Democrat Angel Ramirez to run in House District 78 special election

CEDAR RAPIDS — Nonprofit leader and community organizer Angel Ramirez has emerged as the first to throw her name in the ring to represent southeast Cedar Rapids in the state Legislature.

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Ramirez, of Cedar Rapids, was selected Saturday at a nomination convention for Linn County Democrats ahead of the April 29 special election. She will run to replace former House District 78 Rep. Sami Scheetz, a Democrat who resigned April 1 to assume a role on the Linn County Board of Supervisors.

Ramirez is co-founder and executive director for Our Future, a nonprofit fellowship program for emerging leaders in the Cedar Rapids area, and she is board president for equity-advocacy group Advocates for Social Justice. She also serves as a peace facilitator at the Kids First Law Center to bring restorative justice practices to the Cedar Rapids Community School District.

She was one of four people to seek the Democratic nomination alongside John Oakley, Darrell Anderson and Jon Sladek, all of Cedar Rapids.

“At my core, I believe that Iowans deserve more: More opportunity, more justice and, to be frank, more joy,” Ramirez told The Gazette. “... I’m really stepping up to bring a new generation of leadership to the State House — leadership that listens to people, organizes with purpose and delivers real results that actually help their communities.”

Candidates may be nominated by a special convention of a political party or collect signatures and file as a no-party candidate. All necessary paperwork must be filed with the Secretary of State’s Office by 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Linn County GOP will host its own nominating convention Monday evening.

District 78 largely encompasses the southeast portion of Cedar Rapids. Scheetz was first elected to represent the area in 2022 and reelected in 2024. Whoever wins the special election will finish out the remainder of his unexpired term through 2026.

Special election timeline

The timeline for the special election is compressed because the Legislature is currently in session, and the Linn County Auditor’s Office has issued the following guidance for voters:

The Auditor’s Office is accepting absentee ballot requests until 5 p.m. Tuesday, and ballots will be mailed to requesters as soon as they become available. All mail-in ballots must be returned and received by the Auditor’s Office by 8 p.m. April 29.

Voters also could vote absentee in person beginning April 21 at Election Services within the Auditor’s Office. The office is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the office also will offer in-person voting options on Saturday, April 26, during the same hours.

On Election Day, polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. for in-person voting. To confirm your polling location, visit LinnCountyElections.org/lookup.

Comments: grace.nieland@thegazette.com