Bolkcom announces he will seek re-election

State Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, will run for re-election in 2014, he said.

Bolkcom, 57, who is in his fourth term after being elected to the Iowa Senate in 1998, is on the appropriations, commerce, human resources, and natural resources and environment committees. His district includes Iowa City, University Heights, East Lucas Township and Hills.

He is the chairman of the ways and means committee, and also holds a leadership role as the majority whip of the Democrat-led senate. He is the chairman of the Progressive States Network, a national group of progressive state legislators, and a member of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Advisory Council.

Prior to the Iowa Senate, Bolkcom served six years as a Johnson County supervisor, graduated from Saint Ambrose University and earned a master's degree in Public Affairs from the University of Iowa.