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Mark McHugh

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Mark McHugh
Republican Party
Elections and appointments
Last election
June 2, 2020
Military
Service / branch
U.S. Army National Guard
Years of service
1999 - 2005
Personal
Birthplace
Spencer, IA
Religion
Roman Catholic
Profession
CNC operator
Contact
Campaign website
Campaign Facebook
Campaign X

Mark McHugh (Republican Party) ran for election to the Iowa House of Representatives to represent District 3. He lost in the Republican primary on June 2, 2020.

McHugh completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Mark McHugh was born in Spencer, Iowa. He served in the U.S. Army National Guard from 1999 to 2005. McHugh attended Iowa Lakes Community College. His professional experience includes working as a CNC Operator for Rosenboom Machine & Tool, Inc. McHugh has been associated with Knights of Columbus and the O'Brien County Republicans. He served as a delegate at both the District and State Party Conventions in 2016 and 2018.[1]

Elections

2020

See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Iowa House of Representatives District 3

Dennis Bush won election in the general election for Iowa House of Representatives District 3 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Dennis Bush
Dennis Bush (R)
 
99.1
 
12,445
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.9
 
109

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 12,554
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 3

Dennis Bush defeated K. Lynn Evans and Mark McHugh in the Republican primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 3 on June 2, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Dennis Bush
Dennis Bush
 
41.6
 
2,228
Image of K. Lynn Evans
K. Lynn Evans
 
36.3
 
1,946
Image of Mark McHugh
Mark McHugh Candidate Connection
 
22.0
 
1,176
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
6

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 5,356
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.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Mark McHugh completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McHugh's responses.

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I was born and raised in Northwest Iowa, growing up on a farm west of Royal. I enlisted in the Iowa Army National Guard at age 17 (with parental consent), so I could not only serve my nation, but my State as well. I was activated for Operation Noble Eagle II in 2002-2003.
  • "Mark McHugh Listens to You!" I will insist on listening to voters.
  • Conservative. I have been a strong 2nd Amendment supporter my entire life, and have been Pro-Life for just as long.
  • 3 A's. Accessible. Approachable. Accountable.
I insist on supporting life from conception to natural death. I support constitutional amendments that protect unborn children. "We have all had a chance at life - why should any unborn children in their mother's womb be any different?"

I am a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment. I have been ever since I was a kid walking around on the farm with my BB Gun shooting sparrows. I can foresee no circumstance wherein my support of the 2nd Amendment would waiver.
I think the most important characteristic of an elected official would have to be listening to voters... responding to emails, letters, and phone calls from voters. How can an elected official do their job in our representative form of government if they don't listen to the voters? Yes, we would all like to dream of an utopia wherein we all as legislators work together to achieve a common goal. I would be willing to work with anyone. My main principle, and characteristic that I would want demonstrated would be listening to the voters. Not being one's own voice, but being the voice of the people being represented.
The first and foremost quality would be one that makes the officeholder approachable and accessible. The officeholder must be willing to listen to the voters, no matter where they are on the political spectrum, nor where they are located within the district. The officeholder wouldn't have to be in agreement with every voice, but be able to listen to each and every one, and respond to each and every one letting them know their voice was heard.
The legacy I would like to leave would be one where my children can grow up in a safe and vibrant community. I want to leave them with a better world than I inherited. With the way the world may seem so politically divided, that would be a hard concept to undertake. I want my children, and my children's children to be proud of the fact that I took stepped up and decided that I would serve something larger than myself. I want them to see that and to be sure to follow in those footsteps somehow... that meaning that I want them to work toward serving something greater than themselves - no matter what that would end up being.
My very first job was working on my family farm... there is where I learned the importance of hard work, and doing things with quality. The first job I was on a payroll for was I worked at Hy-Vee. I bagged groceries, and helped people to their cars. I did that until I began to work my way through the Hy-Vee store, becoming a cashier, learning the Customer Service counter, Stocking shelves, and then becoming a 2nd Assistant Manager. I worked with Hy-Vee for about 5 years.
My 2 favorite books would have to be "Decision Points", by George W. Bush... and "The Ranger Way", by Kris "Tanto" Paronto.

I like "Decision Points", because it brings me into the thought processes that went through President George W. Bush's mind as he made decisions following the 9/11 attacks, and the rest of his presidency. Decisions that reach that level are difficult decisions. It is helpful to learn how others have made the decisions they have.

I like "The Ranger Way", because it teaches the reader not to quit, even when the 'chips are down'. I feel that is an important concept.
One of the largest struggles I have encountered in my life has been dealing with the death of my father when I was 12 years old. I grew up very quickly that summer. My mom did a great job as a single parent following my dad's death. The experience taught me that life isn't easy. It taught me that struggles do not keep us from working hard, and doing great things.
I can see logistical benefits for candidates for State Legislature to have previous experience in government or politics. That being said, however, I feel that the primary role of a legislator is to be available to their constituents, provide a listening ear to the district, and be that district's voice in the legislature. I feel that the ability to make oneself available, approachable, and ultimately accountable is far more important.
The State of Iowa over the next decade will have challenges that we can hardly anticipate now. I perceive that we will have challenges as we repair our current infrastructure. Iowa winters are very hard on our highways and bridges. I also anticipate challenges as we grow in technology, bringing high speed internet to our rural communities, and watching things such as 5G, and then it's future generation communications into our rural communities. Our rivers have been encountering flooding. We have been prone to other natural disasters, tornadoes, blizzards, and more. I would anticipate that we will continue to have those issues as well. The ability to quickly adapt to the challenges that will arise will be of extreme importance.
Running for a different political office is not something that I am focused on right now. I would not rule it out, if I felt called to do so, I would pray, discuss, and reflect about it at that time. For now, my focus is on the wonderful people of Iowa State House of Representatives, District 3.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

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Footnotes

  1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 15, 2020


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