This column is also posted at Robert Leonard’s Substack, Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture . Please consider subscribing to Robert Leonard Robert is an anthropologist a journalist and a conservationist. He is also a husband and a father and valued member of the communities he is a part of. If you value his work and can afford it, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture or buying him a cup of coffee here.
Robert convinced me that I should have a Buy me a coffee page too so I set one up. You can find that here.
Robert Leonard wrote the following words…
I see a lot in the above photograph of Cynthia and Liz. Maybe you do too. I don’t know how long I’ve known Cynthia, but it’s been several years. I meet so many people in so many places that I often don’t remember where or when we first met. Maybe it was at an Iowa Farmers’ Union meeting, or at a Progress Iowa or Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement event. Or maybe I have seen her at protests, or rallies of some sort. I remember seeing her often at the Capitol during the legislative session, where she was always lobbying for this cause, that, or the other, always trying to make Iowa a better place for us all. No matter where I am, I am never surprised to see Cynthia.
Cynthia is a journalist, librarian, hospice volunteer, and a powerful communicator. She’s smart, enthusiastic, and a leader. You can see some of that in the photo above. Liz’s smile is similar to the one I often feel myself when talking with Cynthia—I’m always impressed, and feel that I am with kin. As Iowa statehouse Republicans have done generational damage to our economy, our safety net, health care, educational system, led us into a huge budget deficit, deprived some Iowans and immigrants of their rights and more, we need more Democrats like Cynthia in the statehouse.
You can learn more about Cynthia here.
Below is my interview with Cynthia, followed by a lightly edited transcript. Please listen to the audio if you can.
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Me: Cynthia, what district are you running for?
Cynthia: I’m running for an open seat. It’s District 55 for the House of Representatives. It was held by Shannon Latham of Franklin County, and she’s leaving, so it’s an open seat.
We had a three-way Republican primary, and the winner of that primary is a 21-year-old guy (Beau Klaver) who just graduated from Iowa State, and I met him for the very first time at the Scandinavian Day parade. He would not look me in the eye. He would not shake my hand, and he refused to be in a photograph with me. That’s how much he thought of me. So, I got my work cut out for me.
I have a young first-time candidate opponent. This is my fourth time running, and I’ve had some success. I was telling Liz (Liz Fleming, aka Liz from Iowa above), two years ago I got 300 and some votes in the primary. This time I got three times that many votes in a district that’s two counties smaller than the seat I ran for two years ago. So, I’m thinking people are fired up.
They’re ready to get to work, and I’m excited.
Me: Well, thank you for running and keeping it up…
Cynthia: Absolutely….Absolutely.
Me: And we’re coming up on the 250th anniversary of the founding of America. Share your thoughts, please.
Cynthia: I was a 16-year-old girl during our Bicentennial. So I remember the joy of that, and just celebrating what makes this country wonderful.
I was just a kid, but we had a float in the Ames 4th of July parade, and a bunch of us kids got together. It was like Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, you know, let’s put on a show, and we built this float, and we had a ball in the parade. We dressed up in antique costumes and big hats, and I would love to feel that joy again for the 250th. You know, this is our country. We’re proud of it.
We love it, and I’m not feeling it right now. I think we’ve got a lot of work to do to get that joy back.
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We are proud members of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. Please check out our recent work here. Robert Leonard also publishes Cedar Creek Nature Notes, about Violet the Dog and his adventures on morning walks at Cedar Bluffs Natural Area in Mahaska County, Iowa.
Robert Leonard is now on TikTok as a member of the Iowa Creator Corp, believe it or not. Here you go.
Jason Walsmith is based in Earlham, Iowa. He is well traveled and always looking for a new story to tell. Jason has spent the last 30 years taking pictures for publications and companies as well as touring North America in a rock and roll band.
You can find more from Jason here:
thenadas.com
jasonwalsmith.com
jasonwalsmithstoryteller.com
And hey, please consider joining us both in September at Lake Okoboji, at Julie Gammack’s wonderful Okoboji Writers and Songwriters Retreat. We would love to see you there!
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