Ken Carlson

American politician (born 1951)

Ken Carlson


Member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 13th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 9, 2023
Preceded by	Chris Hall

Personal details
Born	1951 (age 72–73) Whiting, Iowa, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Carolyn
Children	3
Education	Buena Vista University

Ken Carlson (born 1951) is an American politician who has represented the 13th district in the Iowa House of Representatives since January 2023, which consists of parts of southern Plymouth County, western Cherokee County, eastern Woodbury County and the whole of Monona County. He is a member of the Republican Party.^[1]

Early life

Carlson was born in 1951 near Whiting, Iowa, where he was raised. He graduated from Whiting Senior High School and attended Buena Vista University.^[1]

Political career

Following decennial redistricting in 2021, Carlson announced his intent to run for the open 13th district seat in Iowa House of Representatives in March 2022.^[2] He was challenged in the Republican primary by Mark Peters, a farmer and truck driver. He won the primary on June 7, 2022, with over 56 percent of the vote, and won in the general election on November 8 against Libertarian Party candidate Amy Janowski with over 85 percent of the vote. He assumed office on January 1, 2023, with his term officially beginning on January 9.^[3]

He is a member of the Agriculture, Economic Growth and Technology, Veterans Affairs and Natural Resources committees, the lattermost of which he serves as vice chair.^[4]

Carlson endorsed Ron DeSantis for President in 2023.^[5] In 2024 he announced that he will not seek reelection.^[6]

Carlson has described himself as a constitutional conservative. He has listed education, taxpayer dollars and eminent domain for CO₂ pipelines as key issues. He opposes abortion and supports the Second Amendment.^[2]^[7]

Personal life

Carlson is a retired farmer and a former math and science public school teacher, having taught for 12 years. He has a wife, Carolyn. They have three adult children and seven grandchildren. He resides in Onawa, Iowa. He is an on-call preacher at the Onawa First Christian Church and is a member of the Monona County Farm Bureau, Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Soybean Association and Western Iowa Experimental Farm.^[1]

Electoral history

Election			Party	Votes	%
Iowa House of Representatives Republican primary elections, 2022 ^[3] District 13 Turnout: 2,636	Republican (newly redistricted)	Ken Carlson	Republican	1,488	56.4
		Mark Peters	Republican	1,140	43.2
		Other/Write-in votes		8	0.3
Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2022 ^[3] District 13 Turnout: 11,897	Republican (newly redistricted)	Ken Carlson	Republican	10,157	85.4
		Amy Janowski	Libertarian	1,703	14.3
		Other/Write-in votes		37	0.3

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "State Representative". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Gottburg, Woody (March 18, 2022). "CARLSON TO SEEK IOWA HOUSE DISTRICT 13 SEAT". KSCJ 1360. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Ken Carlson". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^ "Ken Carlson - Iowa Legislature". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^ Isenstadt, Alexander. "Ron DeSantis rolls out a major slate of Iowa endorsements". Politico. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
^ Gottburg, Woody (March 17, 2024). "SITZMANN TO SEEK IOWA HOUSE DISTRICT 13 SEAT". KSCJ 1360. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^ Dreeszen, Dave (June 8, 2022). "Newcomer Ken Carlson wins Iowa House District 13 GOP race against Mark Peters". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved March 23, 2024.