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Iowa’s first openly transgender state lawmaker, Rep. Aime Wichtendahl, announced she will seek re-election in 2026, pledging to “bring new friends with me to Des Moines” as she called for change in state leadership.

Wichtendahl, a Democrat from Hiawatha representing Iowa House District 80, made the announcement Thursday at her second annual “Pizza Summit” event alongside Rep. Lindsay James, D-Dubuque, who is running for Congress in northeast Iowa’s 2nd District.

“Imagine if we had a government that was interested in solving actual problems instead of playing culture warrior by targeting the trans community,” Wichtendahl said in her remarks. “Iowa wouldn’t have the worst economy in the nation,

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