What we did

We held our first canvassing event on 5/23. It was a tiny but mighty crew, including training some first-time volunteers. I attended Idia May's fundraiser to support another candidate - I'm invested in flipping our state, not just this seat.

At 4:30 AM on Tuesday, I helped the Daybreak Rotary Club send off veterans on the Honor Flight. I met with a couple of Fort Dodge leaders to discuss public schools and property taxes. I attended the county party meeting - we went over the new office opening and Frontier Days parade plans. Then, I went to my son's first dance recital at United All Stars last night.

Officially at 1,000 doors knocked in Fort Dodge! - Thank you for all the support!

The Issues - cost of living

When I knock on doors, I constantly hear about the cost of living: housing, healthcare, childcare, property taxes, etc. Different things for different people, but the same squeeze.

One woman told me her husband's heart medications cost over $500 a month out of pocket. They're retired, on a fixed income. A nurse, single parent of three, has a medical condition that she and one of her children share. They struggle to afford groceries, but SNAP is out of reach. A target worker returned to work after retirement because the hard work they'd done their whole lives still couldn't cover daily needs.

The problem

Iowa raised the health insurance tax, and the cost is passed directly to consumers. For families already on tight incomes, an extra $50+ a month is crushing. This tax was supposed to draw down federal matching funds, but instead, all the revenue and matching funds go back to the private insurance companies with which we privatized Medicaid and Medicare, because those budgets are in the red.

Iowa has above-average healthcare cost increases. Rural hospitals are closing. We have the highest cancer rate in the nation, rank 44th in physicians per capita, and are ranked 51st out of 50 states in OB-GYN care (that includes Costa Rica).

The solution

Healthcare is a right, not a luxury. We need to regulate corporate greed. If elected, I will fight to:

End the privatization of Medicaid and Medicare. Beyond the 20% of spending that goes to administrative and CEO salaries, we've seen increased denial of coverage - including illegal cases - because fewer covered services directly enrich insurance companies. Reversing privatization would also address the new costs the legislature just added.

I'll fight to close the gaps in care. Instead of forcing colleges to accept a set number of Iowa students, we need to focus on bringing providers here. Create loan forgiveness for people working in underserved areas, and create grants like the TEACH Grant to help students afford college and keep medical students in our state. Expand funding for community health centers - including no-cost home visits for preventive care, modeled on programs that actually work.

Taking care of Iowans' health shouldn't be a for-profit agenda. It's a public service.

Where we’re going

• Yard signs just arrived and will go up over the next couple of days. Email us to be added to the list.

• The primary is on Tuesday. Check your polling location at vote.org — polls are open 7 AM to 8 PM.

• Frontier Days is this weekend (5/7–5/9), with the parade Saturday at 10 AM.

• Ice Cream Social Fundraiser – June 20th, 3 PM Link for tickets: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/kw.icecream

• Knocking more doors in Fort Dodge

Noteworthy posts

• Link to TikTok endorsing Zach Wahls -  https://www.tiktok.com/@kriswilliamsforiowa/video/7645452376203218206?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7584800789723137550

• Link to AFSCME union endorsement - https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1507930468011197&set=pcb.1507932444677666

We again are rejecting all Corporate PAC money, so we really rely on, and are extremely grateful for, your support. We’ll spend your donations on ways to expand our reach to as many voters as possible, including:

• Postcards and other mailers and postage

• Hand‑out cards for doors/events

• Text messaging campaigns

• Transportation costs for events and door-knocking

• Campaign website costs

• Radio ads, social media ads, and (hopefully) TV ads

• Our campaign manager

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/kris-williams-1
Finally, if you have anyone else in mind who would like to be added to our email list or who would be interested in volunteering, let us know at kriswilliamsforiowa@gmail.com!

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Kris Williams