End of an era: State Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad to retire, Rob Johnson seeks Iowa House district 34 seat

The Rev. Rob Johnson on Monday announced his democratic campaign for Iowa House district 34. It’s the first time the nonprofit leader, who serves on multiple boards including Iowa Juneteenth, Taste of the Junction, Back 2 School Iowa, Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, I’ll Make Me A World In Iowa and many others, has sought public office. Johnson on Feb. 15, filed a statement of organization for the Rob Johnson for Iowa committee with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board. The seat is currently occupied by longtime State Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad who recently announced he’s retiring at the end his term.

Johnson, 36, was born in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to Des Moines in 2006. A resident of the Drake neighborhood, Johnson said he was licensed as a reverend in 2013, by the Rev. Henry I. Thomas of Union Missionary Baptist Church. The father of two-year old, Elias, Johnson graduated from Drake University in 2010, with a degree in political science. He has raised more than $50,000 for community giveaways, including the Rob Johnson Gas Giveaway, turkey giveaways and toy drives. He also works with students in local schools.

Here’s what Rob Johnson told Black Iowa News about his campaign for Iowa House district 34:

Black Iowa News: Tell me a little bit more about why you are running.

Rob Johnson: “Honestly I would say I’m tired of what’s happening around us in our state. I talk to people every day who are really struggling to pay their bills, make ends meet and are living paycheck to paycheck. Not only that, we have a public school system that is severely underfunded and educators who are underappreciated. We also have mental health that is in desperate need of resources. And then our sacred rights to vote continues to come under attack almost every single year. So what I really want to do is I want to help turn out the vote and get people excited about participating in our democracy, participating in our civic duties of showing up. Because I really do believe that when we change policies, when we change laws, we really have an impact on people’s lives. And so I’m excited to run. I’m excited. People always ask me: ‘Those are big shoes to fill. How can you fill the shoes of someone who has served 18 years? I’m not looking to fill those shoes, but what I am looking to do is walk on the path that Ako has helped lay out for people like myself — to be able to run, to be able to help turn out the vote, to be able to get out here and motivate our community to show up for things that matter to us.”

Black Iowa News: What else would you want people reading this story to know about what they can expect from your campaign?

Rob Johnson: “I am a community man. I’ve always been that. I’m the guy that gets the phone calls at midnight who shows up to the hospitals for our family members who are dealing with tragic situations, such as shootings or mental health needs. I’m the guy who has raised over $50,000 in the last three years and gave it away. During our gas giveaway, we’ve given thousands of Iowans free gas over the last three years. I’m the guy who continues to show up, but also I want them to know that I’m going to be knocking on your door. I”m trying to meet people where they are because I believe that’s how we’re going to motivate folks to get out that vote.”

Black Iowa News: What else do you want readers to know?

Rob Johnson: “I would just like to give Ako his flowers. Ako has made a big, big impact on our community. He is a major, major piece of this. Obviously he’s going to be endorsing our campaign, and we want others to join on board with what we’re doing. If they want to donate, if they want to volunteer, we’re going to be asking folks to help us because we believe in a people-powered campaign. I tell folks all the time, this is going to be a moment for us to really show up, for us to really have an opportunity to do what we can do right here in our community in a major way.”

Learn more at: https://robjohnsonforiowa.com/

#RobJohnson #revrobjohnson #robjohnsonforiowa