legislation and state government oversight." The LSA is assisted by a commission, which consists of the following members:[8]

  1. one member selected by the majority leader of the Iowa State Senate
  2. one member selected by the majority leader of the Iowa House of Representatives
  3. one member selected by the minority leader of the Iowa State Senate
  4. one member selected by the minority leader of the Iowa House of Representatives
  5. one member selected by the first four members

The members of this commission cannot "hold partisan public office or an office in a political party, and none may be a relative or employee of a federal or state legislator (or the legislature as a whole)."[8]

Working with this commission, the LSA drafts congressional and state legislative district lines. The maps are presented as a single bill to the state legislature, which may approve or reject the bill without altering it (the legislature can provide feedback). If the legislature rejects the plan, the LSA must draft a second proposal. If the legislature rejects the second proposal, the LSA must draft a third, and final, set of maps. If the legislature rejects this plan, it may then approve its own maps. Since the implementation of this process in 1980, the state legislature has never chosen not to approve an LSA proposal. Redistricting plans are also subject to gubernatorial veto. In addition, the legislature may repeal or revise the maps at any time, though it has never done so.[8]

State law establishes the following criteria for both congressional and state legislative districts:[8]

  1. Districts must be "convenient and contiguous."
  2. Districts must "preserve the integrity of political subdivisions like counties and cities."
  3. Districts must "to the extent consistent with other requirements, [be] reasonably compact–defined in terms of regular polygons, comparisons of length and width, and overall boundary perimeter."

In addition, state House districts are required to be contained within state Senate districts "where possible, and where not in conflict with the criteria above." It is explicit in state law that district lines cannot be drawn "to favor a political party, incumbent, or other person or group."[8]

Iowa House of Representatives District 53
until December 31, 2022

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Iowa House of Representatives District 53
starting January 1, 2023

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Elections

2024

See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Iowa House of Representatives District 53

Incumbent Dean Fisher defeated Tommy Hexter in the general election for Iowa House of Representatives District 53 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dean Fisher
Dean Fisher (R)
 
56.8
 
8,889
Tommy Hexter (D)
 
43.1
 
6,745
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
24

Total votes: 15,658
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 53

Tommy Hexter defeated Jennifer Wrage and John Anderson in the Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 53 on June 4, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Tommy Hexter
 
58.8
 
486
Jennifer Wrage
 
33.4
 
276
John Anderson
 
7.6
 
63
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
1

Total votes: 826
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 53

Incumbent Dean Fisher advanced from the Republican primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 53 on June 4, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dean Fisher
Dean Fisher
 
96.4
 
1,270
 Other/Write-in votes
 
3.6
 
47

Total votes: 1,317
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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2022

See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Iowa House of Representatives District 53

Incumbent Dean Fisher defeated Sarah Smith in the general election for Iowa House of Representatives District 53 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dean Fisher
Dean Fisher (R)
 
56.6
 
6,935
Image of Sarah Smith
Sarah Smith (D)
 
43.3
 
5,310
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
14

Total votes: 12,259
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 53

Sarah Smith advanced from the Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 53 on June 7, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sarah Smith
Sarah Smith
 
99.7
 
1,477
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.3
 
5

Total votes: 1,482
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 53

Incumbent Dean Fisher defeated incumbent David Maxwell in the Republican primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 53 on June 7, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dean Fisher
Dean Fisher
 
62.3
 
1,420
Image of David Maxwell
David Maxwell
 
37.6
 
857
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
4

Total votes: 2,281
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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2020

See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Iowa House of Representatives District 53

Incumbent Sharon Steckman defeated Simon Abela in the general election for Iowa House of Representatives District 53 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sharon Steckman
Sharon Steckman (D)
 
65.7
 
9,772
Image of Simon Abela
Simon Abela (R) Candidate Connection
 
34.2
 
5,081
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
20

Total votes: 14,873
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 53

Incumbent Sharon Steckman advanced from the Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 53 on June 2, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sharon Steckman
Sharon Steckman
 
99.7
 
2,529
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.3
 
7

Total votes: 2,536
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 53

Simon Abela advanced from the Republican primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 53 on June 2, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Simon Abela
Simon Abela Candidate Connection
 
99.2
 
1,295
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.8
 
11

Total votes: 1,306
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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2018

See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Iowa House of Representatives District 53

Incumbent Sharon Steckman won election in the general election for Iowa House of Representatives District 53 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sharon Steckman
Sharon Steckman (D)
 
96.5
 
9,787
 Other/Write-in votes
 
3.5
 
351

Total votes: 10,138
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 53

Incumbent Sharon Steckman advanced from the Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 53 on June 5, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Sharon Steckman
Sharon Steckman
 
100.0
 
1,116

Total votes: 1,116
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Iowa House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 18, 2016.

Incumbent Sharon Steckman defeated Barbara Hovland in the Iowa House of Representatives District 53 general election.[9][10]

Iowa House of Representatives, District 53 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Sharon Steckman Incumbent 60.47% 8,977
     Republican Barbara Hovland 39.53% 5,869
Total Votes 14,846
Source: Iowa Secretary of State


Incumbent Sharon Steckman ran unopposed in the Iowa House of Representatives District 53 Democratic primary.[11][12]

Iowa House of Representatives, District 53 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Sharon Steckman Incumbent (unopposed)


Barbara Hovland ran unopposed in the Iowa House of Representatives District 53 Republican primary.[11][12]

Iowa House of Representatives, District 53 Republican Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Republican Green check mark transparent.png Barbara Hovland  (unopposed)


2014

See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for the Iowa House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 14, 2014. Incumbent Sharon Steckman was unopposed in the Democratic primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[13][14][15][16]

2012

See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2012

Elections for the Iowa House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on June 5, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 16, 2012. Incumbent Sharon Steckman (D) was unopposed in both the general election and Democratic primary.[17][18]

Campaign contributions

From 2000 to 2024, candidates for Iowa House of Representatives District 53 raised a total of $645,727. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $28,075 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money

Campaign contributions, Iowa House of Representatives District 53
Year Amount Candidates Average
2024 $126,874 4 $31,719
2022 $134,100 3 $44,700
2020 $55,332 2 $27,666
2018 $31,663 1 $31,663
2016 $101,137 2 $50,569
2014 $22,713 1 $22,713
2012 $25,652 1 $25,652
2010 $12,381 1 $12,381
2008 $34,933 2 $17,467
2006 $13,450 1 $13,450
2004 $38,632 2 $19,316
2002 $14,275 2 $7,138
2000 $34,585 1 $34,585
Total $645,727 23 $28,075


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. Iowa Constitution, "Article III, Legislative Department, Section 3," accessed November 1, 2021
  2. Iowa Secretary of State, "Terms of Offices for Elected Officials," accessed November 1, 2021
  3. Iowa Constitution, "Article 3, Section 4," accessed May 21, 2025
  4. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
  5. Iowa General Assembly, "Iowa Code - 2021," accessed February 9, 2021 (Statute 69.14)
  6. The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
  7. Des Moines Register, "Iowa lawmakers accept second redistricting plan, setting up next decade of politics," October 28, 2021
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 All About Redistricting, "Iowa," accessed April 21, 2015
  9. Iowa Secretary of State, "General Candidate List, 2016," accessed August 24, 2016
  10. Iowa Secretary of State, "2016 General Election Canvass Summary," accessed December 16, 2016
  11. 11.0 11.1 Iowa Secretary of State, "Candidate Listing by Office," March 21, 2016
  12. 12.0 12.1 Iowa Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Canvass Summary," accessed August 22, 2016
  13. Iowa Secretary of State, "Official primary election candidate list," accessed March 18, 2014
  14. Iowa Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed June 30, 2014
  15. Iowa Secretary of State, "Official general election candidate list," accessed July 7, 2014
  16. Iowa Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed December 1, 2014
  17. "Iowa Secretary of State - Official Primary Election Results," accessed October 16, 2013
  18. "Iowa Secretary of State - Official General Election Results," accessed October 16, 2013


Current members of the Iowa House of Representatives
Leadership
Majority Leader:Bobby Kaufmann
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
Ann Meyer (R)
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
Tom Moore (R)
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
Hans Wilz (R)
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
District 48
Chad Behn (R)
District 49
District 50
District 51
District 52
District 53
District 54
District 55
District 56
District 57
District 58
District 59
District 60
District 61
District 62
District 63
District 64
District 65
District 66
District 67
District 68
District 69
District 70
District 71
District 72
District 73
District 74
District 75
District 76
District 77
District 78
District 79
District 80
District 81
District 82
District 83
District 84
District 85
District 86
District 87
District 88
District 89
District 90
District 91
District 92
District 93
Gary Mohr (R)
District 94
District 95
District 96
District 97
District 98
District 99
District 100
Republican Party (67)
Democratic Party (33)