# Dan Gehlbach

Dan Gehlbach (/ˈɡɛlbɑːk/ GHEL-bahk; 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.

## Early life and education

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.

## Political career

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. 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.
Gehlbach announced his intent to run for the open 46th district seat in the Iowa House of Representatives in January 2022. 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. He defeated his Democratic opponent in the general election on November 8 by over 11 points.
Gehlbach endorsed Ron DeSantis for president in 2023.
In 2024, Gehlbach filed to run for reelection. He won the Republican primaries unopposed on June 4, 2024, and will face Democrat Lynne Campbell in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Gehlbach currently serves on the Education, Local Government, and Natural Resources committees.
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.

## Personal life

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.

## Electoral history

| Election | Political result | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
| Iowa House of Representatives Republican primary elections, 2022 District 46 Turnout: 1,801 | Convention held to choose nominee (newly redistricted) | None | | | |
| Iowa House of Representatives Republican primary elections, 2022 District 46 Turnout: 1,801 | Convention held to choose nominee (newly redistricted) | Jeremy Freeman | Republican | 584 | 32.4 |
| Iowa House of Representatives Republican primary elections, 2022 District 46 Turnout: 1,801 | Convention held to choose nominee (newly redistricted) | Dan Kelley | Republican | 461 | 25.6 |
| Iowa House of Representatives Republican primary elections, 2022 District 46 Turnout: 1,801 | Convention held to choose nominee (newly redistricted) | Dan Gehlbach | Republican | 445 | 24.7 |
| Iowa House of Representatives Republican primary elections, 2022 District 46 Turnout: 1,801 | Convention held to choose nominee (newly redistricted) | Esperance Hope Ikora | Republican | 163 | 9.1 |
| Iowa House of Representatives Republican primary elections, 2022 District 46 Turnout: 1,801 | Convention held to choose nominee (newly redistricted) | Dave Dicks | Republican | 146 | 8.1 |
| Iowa House of Representatives Republican primary elections, 2022 District 46 Turnout: 1,801 | Convention held to choose nominee (newly redistricted) | Other/Write-in votes | | 2 | 0.1 |
| Republican Party of Iowa special convention, 2022 District 46 Turnout: 16 | Republican (newly redistricted) | Dan Gehlbach | Republican | | 55 |
| Republican Party of Iowa special convention, 2022 District 46 Turnout: 16 | Republican (newly redistricted) | Dave Dicks | Republican | | 17 |
| Republican Party of Iowa special convention, 2022 District 46 Turnout: 16 | Republican (newly redistricted) | Jeremy Freeman | Republican | | 12 |
| Republican Party of Iowa special convention, 2022 District 46 Turnout: 16 | Republican (newly redistricted) | Esperance Hope Ikora | Republican | | 11 |
| Republican Party of Iowa special convention, 2022 District 46 Turnout: 16 | Republican (newly redistricted) | Dan Kelley | Republican | | 6 |
| Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2022 District 46 Turnout: 14,415 | Republican (newly redistricted) | Dan Gehlbach | Republican | 8,009 | 55.6 |
| Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2022 District 46 Turnout: 14,415 | Republican (newly redistricted) | Bridget Carberry Montgomery | Democratic | 6,393 | 44.3 |
| Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2022 District 46 Turnout: 14,415 | Republican (newly redistricted) | Other/Write-in votes | | 13 | 0.1 |