Carissa Froyum, candidate for Iowa House District 57, and Jenn Wolff, candidate for Iowa Senate District 29, want Iowans to know that their voices matter. Addressing Butler county area voters at Clarksville Fit Club & Opportunity Therapy on August 3, they spoke out against partisan politics and urged a more compassionate approach to the challenges rural residents are facing.

Both women are late entries to their respective races, formally adding their names to the ballot after nominating conventions held by local Democrats on July 16. They’ve been jointly campaigning across Butler and Bremer counties because they share many of the same personal priorities—advocating for solutions to Iowa’s care crisis, resources to address mental health needs, protecting access to reproductive health care, support for public schools, and action to address the effects of climate change.

Froyum and Wolff are also linked by their passion for serving others. Froyum, a professor of sociology at the University of Iowa, is a volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual trauma with Riverview Center and the mother of a child with special needs. Wolff spent 10 years working as an occupational therapist at Taylor Physical Therapy and has been actively organizing with #UpgradeMedicaid to share the stories of those most impacted by the care crisis happening in Iowa and across the nation.

Although they both acknowledge that running for office in a red district is a challenge, Froyum and Wolff want voters to know that they’re putting people first. During their time in Clarksville, they invited members of the audience to share their concerns—listening to the fears of a grandfather worried the push for vouchers would place the education of his grandchildren at risk, a mother’s desire for common-sense gun control, a business owner’s struggle with student loan debt, and the heartfelt presentation of a Waverly Girl Scout advocating for investment in sidewalks so elementary students can safely walk to and from school.

Wolff tints her hair purple and wears her signature color to campaign events to remind voters that the issues she is passionate about are nonpartisan. “The care crisis impacts families with children, individuals who rely on Home and Community-Based Services, and our aging Iowans,” she said. “We can find solutions by working across party lines. We need to listen and advocate for Iowans, then make sure their stories get into the right ears.”

Froyum pointed out that the GOP is moving further right and away from the moderate, common-sense values we associate with rural Iowans. Her goal is to bring transparency and accountability back to the forefront. “It’s not my grandparent’s Republican party in Des Moines,” she said. “Small town communities are being left behind. They’re trying to privatize schools like they privatized Medicaid—behind closed doors.”