Campaign Almanac: Travis Terrell rolls out workers’ rights plan in bid for Iowa 1st District Democratic nomination

Iowa Democratic candidate Travis Terrell on Monday released a “Plan for Workers’ Rights and Protections” as he campaigns for the chance to challenge three-term Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, saying the district needs a representative who will “fight for those who built this country, not those who bought it.”

A health care worker from Tiffin, Terrell’s proposal centers on restoring power to workers, holding corporate leaders accountable and reshaping the economy around “worker-centered” policies. His plan, among other provisions, calls for a $20 federal minimum wage, guaranteed parental and sick leave and paid vacation, a cap on executive-to-worker pay ratios, a federal ban on right-to-work laws, and extending full labor protections to all workers regardless of immigration status.

Per his campaign, Terrell initially committed to fighting for a $17-an-hour federal minimum wage — in line with several Democratic proposals across the country — but said that after hearing from struggling Iowans since launching his campaign, it became clear $17 does not go far enough. His campaign notes that $17 an hour, or about $35,000 a year for a standard full-time job, is “still barely above the poverty line for many families,” prompting him to call for a higher federal wage floor.

The plan also calls for guaranteed rest days after seven straight days of work (with double pay for anyone who chooses to continue working); increased penalties for employers who retaliate against workers asserting their rights and for wage theft; and expanded whistleblower protections for workers.

“It’s time for Iowa’s First Congressional District to be represented by someone who cares about workers,” Terrell said in a statement. “ … My plan places workers like my family at the center of my campaign. If I am given the honor of representing this district in Congress, they will be the focus of everything I do.”

Speaking to The Gazette earlier this year, Terrell said he grew up in Ottumwa and comes from a working‑class family with a strong tradition of supporting unions and workers’ rights. He said multiple family members have been on strike over the years, and have experienced prolonged economic hardship. He said one of his early jobs after graduating was at a meatpacking plant, working alongside largely immigrant co-workers. He said the experience shaped his views on workers’ rights and humane immigration policy.

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Terrell says a defining moment that pushed him into the race came when he heard his 70-year-old mother — “a woman who has worked her entire life” — crying over how she would pay her bills.

“She broke her back on the job, and like so many Iowans she cannot afford to retire,” he says on his campaign website. “She is still working to this day. I'm fighting for people like her. People who have been left behind by a system that favors the ultra-wealthy at the expense of the working class. I'm fighting for people who want their stories told. People who want something different.”

Other Democrats running for the southeast Iowa U.S. House seat are Christina Bohannan, a University of Iowa law professor and former state lawmaker, and Muscatine attorney Taylor Wettach.

Wettach recently unveiled a “Rural Revival” plan focused on small towns, family farms and rural infrastructure, while Bohannan has secured union endorsements.

Iowa’s primary election is June 2, 2026, and the general election is Nov. 3, 2026.

Iowa Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner announces re-election bid

Iowa Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner on Tuesday announced she is running for re-election in Iowa Senate District 45, which includes most of Iowa City and University Heights. Weiner, who has represented the district since 2023, will hold a community campaign kickoff event Wednesday in Iowa City.

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“It has been my honor to serve the people of Iowa City and University Heights in the Iowa Senate for the past three years,” Weiner said in a statement.

She was selected following the November 2024 election by her colleagues to lead Senate Democrats, succeeding former Sen. Pam Jochum, of Dubuque, who retired after 31 years in the Iowa Legislature. Before joining the Senate, Weiner served on the Iowa City Council and spent 26 years as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. State Department abroad and in Washington, D.C. She was first elected to the Iowa Senate in 2022.

Iowa Senate Republicans in recent sessions held a super majority, allowing them to push through any gubernatorial nominee without Democratic support. That changed this year when Senate Democrats flipped two GOP-held seats in special elections. By flipping those two seats Republicans no longer hold a super majority and now need at least some Democratic votes to confirm gubernatorial appointments.

In her announcement, Weiner said Iowans consistently tell lawmakers they want renewed investment in public education, accessible and affordable health care, attainable housing, affordable child care and action on issues like clean water and the state’s high cancer rates.

“I’ve traveled all across this state — and hard working Iowans are hurting. I intend to work as hard as I know how to elect more Democrats to start to bring balance back to this state,” Weiner said in a statement. “ … I am running for re-election so we can work for a fair deal for all Iowans — so we can grow and thrive, so our young people will want to stay, and so Iowans can live and raise their family anywhere they choose in this state.”

Weiner’s re-election announcement video is available at fb.watch/DU3309-FYu/.

Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau

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