‘Too important to sit out’: Iowa House District 33 Candidate Cody Smith says ‘Iowans deserve better’

Black Iowa News invited candidate Cody Smith, a Democrat, to discuss his run for Iowa House District 33 in Des Moines. State Rep. Ruth Ann Gaines, D-Des Moines, who has held the seat since 2011, recently announced she won’t seek reelection. So far, three other candidates have announced their campaigns: Ivette Muhammad, chief operations officer of Creative Visions, Blake Clyde, a nonprofit development professional, and Randolph Scott, a veteran.

The deadline for candidates to file for state offices is March 13, according to the Iowa Secretary of State. The primary election will be held June 2, 2026. The general election is Nov. 3, 2026.

Here are Smith’s emailed responses to the questionnaire by Black Iowa News.

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Name: Cody Smith

Party: Democrat

Age: 30

City of birth: Greencastle, Indiana

Spouse/significant other/family members, pets? I have a cat named Luna who is a rescue from my hometown shelter.

Occupation: I am the director of a climate resilience program at a statewide environmental nonprofit here in Des Moines. Most of my time is spent working on environmental justice, community preparedness and pollution reduction policy and programming.

Educational background: I am a first-generation college graduate and I earned a bachelor of science in agricultural and life sciences communications and political science from Iowa State University in 2018. In 2023, I received my master’s degree of public affairs in natural resources and climate change policy from Indiana University-Bloomington.

Previous elected positions/and or campaigns: While a student at Iowa State University, I was elected the first openly-gay vice president of the student body with over 60 percent of the vote. The role included representing more than 36,000 students, managing a $2.3 million budget and running the student senate of 30+ student senators.

City you currently reside in: Des Moines, Iowa, and I’ve been in Iowa for over a decade.

When will you file the paperwork to run for Iowa House District 33?: When the filing window opens, I will turn in my nomination papers. I registered my committee in July of last year, and I launched my campaign on Oct. 7, 2025.

Who is your campaign manager + phone/email)?: N/A

What specifically motivated you to run for Iowa House District 33?: “Iowa is in the midst of several related crises. The water that we drink comes from some of the nation’s most polluted rivers, and relatedly, we have the nation’s fastest-rising and second-highest cancer rates. At the same time, the cost of housing, childcare and utilities continue to skyrocket, leaving our families and our communities to struggle on their own with a state government that refuses to do anything to help us get ahead. For example, for the past 18 years, Iowa’s minimum wage has stayed at $7.25/hour–$290/week before taxes for a full-time job – despite everything else from groceries to health care getting more expensive. If the minimum wage were a person, it could now sign a lease for an apartment, but not be able to afford that apartment. At the same time, Iowans don’t hear their leaders at the statehouse discussing serious solutions to these real crises. Instead, they feel the effects of the Legislature being more focused on stripping away workforce, housing, education and other civil rights and protections from LGBTQ Iowans, people of color and immigrants in our community.

I was motivated to jump into this race because it feels too important to sit out; the system is broken and the evidence is all around us. For too many of our leaders in Iowa, being elected to the statehouse is more like a game or something you do in retirement instead of tied to the well-being of working people. I grew up in a working-class family that felt every decision made by people in power acutely. I was the kid in the lunch line eating a cheese sandwich because of my lunch debt, the kid that lived through losing a home to foreclosure and someone who saw the failure of policy when my mother lost her years-long battle with substance abuse.

I jumped in this race because Iowans deserve better and they deserve leaders who get that policy impacts our lives in real ways. This is our home, and we deserve to live in an Iowa we can be proud of.”

Tell our readers about the legislative priorities you selected and why and provide details about what would need to happen at the statehouse to implement them: “I have oriented this campaign around the issues because I believe all Iowans are ready for serious candidates who have the experience to create change. My career has been in environmental policy here in Iowa. Throughout it, I have helped write and pass several bills through the legislature related to clean water, renewable energy, small business growth and more.

The top campaign priorities for this campaign are as follows:

Cleaning up our water and building healthier communities. I believe in an Iowa where we can drink our water and breathe our air without worrying about whether it’s safe for our families or our pets. My robust education and experience in this area make me confident I can bring meaningful change on this topic. To get actual solutions across the finish line, we need leaders who understand what works, what doesn’t and how we can create lasting solutions for this issue. I’ve done it before, and with the right leadership on this issue I am confident I can make progress cleaning up our water so that we can protect the health of our communities and help mitigate the role pollution plays in Iowa’s growing cancer crisis.

Investing in working families. I believe in an Iowa that invests in working families by lowering the cost of housing, childcare, and utilities. Over the past 18 years, our minimum wage has stayed at a laughable $7.25/hour while costs for families have skyrocketed and inflation has risen quickly. At the statehouse, I will work to ban the purchase of homes by out-of-state private equity firms, work to double Iowa’s homebuyer tax credit and freeze property taxes for seniors.

For Iowa’s economy to grow, we also need to lower the cost of child care so young parents can get back to work on their own schedule if they choose to. I support establishing a refundable tax credit for child care expenses for the first three years of a child’s life. At the same time, families across House District 33, especially families of color, are paying too much for their utility bills. Black families are much more likely to face disconnection of their electricity than their white counterparts, and I will use my expertise in energy policy to protect Iowans from rising electricity costs, especially in an era with rising demand from AI and data centers.

Looking Out for Every Iowan. Many Iowans know what it’s like to be punched down at by this Legislature. From Black and Indigenous Iowans to immigrants and LGBTQ Iowans, the most vulnerable in our communities have been attacked for too long. We deserve to have a state that looks out for every Iowan, especially the most vulnerable in our communities, and supports them by protecting their civil rights and liberties. If I am elected, I would be the only openly-gay man in the Democratic Caucus and I will work every day to stand in solidarity with every Iowan. I will work to restore gender identity to the Iowa Civil Rights Act. I will also seek to repeal Iowa’s abortion ban and restore the protections.

Lastly, to combat the rising threat of rogue immigration agents in Iowa, I will support legislation to ban mask wearing and end Iowa’s agreement to share driver’s license, address and other data with the federal government to aid immigration enforcement.”

How would you specifically address and represent the diversity that is present in Iowa House District 33?: “House District 33 is one of the most diverse districts in our state, and that diversity is something to be celebrated. There are so many of us in Iowa, myself included, who know what it’s like to have our rights targeted by the Republican supermajority in the Iowa House. If given the opportunity to serve this community, I pledge to be a representative that doesn’t just show up in LGBTQ spaces, but in the wonderful spaces of color that are all across our district, including churches, community centers and small businesses. I believe because we live in the district with the statehouse in it, we have both an obligation to showcase our solidarity with one another to the rest of the state, and a tremendous opportunity to challenge the Republican party’s misguided policies of stripping rights away by empowering our neighbors to show up at the Capitol and share our stories. As your representative, I will always show up, elevate your voice and work to protect your rights.”

The year 2025 was difficult for many people due to rising food, housing and health care costs, unemployment and the divisiveness of political discourse. How will your platform and campaign motivate people and get them to register and get out to the polls?: “My entire campaign boils down to one idea; Iowa is our home, and we deserve to live in a state that we can be proud of. From clean water and cancer prevention, to lowering costs for working families and looking out for every Iowan, this campaign is centered on the issues that matter most to Iowans. By focusing on real solutions that have a real impact on people’s lives and giving Iowans a different future to vote for, I believe Iowans will turn out for a brighter future.”

What are you hearing so far from Des Moines residents about what they need most?: “I consistently hear about the cost of living, ranging from housing, childcare, and groceries to the burden of property taxes. I also keep hearing fear regarding the impact of water quality on our health and how the cancer crisis is touching every family in our state.”

What responsibility do you feel to ensure Black Iowans’ voices and needs reach the statehouse?: “Given the diversity of House District 33, I feel an obligation to make sure the voices of Black Iowans are represented at the Capitol. It is incumbent upon our leaders in Des Moines and in our other communities with more diversity to make sure Black voices are elevated. This is important to me because on issues ranging from housing costs, health care, energy security, to cancer, the systemic racism that has created major disparities between Black and white households is evident all around us.”

What do you need from the community to win this seat?: “All I ask for is an open mind, and to judge me based on my character and experience that I bring to this race. I’m in this for the right reasons, and those reasons are all about serving you as best as I can. I truly believe I can create change with your help. You can learn more about this campaign at codyforiowahouse.com.“

Tell us about someone who was influential in your life and how that shaped you?: “I grew up as what many people would describe as a momma’s boy. I was very close with my mom and she played a large role in my early life. She taught me to be kind to others, to lead with empathy and curiosity and to never assume you know everything about someone. Her kindness and the battle she fought against substance abuse taught me a lot about personal resilience and loving people even when things are difficult.”

Do you have a motto you live by or favorite saying?: “Do what you can with what you have, where you are.” – Teddy Roosevelt.”

What do you like to do in your spare time?: “I really enjoy running, cycling and hiking.”