Hampton native running for Iowa Senate

A Hampton native is campaigning to become a state legislator.

Tyler Stewart, son of Dennis and Nancy Stewart and a 2010 H-D graduate now working as a teacher in Newton, is running for the Iowa Senate in District 19. Running unopposed in the upcoming Democratic primary, Stewart will be challenging Republican incumbent Ken Rozenboom in the November election.

Stewart is in his eighth year as a history and government teacher and hopes that he'll be able to apply the knowledge from his award winning civics class into practice at the statehouse.

Moving from the classroom to the senate wasn't always in Stewart's plan, but recent attacks on the profession have inspired him to become more proactive in government.

"For me, as an educator, it's been very frustrating," said Stewart. "I can start to see how teachers get burned out."

From movements to put surveillance cameras in classrooms to Senate President Jake Chapman openly vilifying teachers, Stewart says that the rhetoric coming from the capitol building is being amplified among the public and serving as a detriment to the state's education system.

"There's no respect for teachers anymore," said Stewart. "It's just made our job far, far more difficult, and I think that's why we're seeing a lot of teachers leave the profession."

Stewart hopes that, if elected, he can work to bring down the temperature against the public school system, both for the sake of his colleagues and the H-D teachers that influenced him as a student.

"I was very fortunate and blessed to have some very good public school teachers," said Stewart.

Though politically active, this is Stewart's first time running for office. He has been working with the Senate Democrats in Des Moines to help build up his campaign, finding volunteers in the community and printing up door knocking literature as he canvasses his community for support.

"Thank goodness I'm a teacher because I've got the whole summer to knock on doors," said Stewart.