By Sue Ellen Tuttle, Ames
There is a person who taught at Iowa City West Junior High in 2004 that is my hero, even though I’ll likely never meet them. An assignment they gave ignited a future of identifying and fighting for civil rights and social justice in one of their students who would go on to successfully advocate for thousands of people by the time he was 35. And he was just getting started.
Campaigning to fill Joni Ernst’s empty seat in the U.S. Senate, Iowa Senator Zach Wahls talks about realizing for the first time the risk families like his faced as he watched the Republican National Convention, and how it moved him to start writing columns for the school paper about being raised by his two moms.
He didn’t stop there. Many of you may remember when, as a college student, Wahls testified before the Iowa House Judiciary Committee in a public hearing regarding a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in Iowa. After the video went viral, giving him a national platform, Wahls appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman to talk about how he found his courage to defend his two mothers and families like his.
An Eagle Scout, Wahls presented petitions with 275,000 signatures to the Boy Scouts of America in support of an ousted lesbian den mother. Finding no resolution, he co-founded Scouts for Equality to lobby for policy changes in the BSA; that organization was dissolved in 2020 after achieving its goals. He’s led advocates for LGBT causes in lobbying the U.S. Congress in support of several pieces of legislation.
Wahls addressed the 2010 Democratic National Convention about marriage equality and family values; and was elected to the State Senate in 2018 at the age of 27. He now has eight years of experience under him.
As an Iowa Senator, Wahls advocated for protections for mobile home owners from predatory practices by out-of-state equity firms, proposing reforms to curb rent hikes, improve eviction protections and increase accountability for park owners. He’s worked with Republicans when there was opportunity, and he’s fought hard when we needed a fighter.
There’s much more, but this is an op ed with a word limit.
Zach Wahls has proven political awareness and advocacy agility that we desperately need in the U.S. Senate at this tempestuous moment.
After spending 15 years playing basketball in Europe, Wahls’ opponent Josh Turek can offer possibilities, but Wahls represents the promise of more to come. He’s the type of candidate that can truly inspire people to turn out and vote in 2026. I believe the candidate who champions the rights of citizens will serve us better than the one who wins medals, and that is why I am thrilled to vote for Zach Wahls. It’s a no-brainer.
