Sarah Abdouch

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Sarah Abdouch

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

High school

Homeschooled

Bachelor's

Wheaton College, 2011

Personal

Birthplace

Des Moines, Iowa

Religion

Evangelical Free

Profession

Information technology

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Sarah Abdouch (Republican Party) ran for election to the Iowa House of Representatives to represent District 20. She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Abdouch completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Sarah Abdouch was born in Des Moines, Iowa. She earned a high school diploma from homeschooling and a bachelor's degree from Wheaton College in 2011. Her career experience includes working in information technology. Abdouch has been affiliated with the Convention of States, Iowa Firearms Coalition, Families United Action Network, and Pottawattamie County GOP.

Elections

2022

See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Iowa House of Representatives District 20

Josh Turek defeated Sarah Abdouch in the general election for Iowa House of Representatives District 20 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Josh Turek (D)	50.0	3,403
		Sarah Abdouch (R)	49.9	3,397
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	7

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,807
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 20

Josh Turek advanced from the Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 20 on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Josh Turek	99.8	637
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	1

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 638
= 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 20

Sarah Abdouch defeated Thomas Riley in the Republican primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 20 on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sarah Abdouch	55.8	549
	Submit photo	Thomas Riley	43.7	430
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	4

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 983
= 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.

2020

See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Iowa House of Representatives District 15

Incumbent Charlie McConkey defeated Sarah Abdouch in the general election for Iowa House of Representatives District 15 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Charlie McConkey (D)	53.3	5,718
		Sarah Abdouch (R)	46.5	4,990
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	13

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,721
= 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 15

Incumbent Charlie McConkey advanced from the Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 15 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Charlie McConkey	99.3	1,496
		Other/Write-in votes	0.7	10

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,506
= 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 15

Sarah Abdouch advanced from the Republican primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 15 on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sarah Abdouch	98.4	1,080
		Other/Write-in votes	1.6	18

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,098
= 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.

2018

See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Iowa House of Representatives District 15

Incumbent Charlie McConkey defeated LeAnn Hughes in the general election for Iowa House of Representatives District 15 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Charlie McConkey (D)	56.3	4,635
	Submit photo	LeAnn Hughes (R)	43.6	3,590
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	10

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,235
= 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 15

Incumbent Charlie McConkey advanced from the Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 15 on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Charlie McConkey	100.0	641

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 641
= 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 15

LeAnn Hughes defeated Sarah Abdouch and Mark Hunter in the Republican primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 15 on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	LeAnn Hughes	58.9	355
		Sarah Abdouch	21.9	132
	Submit photo	Mark Hunter	19.2	116

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 603
= 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

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Sarah Abdouch completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Abdouch's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a business professional who would like to serve my community in the Iowa House for a short time to deal with some of the critical issues faced in Council Bluffs and Carter Lake.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Flood Mitigation needs to be a top priority. I propose forming an inter-state compact for management of the Missouri River.
• School Choice is critical, giving families the right to choose how their children are taught.
• Eliminating Annual Property Taxes is a issue that should have been dealt with along time ago. We must allow people to own their homes.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I love to simplify, improve, and find new solutions to old problems. I'm excited to work with various coalitions in the Iowa House to tackle the most difficult challenges facing us today.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My parents. They are remarkable people who have accomplished incredible things with their lives and I hope I can be even half as decent as them.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Probably the Bible.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

A strong moral code, a willingness to listen and learn tempered by one's own convictions, and the ability to communicate and collaborate to execute your ideas.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To represent the citizens of their district and protect them from overreaches of the government.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

9/11, I was ten years old at the time.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was a cashier at a grocery store and I worked there for three years while I was in college.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

A healthy, professional working relationship where both communicate clearly and are willing to understand each other's goals.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

The Federal Government is, far and away, the biggest issue facing our state.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a unicameral state legislature, in your opinion?

I don't believe there is a benefit. All it leads to is nothing getting done and the cities running rough-shod over the rights of citizens as result.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

It can be, but it can also be a hindrance. It depends on the lessons they learned.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes, it's not just beneficial but necessary to form coalitions in order to accomplish what needs done.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

I have no thoughts on it at this time.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

I would be interested in State Government primarily, but considering my background in tech, probably IT.

If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?

NA

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

No, I have a good number of legislators I look up to.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I've heard a good number of them, but the ones that have struck me the most are those of the older folks in our community who are just at their wits end financially right now.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

The legislature definitely needs to oversee the use of emergency powers, yes.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes in that compromise is how we often describe the process of learning about what pitfalls others see and attempting to address them through collaboration.

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.

2020

Sarah Abdouch did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

See also

2022 Elections

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Government

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Candidate

Iowa House of Representatives District 20

Website

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Iowa House of Representatives

Leadership

Majority Leader:Bobby Kaufmann

Representatives

District 1

J.D. Scholten (D)

District 2

Robert Henderson (R)

District 3

Thomas Jeneary (R)

District 4

Skyler Wheeler (R)

District 5

Zach Dieken (R)

District 6

Megan Jones (R)

District 7

Mike Sexton (R)

District 8

Ann Meyer (R)

District 9

Henry Stone (R)

District 10

John Wills (R)

District 11

Craig Williams (R)

District 12

Steven Holt (R)

District 13

Travis Sitzmann (R)

District 14

Jacob Bossman (R)

District 15

Matt Windschitl (R)

District 16

David Sieck (R)

District 17

Devon Wood (R)

District 18

Tom Moore (R)

District 19

Brent Siegrist (R)

District 20

Josh Turek (D)

District 21

Brooke Boden (R)

District 22

Samantha Fett (R)

District 23

Ray Sorensen (R)

District 24

Sam Wengryn (R)

District 25

Hans Wilz (R)

District 26

Austin Harris (R)

District 27

Kenan Judge (D)

District 28

David Young (R)

District 29

Brian Meyer (D)

District 30

Megan Srinivas (D)

District 31

Mary Madison (D)

District 32

Jennifer Konfrst (D)

District 33

Ruth Gaines (D)

District 34

Rob Johnson (D)

District 35

Sean Bagniewski (D)

District 36

Austin Baeth (D)

District 37

Barb McCulla (R)

District 38

Jon Dunwell (R)

District 39

Rick Olson (D)

District 40

Bill Gustoff (R)

District 41

Ryan Weldon (R)

District 42

Heather Matson (D)

District 43

Eddie Andrews (R)

District 44

Larry McBurney (D)

District 45

Brian Lohse (R)

District 46

Dan Gehlbach (R)

District 47

Carter Nordman (R)

District 48

Chad Behn (R)

District 49

Beth Wessel-Kroeschell (D)

District 50

Ross Wilburn (D)

District 51

Brett Barker (R)

District 52

David Blom (R)

District 53

Dean Fisher (R)

District 54

Joshua Meggers (R)

District 55

Shannon Latham (R)

District 56

Mark Thompson (R)

District 57

Pat Grassley (R)

District 58

Charley Thomson (R)

District 59

Christian Hermanson (R)

District 60

Jane Bloomingdale (R)

District 61

Timi Brown-Powers (D)

District 62

Jerome Amos (D)

District 63

Michael Bergan (R)

District 64

Jason Gearhart (R)

District 65

Shannon Lundgren (R)

District 66

Steven Bradley (R)

District 67

Craig Johnson (R)

District 68

Chad Ingels (R)

District 69

Tom Determann (R)

District 70

Norlin Mommsen (R)

District 71

Lindsay James (D)

District 72

Jennifer Smith (R)

District 73

Elizabeth Wilson (D)

District 74

Eric Gjerde (D)

District 75

Bob Kressig (D)

District 76

Derek Wulf (R)

District 77

Jeff Cooling (D)

District 78

Angel Ramirez (D)

District 79

Tracy Ehlert (D)

District 80

Aime Wichtendahl (D)

District 81

Daniel Gosa (D)

District 82

Bobby Kaufmann (R)

District 83

Cindy Golding (R)

District 84

Thomas Gerhold (R)

District 85

Amy Nielsen (D)

District 86

David Jacoby (D)

District 87

Jeff Shipley (R)

District 88

Helena Hayes (R)

District 89

Elinor Levin (D)

District 90

Adam Zabner (D)

District 91

Judd Lawler (R)

District 92

Heather Hora (R)

District 93

Gary Mohr (R)

District 94

Mike Vondran (R)

District 95

Taylor Collins (R)

District 96

Mark Cisneros (R)

District 97

Ken Croken (D)

District 98

Monica Kurth (D)

District 99

Matthew Rinker (R)

District 100

Blaine Watkins (R)

Republican Party (67)

Democratic Party (33)