Aime Wichtendahl at a March 2023 rally outside the Iowa Capitol to protest SF 496. (Avery Staker/Iowa Starting Line)
Iowa’s first-elected transgender woman, Aime Wichtendahl, made history a second time when she won a seat in the Iowa Legislature.
Wichtendahl, a Democrat and Hiawatha City Council member, will represent House District 80—parts of northern Cedar Rapids through Hiawatha and Robins—starting in January.
Her win keeps the district in Democratic control. The seat was previously held by Rep. Art Staed, who was elected to serve in the Iowa State Senate for District 40.
Wichtendahl won the race Tuesday with 52.38% of the vote over Republican John Thompson, 9,061 votes to 8,239.
“I am honored to make history tonight,” she said in a statement. “It shows that Iowans and Americans at large are tired of the culture war politics and anti-trans legislation and will vote for leaders who prioritize their well-being and work for them to get ahead.”
In 2015, Wichtendahl made history as the first openly trans person to be elected anywhere in Iowa.
Her election is significant, coming after years of attacks in the Iowa Legislature on the LGBTQ+ community—particularly trans individuals. Wichtendahl has spoken against measures to strip gender identity from the state’s civil rights law, ban education about LGBTQ+ identities, criminalize gender-affirming health care for trans children, and the ability of trans children to use the correct restroom at school, among others.
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