Name: Garrett Dozark, Republican
Office/District: State Senate District 38
Hometown: Williamsburg
Profession: Lawyer
Why running for office: “I would say, for me, it was honestly just a calling. It is something that I think I am meant to do. Tim Kapucian is the current senator and he’s a client of mine. He was actually in my office sitting there telling me that he’s going to retire and not run. I just kind of felt at that time that, hey, this was fate and I’ve always been the guy that’s been willing and ready to serve. I felt that way joining the Marines, and I feel that way now — I want to be able to serve my community. I just think, not only do I think with my education and experience that I can really help out and make a difference, but there are also issues that have been facing my generation in particular with student loans that I just wasn’t seeing people my age stepping up and doing something about. I just said, ‘hey, this is time. I’ve got to run.’
“It’s Iowa, obviously I won’t get on my soapbox for what I would fix at the national level. But, for Iowa, the immediate things for me, one is obviously mental health. We have to make a sea of change there. We’re ranked near the bottom of this country in regards to mental health. That’s crazy because Iowa is normally ranked in the best places to live and the states around us have some of the best mental health institutions. Gov. Reynolds has started some momentum in that area, and I definitely want to carry it through.
“No. 2 is millenials. I want to make sure that they have a brighter future in Iowa. I think out of the loan debt repayment plan that the federal government offers, only one percent of all applicants have ever been forgiven their student loans. My student loan interest is at eight percent. It’s burying our generation in trillions of dollars in student loan debt and I really want to address that.
“Finally, I do a bunch of estate planning and particularly for farmers. There are a lot of statistics that are basically saying about one-third of all Iowa farmland is changing hands in the next 10 years. I just want to be at the tip of that transition to make sure that Iowa farm ground stays in the hands of Iowa farmers.
Facebook: Garrett Dozark
Sen. Tim Kapucian is not seeking re-election. There is a three-way primary for the Republican nomination.
