Andrea Phillips of Ankeny is a Democratic candidate for the Iowa House, running against Republican incumbent, John Landon in the 37th District. She said that it was through involvement in the Hillary Clinton campaign during the Iowa Caucuses that brought her name to the ballot, and that a closer look at local and national politics solidified her decision about changes needing to be made.
Phillips has two children, a seven-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son, and some of the recent legislative issues have driven home the immediate and long-term impact these decisions have for families across the state and the nation. An example she uses is the Governor’s Office for Bullying Prevention at the University of Northern Iowa. She says this is good legislation with an identified goal, but the lack of funding should be a real concern for everyone.
Phillips’ son has mild cerebral palsy and because of the many different bullying prevention efforts in Iowa schools, he has been accepted and not subjected to being bullied or teased.
She is disheartened, however, because even though her children are not exposed to bullying in school, they are seeing something different on the national political stage.
Phillips cannot imagine her son being present at a rally where something like that would happen. She added that on the other side of this race, she is seeing the role model she wants for her children.
She says the kids are watching these things, even picking them up as background noise and they need to know that no matter the disagreements you have with someone, they should be treated with respect.
