Dakota Hayward

**Dakota Joseph Hayward**is an American politician currently serving as Governor of Iowa. A member of the Republican Party, Hayward was elected Governor in 2014 after the long-serving Terry Branstad stepped down. Hayward previously has served as Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives from 2012-2014 and as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives from 2002-2008. Before entering politics, Hayward served as an attorney practicing law for fifteen years.

During his tenure in politics, Hayward has been seen as a moderate figure who attracts both sides of the political spectrum.

## Early Life and Education

Dakota Hayward was born in Davenport, Iowa in 1968 to Matthew and Madison Eckhart. His parents were both professors at Augustana College in Davenport, and both were financially in the upper middle class. From a young age, Dakota grew a fascination with politics and the law. He received an undergraduate degree in political science and received his law degree from Drake University shortly after. He also met his future wife, Payton, while at Drake.

## Early Political Career

Dakota Hayward began working at Jackson & David in 1992, a law firm in Des Moines, Iowa. He worked at this position as an attorney for 20 years. Hayward began to volunteer with this local Republican party and helped campaign for various candidates.

In 2000, Hayward was persuaded by local Republican leaders to run for the vacant Iowa House of Representatives seat, which he did. He won the primary unopposed, however, he lost the General Election with only 46.67% of the vote. He again ran in 2002 for the same seat, which he won with 53.45% of the vote.

Hayward went on to run for reelection in the 2004, 2006, and 2008 elections, in which he received 54.23%, 57.29%, and 49.11% of the vote, respectively. Hayward lost in the 2008 Blue Wave by a very slim margin. However, he ran again during the 2010 General Elections, winning with 63.1% of the vote with the help of the Tea Party movement, although he has never affiliated with such. He won again with 2012, carrying 59.95% of the vote.

After his victory in 2012, he ran for Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives, which he won with the Republican majority. During his tenure as speakership, he pushed through the Iowa Corporate Tax Reform Act, which lowered the state's corporate tax rate by 7%. He also unsuccessfully sponsored the Fetal Life Protection Act, which would've prohibited abortions in the state once a heartbeat was detected.

In April 2013, the longtime Republican governor announced he would not run for reelection. Hayward was the obvious choice for the Republican Party, as he was well-liked and well-known through the state. He won the primary with 65.48% of the vote. In the General Election, he won a tightly contested race against Democratic schoolteacher Nancy Baird, receiving 53.29% of the vote.

## Governor of Iowa

Hayward is currently serving his first term as Governor of Iowa. Currently, Iowa is under a Republican Trifecta, in which the same party holds the Governorship and both houses of the General Assembly. He successfully pushed through another tax cut which earned him bipartisan support. The tax cut was the largest in Iowa's history.

In 2015, he supported a measure proposed in the Iowa House of Representatives that would make Iowa a "Stand Your Ground" state. The bill passed the House but stalled in the Senate until the end of the session. Hayward has stated he plans on tackling this issue once again.

In 2017, Hayward announced the "Protection of Unborn Iowans Act", a bill which would outlaw abortions once the fetal heartbeat was detected. This bill garnered widespread support amongst fellow Republicans, however, many of Iowa's Democrats opposed it. After weeks of intense debate, the bill passed the House and Senate, and Hayward immediately signed it into law. This law now makes Iowa the toughest state in the nation on abortions.

Shortly after this bill was signed into law, Hayward announced the "Comprehensive Gambling Reform in the State of Iowa" act. This bill would lower the age in which citizens could buy tickets from Iowa's Lottery board, allow casinos to invest in online gambling infrastructure, and allow sports gambling in the state. This bill has yet to be voted on in the State House.