Jennifer Konfrst
Jennifer Konfrst | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minority Leader of the Iowa House of Representatives | |
| In office June 14, 2021 – May 15, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Todd Prichard |
| Succeeded by | Brian Meyer |
| Member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 32nd district | |
| Assumed office January 14, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Chris Hagenow |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 24, 1973 Macomb, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Lee |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Drake University (BA, MPA) |
Jennifer Glover Konfrst (born December 24, 1973) is an American politician in the state of Iowa. A Democrat, she has been a member of the Iowa House of Representatives representing the 32nd district since 2019. She served as House minority leader from 2021 to 2025.
Early life
[edit]Konfrst was born on December 24, 1973, in Macomb, Illinois.[1] She grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, Fort Dodge, Iowa, and Webster, Florida.[2] She graduated with a bachelors of arts degree in journalism and mass communications and a masters of public administration from Drake University.[3] She worked for Iowa PBS for twelve years.[4][5] She is an associate professor of journalism and strategic political communication at Drake University.[1][6][7] She and her husband, Lee, have two children.[4]
Political career
[edit]Iowa House of Representatives
[edit]She first ran to represent the 43rd district in the Iowa House of Representatives in 2016, but lost to Republican incumbent Chris Hagenow.[8][9] In 2018, Hagenow moved to the 19th district.[10] Konfrst ran again for the newly-open seat and won. She won re-election in 2020.[1][11] Konfrst sits on the administration and rules committee, the judiciary committee, the local government committee, the state government committee and the transportation committee.[1] She was the assistant minority leader in 2019 and 2020 and the minority whip in 2021. When Todd Prichard stepped down as the House minority leader in 2021, Konfrst was elected on June 14, 2021, as the new House minority leader. She was the first woman to hold this position in Iowa.[12][13]
In 2022, she ran for re-election and won in the 32nd district against Republican Mark Brown.[6]
2026 U.S. House campaign
[edit]On May 8, 2025, Konfrst announced her candidacy for Iowa's 3rd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge incumbent Republican representative Zach Nunn.[14]
Electoral history
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Chris Hagenow | 8,809 | 51.57% | |
| Democratic | Jennifer Konfrst | 8,273 | 48.43% | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jennifer Konfrst | 8,852 | 56.7% | |
| Republican | Michael Boal | 6,431 | 41.2% | |
| Libertarian | Chad Brewbaker | 318 | 2.0% | |
| Other/Write-in | 11 | 0.1% | ||
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Representative Jennifer Konfrst". The Iowa Legislature. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ "What the candidates for Clive's House District 32 seat say about the issues". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ "Jennifer Konfrst's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ a b "Iowa House Democrats elect Konfrst as leader". The Gazette. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ "Jennifer Konfrst Named PBS Communications Professional of the Year". About PBS - Main. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ a b Gruber-Miller, Stephen. "Iowa House Democratic leader Jennifer Konfrst running for reelection". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ "Jennifer Glover Konfrst". Drake University. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Jennifer Konfrst". Ballotpedia. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ "Iowa House District 43: Hagenow defeats challenger Konfrst". The Des Moines Register. November 8, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ "Iowa election 2018: Three look to replace Watts in House District 19". The Des Moines Register. October 29, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ Ryan, Mackenzie. "Democrat Jennifer Konfrst wins race to represent parts of Windsor Heights, Clive and West Des Moines". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ Akin, Katie (June 3, 2021). "Iowa Rep. Jennifer Konfrst seeking House minority leader position". Iowa Capital Dispatch. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ Akin, Katie (June 15, 2021). "Rep. Jennifer Konfrst elected as Iowa House minority leader". Iowa Capital Dispatch. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
- ^ Rooker, Amanda (May 8, 2025). "Jennifer Konfrst announces she will run for Congress". KCCI. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
External links
[edit] | This article about an Iowa politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |