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Meet the candidates running for Iowa House District 21 in Warren, Marion counties

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Meet the candidates running for Iowa House District 21 in Warren, Marion counties


Two candidates are competing to represent Iowa House District 21, which covers parts of Warren and Marion counties, including Indianola, Milo, Lacona and Knoxville.

Incumbent Rep. Brooke Boden, a Republican, is facing a challenge from Democrat Spencer Waugh. The two candidates ran unopposed in their party primaries in June and will now face-off in the general election Nov. 5.

To help voters, the Des Moines Register sent questions to all federal and Des Moines area legislative candidates running for political office this year. Their answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Who is Brooke Boden (incumbent)?

Age: 51

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Party: Republican

Where did you grow up: Indianola

Current town of residence: Indianola

Education: High school graduate and some college education

Occupation: Self employed/small business owner

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Political experience and civic activities:

  • State representative for two terms
  • Prior co-chair of the Warren County Republican Central Committee
  • Member of the Elks Lodge
  • Active member of my church

Who is Spencer Waugh?

Age: 49

Party: Democrat

Where did you grow up: Rapid City, South Dakota

Current town of residence: Indianola

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Education:

  • Bachelor of Art from Central College
  • Master’s from University of Nebraska at Lincoln

Occupation: Educator at Simpson College

Political experience and civic activities:

  • National champion debate coach
  • Actively involved with the Iowa High School Speech Association
  • Lutheran Church of Hope
  • 2024 National Speech & Debate Tournament local host steering committee

What would be your top issue should you be elected?

Boden: I will always fight for Iowans to keep more of their hard-earned dollars. As Iowans struggle in this economy, it’s my top priority to keep costs down, eliminate reckless spending, and fight inflation. In my time in the Legislature, I’ve supported historic tax cuts, including cutting taxes for every Iowa family, removing the tax on retirement income, and providing property tax relief.

Waugh: Education

What policies would you support to improve Iowa’s education system?

Boden: I supported legislation to raise teacher salaries to the fifth highest in the nation and also raise paraprofessionals’ pay. I have worked hard to ensure we are holding bad actors accountable, keeping them away from our children especially in the classroom where all children deserve to feel safe. I ran a bill that requires schools to report grooming. I’ve addressed issues right here in District 21 and have worked on several bills pertaining to bullying. Next, I’d like to look toward providing whistleblower protections for school students, teachers, staff, and parents.

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Waugh: Having 26 years of experience in education, I trust our teachers and administrators to be key stakeholders to solve the challenges. Iowa should strive to be the model that others wish to follow. When I started teaching, every other state wanted to do what we were doing in Iowa. It is time to be a national leader in education again. First, the AEA bill must be repealed. We must bring all stakeholders together to work on a solution for students, families and teachers. All students must have access to a world-class education. Teachers must be trusted and treated like professionals.

What do you think Iowa’s tax policy should be? Do you believe the state’s priority should be on lowering rates or spending on services for Iowans?

Boden: Here in Iowa, we have proven that we can do both on a balanced budget. We can lower tax rates and still provide excellent services. Going forward, we need to lower tax rates. When Iowans have more money in their pockets they will invest that money back into our local economies.

Waugh: I strongly support tax cuts for Iowa’s middle class. This can be accomplished by creating policies that create growth, add population, and therefore add to our tax base. We need to find ways to make sure our young people want to stay here so that companies will have a vibrant labor force. This means good schools, strong infrastructure, and jobs that pay well. So I don’t buy that you have to prioritize one over the other. A good policy maker will bring businesses and increase revenues here in the state so that Iowans have the services they need.

What policies would you support to improve school safety in Iowa?

Boden: We must take a multi-pronged approach to school safety. Students and staff deserve the security provided by school resources officers, gun detection technology, and professionally trained staff. In Iowa, we’ve worked for real solutions to these tragic scenarios. Our goal is to lower emergency response times, which will be the difference in lives saved if tragedy were to strike our communities here in Warren and Marion counties.

Waugh: Iowa should prioritize mental health care so that all students have access. This means significantly increasing school psychologists and counselors, especially in rural areas. I do not support arming teachers, but school resource officers are an important part of secure schools for our students.

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Iowa’s six-week “fetal heartbeat” abortion ban is now in effect. What next steps do you believe the Iowa Legislature should take when it comes to abortion?

Boden: Now that the heartbeat bill is in effect, I believe we should focus on fighting for policies that promote life and support strong families in Iowa. My focus is on making improvements to our foster care and adoption systems, increasing access to quality maternal health care, providing financial and educational support for new parents, particularly in the case of unplanned pregnancies, and expanding access to quality and affordable child care.

Waugh: If elected, I would work with the Republicans to honor what I believe to be true: The Legislature should make sure a woman can make that decision with her doctor, not with her elected officials. I also know this law is causing families seeking fertility treatments real difficulty and pain because it could limit a patient’s access to fertility treatments. We must protect and support the rights of every patient to choose the medical care that best fits their needs, without government interference. 

Michaela Ramm covers health care for the Des Moines Register. She can be reached at mramm@registermedia.com, at (319) 339-7354 or on Twitter at @Michaela_Ramm.





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Iowa State picks up commitment from Arkansas State QB Jaylen Raynor

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Iowa State picks up commitment from Arkansas State QB Jaylen Raynor


Iowa State football has picked up a commitment from Arkansas State quarterback Jaylen Raynor, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Jan. 3.

Raynor has one season of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot, 202-pounder from Kernersville, North Carolina, passed for 3,361 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. He was intercepted 11 times.

Raynor also rushed for 423 yards and seven touchdowns.

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He passed for 8,694 yards and 52 touchdowns in three seasons at Arkansas State.

“The (Iowa State) coaching staff is known for winning,” Raynor told Thamel. “The head coach is a known winner and done it on multiple levels.”

Raynor will join Arkansas State offensive coordinator Keith Heckendorf in Ames. Heckendorf was named Cyclones quarterbacks coach this week.

Raynor completed 19 of 33 passes for 222 yards in a 24-16 loss to Iowa State on Sept. 13, 2025.



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Seven Iowa High School Wrestlers Off To Dominant Starts This Season – FloWrestling

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Seven Iowa High School Wrestlers Off To Dominant Starts This Season – FloWrestling


The first month of the Iowa high school wrestling season has been filled with scintillating individual performances. Here’s a look at seven standouts who have been racking up bonus points in December. 

Drew Anderson (Riverside)  

The Class 1A state runner-up last year at 132 is up to 144 this season and he’s 14-0 with 11 technical falls, a pair of pins and a forfeit win. Anderson, a junior in his second season at the school, already owns the Riverside school record for technical falls with 28. Anderson is on pace to more than double the previous Riverside tech record of 23. 

Urijah Courter (West Marshall)

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Courter won the 2A title last season at 113 after placing third as a freshman at 106. He’s up to 120 this season. Courter is 14-0 this season with 10 pins and two technical falls. His ledger also includes a 6-5 win against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont’s Simon Bettis in a rematch of last season’s state title bout. 

Cooper Hinz (Jesup)

Entering the holiday break, Michigan commit and two-time state medalist Cooper Hinz is 22-0 with 21 wins via pin, technical fall or forfeit. His other victory was a 4-1 overtime decision against returning state placewinner Cain Rodgers of North Fayette Valley. More impressively, all of Hinz’s pins and technical falls have all come in the first period. 

Lincoln Jipp (Bettendorf)

Jipp placed fifth at 138, third at 165 and second at 175 in Class 3A during his first three seasons. Now he’s up to 215 — 77 pounds more than where he started his career as a freshman. The North Carolina recruit pinned his way through the prestigious Dan Gable Donnybrook. He’s 16-0 with 10 pins, four technical falls and a forfeit.   

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Mason Koehler (Glenwood)

The returning 2A champ at 215 is 20-0 with 18 pins and a major decision. His only two matches that went the distance came at the Council Bluffs Classic, where he defeated Nebraska standout Ryan Boehle of Grand Island 14-4 and Minnesota hammer Joe Kruse of Totino-Grace 9-2. The rest of Koehler’s matches this season ended in first-period pins. He has already registered a six-second pin and another in nine seconds this season. 

Jaxon Miller (Carlisle)  

Miller is a three-time state medalist, a two-time finalist and returning state champ in Class 3A. He placed fourth as a freshman at 145 before making trips to the finals at 157 and 165. He’s 16-0 this season with 13 first-period pins, two technical falls and a forfeit. 

Keaton Moeller (Starmont)

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Moeller placed third in 1A as a freshman at 145 before winning a state title at 150 as a sophomore. He missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL in football. Now he’s back as a senior at 190 and Moeller hasn’t missed a beat. He’s 13-0 with five pins, six technical falls and a pair of forfeits. He has yet to wrestle a full period this season. 

Iowa High School Premium Rankings

Check out the Iowa High School Wrestling Premium Rankings, which are generated by using an athlete’s complete match history to predict a wrestler’s performance against others in their weight class by considering factors such as win-loss records, the quality of their victories (pins, technical falls, major decisions), the strength of their opponents and overall historical performance patterns. The data is updated every Monday, sourced from the Trackwrestling season results. Since each team is responsible for maintaining their season results, any data discrepancies for a wrestler should be addressed by contacting their coach to manage the information within the season. This includes the weight class assigned. Wrestlers are eligible to be ranked after competing in five matches at a single weight.





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Iowa women’s basketball vs. Penn State today: Live updates, score

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Iowa women’s basketball vs. Penn State today: Live updates, score



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As No. 14-ranked Iowa women’s basketball (10-2, 1-0 Big Ten) returns from the Christmas break, the Hawkeyes will begin the bulk of their Big Ten slate today as they welcome Penn State (7-5, 0-1 Big Ten) to Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa looks to rebound from its 90-64 loss against No. 1 UConn on Dec. 20, where its sloppy play (26 turnovers leading to 41 UConn points) ultimately proved to be its undoing against the Huskies.

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Entering today’s game, sophomore center Ava Heiden leads the team in scoring with 14.6 points per game on 64.4% shooting from the floor, with senior forward Hannah Stuelke (13.4) and sophomore guard Chit-Chat Wright (11.7) also averaging double-figure scoring.

Defensively, Wright leads the team in steals per game with 1.6, while Heiden tops the squad in blocks with 1.2 denials per contest.

As tipoff nears between the Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions, follow along for live updates, the latest score, and highlights of the action:

Hawkeyes are on fire offensively through the first quarter of play (shooting 10-for-16 from the floor), while also dominating the defensive glass (leading 7-2 in defensive rebounds) and keeping Penn State off-synch.

Chit-Chat Wright leads everyone with 12 points on 4-for-4 from the floor, 2-for-2 from 3-point territory, and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.

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Timeout Penn State.

Hawkeyes are on a roll offensively since the Nittany Lions’ appeal, with a 14-0 scoring run that forces a Penn State timeout.

Penn State’s appeal was successful on the foul call, but the shot clock violation on the Nittany Lions still stands.

Nittany Lions retain their timeout.

Timeout Penn State.

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The Nittany Lions are appealing the foul call on Gracie Merkle and the ensuing shot clock violation.

Both teams are shooting well to start the game.

On its game day availability report, sophomore Emely Rodriguez remains out. Graduate starting guard Kylie Feuerbach is also “questionable.”

Watch Iowa vs. Penn State

TV: Big Ten Network

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Tip-off Time: 3 p.m. CT

Iowa women’s basketball schedule

All times CT

  • Nov. 3 vs. Southern: Iowa 86, Southern 51
  • Nov. 9 vs. Evansville: Iowa 119, Evansville 43
  • Nov. 13 vs. Drake: Iowa 100, Drake 58
  • Nov. 16 at Northern Iowa: Iowa 74, UNI 41
  • Nov. 20 vs. Baylor (WBCA Showcase in Orlando): Iowa 57, Baylor 52
  • Nov. 22 vs. Miami (WBCA Showcase in Orlando): Iowa 64, Miami 61
  • Nov. 26 vs. Western Illinois: Iowa 86, Western Illinois 69
  • Nov. 30 vs. Fairfield: Iowa 86, Fairfield 72
  • Dec. 6 at Rutgers: Iowa 79, Rutgers 36
  • Dec. 10 at Iowa State: Iowa State 74, Iowa 69
  • Dec. 13 vs. Lindenwood: Iowa 102, Lindenwood 68
  • Dec. 20 vs. UConn (Champions Classic): UConn 90, Iowa 64
  • Dec. 28 vs. Penn State: Big Ten Network, 3 p.m.
  • Jan. 1 vs. Nebraska: Big Ten Network, 1 p.m.
  • Jan. 5 at Northwestern: Big Ten Network, 7:30 p.m.
  • Jan. 11 at Indiana: Big Ten Network, 4 p.m.
  • Jan. 15 vs. Oregon: FS1, 8 p.m.
  • Jan. 18 vs. Michigan State: Big Ten Network, 7 p.m.
  • Jan. 22 at Maryland: NBC, 5 p.m.
  • Jan. 25 vs. Ohio State: Peacock, 1 p.m.
  • Jan. 29 at USC: Peacock, 8 p.m.
  • Feb. 1 at UCLA: Fox, 3 p.m.
  • Feb. 5 vs. Minnesota: Big Ten Network, 6 p.m.
  • Feb. 11 vs. Washington: BTN+, 6:30 p.m.
  • Feb. 16 at Nebraska: Fox, 11 a.m.
  • Feb. 19 at Purdue: BTN+, 6 p.m.
  • Feb. 22 vs. Michigan: Fox or FS1, 11 a.m. or 1 p.m.
  • Feb. 26 vs. Illinois: Big Ten Network, 8 p.m.
  • March 1 at Wisconsin: BTN+, 2 p.m.
  • March 4-8 Big Ten Tournament

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews



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