Jeff Kurtz (born 1954) is an American politician and retired locomotive engineer who represented the 83rd district of the Iowa House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021, which at the time consisted of parts of southern Lee County, including all of Fort Madison and Keokuk. He is a member of the Democratic Party.[1]
Early life
Kurtz was born in 1954 in Fort Madison, Iowa. He graduated from Aquinas High School in 1972. He attended Southeastern Community College and Iowa State University. He joined the Santa Fe Railroad as a fireman in 1974.[1]
Political career
Kurtz announced his candidacy for the 83rd district of the Iowa House of Representatives in 2018 after incumbent Jerry Kearns announced he would not seek reelection.[2] He won the Democratic primaries on June 5, 2018, with over 56 percent of the vote, and defeated Republican Jeff Reichman in the general election on November 6 by over 800 votes.[3] He was subsequently appointed to the Labor, Public Safety, Transportation, and Ways and Means committees.[4]
Kurtz endorsed Bernie Sanders for president in 2019.[5][6]
Kurtz ran for reelection in 2020 but lost to Republican Martin Graber by over 700 votes.[3]
Personal life
Kurtz has a wife, Debbie, and three adult children. He resides in Fort Madison.[1]
Kurtz worked as a locomotive engineer with BNSF from 1975 to 2014. He has been a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) for over 40 years, and served as president of BLET Local 391 for eight years, chairman of the BLET Iowa State Legislative Board for ten years, and BLET Legislative and Safety Director for ten years.[6]
Electoral history
* = incumbent
| Election | Political result | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa House of Representatives Democratic primary elections, 2018 [3][7] District 83 Turnout: 1,633 | Democratic | Jeff Kurtz | Democratic | 923 | 56.5 | ||
| Bob Morawitz | Democratic | 561 | 34.4 | ||||
| Michael Hardy | Democratic | 146 | 8.9 | ||||
| Other/Write-in votes | 3 | 0.2 | |||||
| Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2018 [3] District 83 Turnout: 10,274 | Democratic | Jeff Kurtz | Democratic | 5,552 | 54 | ||
| Jeff Reichman | Republican | 4,705 | 45.8 | ||||
| Other/Write-in votes | 17 | 0.2 | |||||
| Iowa House of Representatives Democratic primary elections, 2020 [3] District 83 Turnout: 2,285 | Democratic | Jeff Kurtz | Democratic | 2,281 | 99.8 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 4 | 0.2 | |||||
| Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2020 [3] District 83 Turnout: 13,175 | Republican | Martin Graber | Republican | 6,967 | 52.9 | ||
| Jeff Kurtz* | Democratic | 6,197 | 47 | ||||
| Other/Write-in votes | 11 | 0.1 | |||||
References
- ^ a b c "State Representative - All Years". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
- ^ Parrott, Jason (October 15, 2018). "Jeff Kurtz - Iowa House 83 - Election 2018". Tri States Public Radio. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "Jeff Kurtz". Ballotpedia. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ "State Representative - Bills & Committees". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ Meyer, Elizabeth. "Sanders Lands 1st Iowa Legislative Endorsement With Ft. Madison's Kurtz". Iowa Starting Line. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ a b "Sanders Campaign Press Release - Iowa State Representative Jeff Kurtz Endorses Bernie Sanders". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ "Election Night Reporting". Iowa Secretary of State. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
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