Iowa Agriculture Commissioner election, 2022

Elections in Iowa, 2022

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← 2018
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture
Election details
Filing deadline: March 18, 2022
Primary: June 7, 2022 General: November 8, 2022 Pre-election incumbent(s): Mike Naig (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Voting in Iowa
Ballotpedia analysis
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Iowa executive elections
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Iowa held an election for secretary of agriculture on November 8, 2022. The primary was scheduled for June 7, 2022. The filing deadline was March 18, 2022.

Incumbent Mike Naig won election in the general election for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture.

Candidates and election results

General election candidates

• Mike Naig  (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔
• John Norwood  (Democratic Party) 

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= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
 Democratic primary candidates

• John Norwood ✔ 

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= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
 Republican primary candidates

• Mike Naig (Incumbent) ✔

Voting information

See also: Voting in Iowa

Election information in Iowa: Nov. 8, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Oct. 24, 2022
• By mail: Received by Oct. 24, 2022
• Online: Oct. 24, 2022

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: Oct. 24, 2022
• By mail: Received by Oct. 24, 2022
• Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
• By mail: Received by Nov. 8, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 19, 2022 to Nov. 7, 2022

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

John Norwood (D)

Vision to Align Parties Around Strategies and Actions that Can Deliver Results

Relationship Oriented Politician that Operates with Empathy and Humility as well as Courage and Grit

Independent Voice who will Serve the Interests of ALL Iowans with Respect to Food, Agriculture, Nutrition, Water Quality and Land Stewardship

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

John Norwood (D)

The Biggest public policy challenges of Our Time include Address Our Changing Climate while Building a "balanced" and "resilient" Food and Agricultural System that can deliver clean water, healthy soils, thriving communities. This system must feed a growing population while being protective of the natural systems that sustain our planet include our atmosphere, oceans, tropical rainforests and polar ice caps.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

John Norwood (D)

This Office Holds a Unique Position in Iowa State Government that go beyond its statutory duties over markets, regulation, and land stewardship.

The Secretary is in unique position to shape the vision for the future of Iowa Agriculture.

And because the economic and cultural foundation of Iowa is agriculture (top 10 world producer / #2 in the United States in terms of dollar value only behind California), Iowa's agricultural system plays an enormously important role in the overall health of the economy including our 99 Counties.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

John Norwood (D)

Tip O'Neill was a political hero because of his focus on developing relationships with his constituents as well as fellow members of Congress. He said "all politics is local," which is certainly true in Iowa, and even more so for Iowa agriculture.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

John Norwood (D)

We need people to serve in elective office who can bring diverse coalitions together to solve problems. Usually the most successful are relationship oriented, good communicators, both orally and written. They have the ability to listen, they are curious, and have the ability to inspire others to act for the collective good.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

John Norwood (D)

Personal Values include: inquiry, rationality, humility, patience, and faith.

What legacy would you like to leave?

John Norwood (D)

An agricultural system for Iowa that is the envy of the world. It's a system based in sustainability, resiliency, diversity, profitability, inclusiveness in those who want to participate, and it's in balance with our environmental systems: air, water, soil, habitat and community health.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

John Norwood (D)

Annual Patriot's Day Parade in Historic Concord, the site of the "farmer's shot heard round the world" which started the Revolutionary War.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

John Norwood (D)

Carpenter's Apprentice During High School Summer.

What is your favorite book? Why?

John Norwood (D)

So Many. Just finished 5th Risk by Michael Lewis. We need good people to run for office and serve in government. The biggest threats to our Nation's survival are not external. They are internal decay and disfunction.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

John Norwood (D)

Bond. James Bond.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

John Norwood (D)

Brooks and Dunn, My Maria.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

John Norwood (D)

Life is a Journey. We all have personal struggles of varying degrees and magnitudes. If you get knocked down, we pick ourselves up.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

John Norwood (D)

The statutory duties are all important but the ability to shape the future direction of Iowa's food and agricultural system in concert with public and private stakeholders at the local, state and federal level is equally important.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

John Norwood (D)

This office can dramatically improve the quality of our state's waters, soil health and community health if we can begin to "rebalance" a tremendously productive system that is out of balance. We're losing our soil at 10X the rate it's produced, we're sending a billion pounds of nitrates down the Mississippi River on an average year, and almost 70 of our 99 counties are in population decline. These metrics are all symptoms of a system out-of-balance. The Secretary is the people's representative who can shape the debate and bring parties together who can help shape the strategies and tactics we need to employ to build a resilient, diverse, inclusive system - one that is built to last.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

John Norwood (D)

Yes. Particularly when it comes to working on issues involving land use and water. As Mark Twain said, "Whisky is for drinking and water is for fighting." I've spent nearly 4 years as an elected County Soil and Water Commissioner building relationship around the state, learning about the issues, and developing a three legged plan for addressing the imbalances. See www.Norwood4Iowa.com

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

John Norwood (D)

Vision. A Strategic Mind. Relationship Oriented Person. Empathic. Curious. Humble. A person with grit and determination. Willing to lead. Take a lot of Heat from the Many Special Interests Involved.

Tell us your favorite joke.

John Norwood (D)

A day without sunshine is like, you know, night. -Steve Martin

Past elections

2018

See also: Iowa Agriculture Commissioner election, 2018

General election

General election for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture

Incumbent Mike Naig defeated Tim Gannon and Rick Stewart in the general election for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Naig (R)	50.4	651,552
		Tim Gannon (D)	46.6	602,916
		Rick Stewart (L)	3.0	38,965
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	597

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,294,030
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture

Tim Gannon advanced from the Democratic primary for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tim Gannon	100.0	148,258

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 148,258
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture

Incumbent Mike Naig defeated Dan Zumbach, Craig Lang, Ray Gaesser, and Chad Ingels in the Republican primary for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture on June 5, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Naig	34.8	30,870
		Dan Zumbach	21.4	18,938
		Craig Lang	18.6	16,514
		Ray Gaesser	16.3	14,437
		Chad Ingels	8.9	7,915

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 88,674
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2014

See also: Iowa down ballot state executive elections, 2014

Agriculture Commissioner of Iowa, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Bill Northey Incumbent	62.2%	675,781
	Democratic	Sherrie Taha	34.1%	370,209
	New Independent Party	Levi Benning	3.6%	39,349
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.1%	891
Total Votes				1,086,230
Election results via Iowa Secretary of State

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Iowa agriculture commissioner official website