House 66: Bradley beats Hein in race between two GOP incumbents

Jun. 7, 2022 9:51 pm

Steven Bradley

Voters decided Tuesday which of two Iowa House incumbents would get to represent Jackson and Jones counties in the newly drawn District 66.

Steven Bradley won with about 69 percent of the votes against Lee Hein. There are no Democrats running in the district, meaning the primary election has likely decided the final winner for the Nov. 8 elections.

Bradley and Hein were pitted against each other after redistricting in 2021 removed both of them from the districts they were previously representing in the Iowa Legislature.

Bradley, of Cascade, previously of District 58, and Hein, of Monticello, previously of District 96, share some beliefs but were divided on the issue of abortion. Both men support limiting abortion rights, but Bradley would limit abortions to a greater extent than Hein.

“I don’t just say I’m pro-life, I vote pro-life. With Roe v. Wade being turned around by the Supreme Court, Iowa could be a destination abortion state,” Bradley told The Gazette in a previous interview.

Other issues that Bradley wants to focus on during the next term include continuing lowering taxes, increasing tourism and improving health care in Iowa.

“It’s been a hard fought race and I’m just here to represent everybody in Jones and Jackson County, and I’m so glad that they have elected me to be their next representative,” Bradley said.

Bradley was elected to the Iowa House in 2020. He serves as the vice chair on the House Human Resources Committee and is also on the Economic Growth, Natural Resources and Transportation committees.

Bradley is a flight instructor and a dentist, and before being elected to the House he spent several years working on health care bills with the Iowa Dental Association.