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Dan Gehlbach

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Dan Gehlbach
Member of the Iowa House of Representatives
from the 46th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 9, 2023
Preceded byRoss Wilburn (redistricting)
Personal details
Born1977 (age 46–47)
Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseStaci
Children2
EducationUniversity of Kansas (BS)
Arizona State University (MBA)
OccupationSmall business owner

Dan Gehlbach (/ˈɡɛlbɑːk/ GHEL-bahk;[1] born 1977) is an American politician, small business owner, former teacher and former auditor who has represented the 46th district in the Iowa House of Representatives since January 2023, which consists of parts of northwest Dallas County and parts of Grimes and Urbandale in Polk County. He is a member of the Republican Party.[2]

Early life and education

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Gehlbach was born in 1977 in Des Moines, Iowa, and was raised in Urbandale, Iowa. He graduated from Urbandale High School and attended the University of Kansas, where he received a Bachelor of Science, and Arizona State University, where he received a Master of Business Administration.[2][3]

Political career

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Gehlbach unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the Waukee Community School District Board in 2015. He ran again in 2019 and was elected its vice president.[4] He resigned in November 2022 after his election to the House. Gehlbach also served on the Waukee Chamber of Commerce Board prior to his election to the school board.[2]

Gehlbach announced his intent to run for the open 46th district seat in the Iowa House of Representatives in January 2022.[5] He came in 3rd place with over 24 percent of the vote in the Republican primaries on June 7, 2022. Because no candidate received 35 percent of the vote, a special convention of 16 delegates from the Iowa Republican Party was held on June 27 to choose the Republican nominee. Gehlbach was chosen with roughly 55 percent of the vote.[6] He defeated his Democratic opponent in the general election on November 8 by over 11 points.[7]

Gehlbach endorsed Ron DeSantis for president in 2023.[8]

In 2024, Gehlbach filed to run for reelection.[9] He won the Republican primaries unopposed on June 4, 2024, and will face Democrat Lynne Campbell in the general election on November 5, 2024.[7]

Gehlbach currently serves on the Education, Local Government, and Natural Resources committees.[10]

Gehlbach has said that his priorities include public education, individual freedoms and lowering taxes. He opposes abortion and supports school choice and the Second Amendment.[3]

Personal life

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Gehlbach has a wife, Staci, and two children. He resides with his family in Urbandale. He owns a Mathnasium Learning Center in West Des Moines, Iowa, and is a former Certified Internal Auditor, having worked in the healthcare, gaming and publishing industries. He also taught high school in Japan for two years.[2][3]

Electoral history

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Election Political result Candidate Party Votes %
Iowa House of Representatives Republican primary elections, 2022 [7]
District 46
Turnout: 1,801		 Convention held to choose nominee (newly redistricted) None
Jeremy Freeman Republican58432.4
Dan Kelley Republican46125.6
Dan Gehlbach Republican44524.7
Esperance Hope Ikora Republican1639.1
Dave Dicks Republican1468.1
Other/Write-in votes 20.1
Republican Party of Iowa special convention, 2022 [7]
District 46
Turnout: 16		Republican (newly redistricted) Dan GehlbachRepublican55
Dave Dicks Republican17
Jeremy Freeman Republican12
Esperance Hope Ikora Republican11
Dan Kelley Republican6
Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2022 [7]
District 46
Turnout: 14,415		Republican (newly redistricted) Dan GehlbachRepublican8,00955.6
Bridget Carberry Montgomery Democratic6,39344.3
Other/Write-in votes 130.1

References

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  1. ^ "Dan Gehlbach for State House". YouTube. September 10, 2024. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "State Representative". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Election 2022: Where do Iowa House District 46 candidates stand on key issues?". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  4. ^ Miskimen, Gage. "Business owner announces second run for Waukee School Board". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  5. ^ "Conservative Waukee School Board member Gehlbach announces for Iowa House District 46 - The Iowa Standard". The Iowa Standard. January 31, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  6. ^ Higgins, Chris. "Dan Gehlbach, Waukee School Board member, wins Republican nomination for House District 46". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Dan Gehlbach". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  8. ^ Isenstadt, Alexander. "DeSantis rolls out a major slate of Iowa endorsements". Politico. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  9. ^ "primarycandidatelist.pdf" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  10. ^ "Dan Gehlbach - State Representative". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
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