Iowa House of Representatives District 35
| Iowa House of Representatives District 35 | ||
 | ||
| Current incumbent | Ako Abdul-Samad  | |
Iowa's thirty-fifth state house district is represented by Democratic Representative Ako Abdul-Samad.
Iowa state representatives represent an average of 30,464 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 29,293 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
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, 2025[4] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $25,000/year | $201/day for legislators who live outside of Polk County. $150.75/day for legislators who live within Polk County. |
Vacancies
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]
See sources: Iowa Code § 69.14
Elections
2020
Elections for the office of Iowa House of Representatives took place in 2020. All 100 seats were up for election. Forty-seven were held by Democrats and 53 were held by Republicans.
The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for June 2, 2020. The filing deadline was March 13, 2020.
In the 2020 elections, Republicans increased their majority in the Iowa House from 53-47 to 59-41.
| Iowa House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 3, 2020 | After November 4, 2020 | |
| Democratic Party | 47 | 41 | |
| Republican Party | 53 | 59 | |
| Total | 100 | 100 | |
2018
General election
General election for Iowa House of Representatives District 35
Incumbent Ako Abdul-Samad defeated John Callahan in the general election for Iowa House of Representatives District 35 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ako Abdul-Samad (D) | 77.8 | 5,682 |
| John Callahan (L) | 21.3 | 1,552 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.9 | 65 | ||
| Total votes: 7,299 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 35
Incumbent Ako Abdul-Samad advanced from the Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 35 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ako Abdul-Samad | 100.0 | 1,531 |
| Total votes: 1,531 | |||
| = 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
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 Ako Abdul-Samad defeated Jocelyn Fry in the Iowa House of Representatives District 35 general election.[6][7]
| Iowa House of Representatives, District 35 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Ako Abdul-Samad Incumbent |
75.84% | 6,458 | |
| Libertarian | Jocelyn Fry | 24.16% | 2,057 | |
| Total Votes | 8,515 | |||
| Source: Iowa Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Ako Abdul-Samad ran unopposed in the Iowa House of Representatives District 35 Democratic primary.[8][9]
| Iowa House of Representatives, District 35 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Ako Abdul-Samad Incumbent (unopposed) | |
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 Ako Abdul-Samad was unopposed in the Democratic primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[10][11][12][13]
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 Ako Abdul-Samad (D) defeated Terrance Williams (R) in the general election. Neither candidate faced opposition in their primary.[14][15]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ako Abdul-Samad Incumbent |
73.4% | 7,508 | |
| Republican | Terrance Williams | 26.6% | 2,727 | |
| Total Votes | 10,235 | |||
Campaign contributions
From 2002 to 2016, candidates for Iowa House of Representatives District 35 raised a total of $1,969,861. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $123,116 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
| Campaign contributions, Iowa House of Representatives District 35 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average | |
| 2016 | $10,385 | 2 | $5,193 | |
| 2014 | $11,879 | 1 | $11,879 | |
| 2012 | $16,066 | 2 | $8,033 | |
| 2010 | $874,984 | 1 | $874,984 | |
| 2008 | $366,680 | 2 | $183,340 | |
| 2006 | $166,346 | 2 | $83,173 | |
| 2004 | $333,779 | 2 | $166,890 | |
| 2002 | $184,257 | 3 | $61,419 | |
| 2000 | $5,485 | 1 | $5,485 | |
| Total | $1,969,861 | 16 | $123,116 | |
See also
- Iowa State Legislature
- Iowa State Senate
- Iowa House of Representatives
- Iowa state legislative districts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Iowa Constitution, "Article III, Legislative Department, Section 3," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Terms of Offices for Elected Officials," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ Iowa Constitution, "Article 3, Section 4," accessed May 21, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
- ↑ Iowa General Assembly, "Iowa Code - 2021," accessed February 9, 2021 (Statute 69.14)
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "General Candidate List, 2016," accessed August 24, 2016
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "2016 General Election Canvass Summary," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Candidate Listing by Office," March 21, 2016
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Canvass Summary," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official primary election candidate list," accessed March 18, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed June 30, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official general election candidate list," accessed July 7, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed December 1, 2014
- ↑ "Iowa Secretary of State - Official Primary Election Results," accessed October 16, 2013
- ↑ "Iowa Secretary of State - Official General Election Results," accessed October 16, 2013
