Swati Dandekar
Swati Dandekar (b. March 6, 1951) is a former member of the Iowa Utilities Board. She began serving in this position in September of 2011 and stepped down on July 22, 2013 in order to spend more time exploring a bid for Congress in 2014.[1]
Dandekar's resignation from the Iowa Utilities Board, effective July 22, 2013, created an unscheduled vacancy which will have to be filled by appointment. Gov. Terry Branstad (R) originally appointed Dandekar in 2011 for an abbreviated term. Her appointment was a consequence of another board member who had resigned early, and now Branstad will name her replacement as well.[2]
Dandekar was a Democratic candidate for the United States House of Representatives in the 2014 elections in the 1st Congressional District of Iowa.[3][4] She was defeated by Pat Murphy in the Democratic primary on June 3, 2014.[5]
Previously she was a Democratic member of the Iowa State Senate, representing District 18.
Biography
Dandekar was on the Linn-Mar Community School District Board of Education from 1996 to 2002. She served in the Iowa State House of Representatives from 2002 to 2008. She then joined the Iowa State Senate in 2009.
Dandekar resigned from the Iowa State Senate in September 2011 after she was appointed to the Iowa Utilities Board by Republican Governor Terry Branstad. Prior to her resignation, the partisan balance of Senate favored Democrats 26-24.[6][7][8]
Education
Dandekar earned her B.S. in Biology/Chemistry from Nagpur University in 1971. She went on to earn her Post-Graduate Diploma in Dietetics from Bombay University in 1972.
Political career
Iowa Utilities Board (2011-2013)
Dandekar served as a member of the Iowa Utilities Board since 2011. Her appointed term was not scheduled to end until April 2015, but she resigned from the board on July 22, 2013.[2]
Iowa State Senate (2009-2011)
Dandekar served in the Iowa State Senate from 2009 until her appointment to the IUB in September 2011.
Committee assignments
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Dandekar was appointed to these committees:
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Dandekar served on these committees:
- Commerce Committee, Iowa State Senate
- Economic Growth Committee, Iowa State Senate
- Rebuild Iowa Committee, Iowa State Senate
- Transportation Committee, Iowa State Senate
- Ways and Means Committee, Iowa State Senate
Iowa House of Representatives (2002-2008)
Dandekar was a member of the Iowa House of Representatives from 2002 to 2008.
Elections/Appointments
2014
Dandekar ran for election to the U.S. House, representing the 1st Congressional District of Iowa. She would seeking the Democratic nomination in the primary. The general election takes place on November 4, 2014.[1][4][3][9] She was defeated by Pat Murphy in the Democratic primary on June 3, 2014.[5]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Pat Murphy |
36.7% | 10,189 | ||
| Monica Vernon | 23.6% | 6,559 | ||
| Swati Dandekar | 18.3% | 5,076 | ||
| Anesa Kajtazovic | 14.7% | 4,067 | ||
| Dave O'Brien | 6.7% | 1,846 | ||
| Total Votes | 27,737 | |||
| Source: Iowa Secretary of State |
||||
Polls
| General election | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pat Murphy | Rod Blum | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||||||||||
| Loras College (September 2-5, 2014) | 34.6% | 33% | 32.3% | +/-5.6 | 300 | ||||||||||||||
| Polling Co. Inc. August 11-12, 2014 | 40% | 35% | 25% | +/-4.9 | 401 | ||||||||||||||
| Myers Research and Strategic Services July 31-August 4, 2014 | 51% | 40% | 9% | +/-4.9 | 400 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
| Democratic primary | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pat Murphy | Monica Vernon | Swati Dandekar | Anesa Kajtazovic | Dave O'Brien | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||||
| Loras College April 8-10, 2014 | 30% | 9% | 9% | 11% | 6% | 34% | +/-5.65 | 300 | |||||||||||
| David Binder Research February 27-March 2, 2014 | 30% | 11% | 13% | 13% | 9% | 0% | +/-4.9 | 400 | |||||||||||
| Myers Research February 11-13, 2014 | 36% | 17% | 13% | 11% | 8% | 0% | +/-4.9 | 400 | |||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
| Republican primary | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Rod Blum | Steve Rathje | Gail Boliver | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||||||
| Loras College April 10-11, 2014 | 17% | 12% | 2% | 68% | +/-5.65 | 300 | |||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
2011
Dandekar was appointed to the Iowa Utilities Board by Gov. Terry Branstad (R) on September 16, 2011.[10]
2008
On November 4, 2008, Dandekar was elected to the 18th District Seat in the Iowa State Senate, defeating Joe Childers (R).[11] Dandekar raised $243,496 for her campaign, while Childers raised $22,578.[12]
| Iowa State Senate, District 18 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Swati Dandekar (D)
|
20,667 | |||
| Joe Childers (R) | 17,367 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Dandekar and her husband, Arvid, have two children.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Swati + Dandekar + Iowa "
See also
External links
- Iowa Utilities Board - Swati Dandekar
- Sen. Dandekar's Website
- Official Iowa State Senate website of Swati Dandekar
- Iowa State Senate Website
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Project Vote Smart Legislative Profile
- Campaign Contributions: 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002
- Swati Dandekar on Facebook
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Gazette, "Dandekar steps down from Iowa Utilities Board to explore run for Congress" accessed July 12, 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 DeMoines Register, "Swati Dandekar resigns from Iowa Utilities Board, perhaps hinting at Congressional candidacy," July 9, 2013
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Des Moines Register, "Swati Dandekar resigns from Iowa Utilities Board, perhaps hinting at Congressional candidacy" accessed July 12, 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Des Moines Register, "Dandekar joins race for congressional seat" accessed July 26, 2013
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Associated Press, "Election Results," accessed June 3, 2014
- ↑ Stateline, "Iowa Senate control at stake in November special election," September 19
- ↑ Governor Terry Branstad, "Special Election Proclamation," September 19, 2011
- ↑ Governor Branstad, Press Release, "Gov. Branstad names Senator Swati Dandekar to Iowa Utilities Board," September 16, 2011
- ↑ Globe Gazette, "Dandekar resigns from state post to explore U.S. House race" accessed July 12, 2013
- ↑ Office of the Governor of Iowa, "Gov. Branstad names Senator Swati Dandekar to Iowa Utilities Board," September 16, 2011
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "2008 Official election results," accessed April 7, 2014
- ↑ Follow The Money, "Money raised by 2008 Senate candidates," accessed April 8, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Iowa Utilities Board September 2011-July 2013 |
Succeeded by Sheila Tipton |
| Preceded by Mary A. Lundby |
Iowa State Senate District 18 2009–September 2011 |
Succeeded by Liz Mathis (D) |
| |||||||||||||||||
