# Bill Gustoff

William R. Gustoff (born 1968) is an American politician and attorney who has represented the 40th district in the Iowa House of Representatives since January 2023, which consists of parts of northeast Des Moines in Polk County, including most of Altoona and Saylorville. He is a member of the Republican Party.

## Early life

Gustoff was born in 1968 in Independence, Iowa, and was raised in Center Point, Iowa. He was one of three children. His father was a municipal employee and his mother was a school teacher. He attended the University of Northern Iowa from 1986 to 1987, the Elliott School of International Affairs from 1987 to 1990, received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Iowa in 1993, and received a Juris Doctor with Distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1995.

## Political career

Following decennial redistricting in 2021, Gustoff announced his candidacy for the open 40th district seat in the Iowa House of Representatives in January 2022. He ran unopposed in the Republican primary on June 7, 2022, winning with over 99 percent of the vote, and won the general election on November 8 with over 49 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Mackenzie Bills by just over three points. He assumed office on January 9, 2023.
Gustoff endorsed Ron DeSantis for president in 2023.
In 2024, Gustoff filed to run for reelection. He won the Republican primaries unopposed on June 4, 2024, and will face Democrat Heather Sievers in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Gustoff is a member of the Education, Public Safety, and Judiciary committees, the lattermost of which he is the vice chair.
Gustoff has said that his priorities include small business, lowering taxes and narrowing the influence of government. He supports the Second Amendment and school choice and opposes abortion.

## Personal life

Gustoff has a wife, Sara, and four children. He resides with his family in Des Moines. He is a practicing attorney and is a founding partner of the Hagenow Gustoff & Karas law firm. He is a member of the Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska state bar associations, the Christian Legal Society, and Habitat for Humanity of Iowa, among several other organizations, and has served on the Emmaus Bible College Board of Trustees, as well as treasurer of the Republican Party of Iowa.

## Electoral history

| Election | Political result | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
| Iowa House of Representatives Republican primary elections, 2022 District 40 Turnout: 1,450 | Republican (newly redistricted) | Bill Gustoff | Republican | 1,440 | 99.3 |
| Iowa House of Representatives Republican primary elections, 2022 District 40 Turnout: 1,450 | Republican (newly redistricted) | Other/Write-in votes | | 10 | 0.7 |
| Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2022 District 40 Turnout: 12,654 | Republican (newly redistricted) | Bill Gustoff | Republican | 6,300 | 49.8 |
| Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2022 District 40 Turnout: 12,654 | Republican (newly redistricted) | Mackenzie Bills | Democratic | 5,879 | 46.5 |
| Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2022 District 40 Turnout: 12,654 | Republican (newly redistricted) | Jeni Kadel | Libertarian | 469 | 3.7 |
| Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2022 District 40 Turnout: 12,654 | Republican (newly redistricted) | Other/Write-in votes | | 6 | 0.05 |