House District 56 Republican Mark Thompson, a Belmond resident, is being challenged by Democrat Kyle Kruse of Hardy. District 56 covers all of Hancock and Humboldt counties and the northwestern three-quarters of Wright County.
Thompson won the general election in 2022. He is a former U.S. Marine Corps, CGD substitute teacher, and senior executive. He serves on the Environmental Protection, Local Government, Natural Resources, International Relations Committee, and the Human Trafficking Interim Study Committee. Mark is married to Jacki and they share 2 daughters and 6 grandchildren. You can contact Mark at: PO Box 403, Clarion, IA 50525, 515-851-7077, or Thompson4Iowa@gmail.com. A list of Bills Thompson has supported is below.
Bills
Public assistance program integrity and appropriations (HF 3)
Social studies instruction in schools (HF 12)
Prohibition of certain actions related to abortifacient drugs (HF 146)
Second Amendment Preservation Act (HF 147)
Changes in party affiliation prior to a primary election (HF 148)
Gender under the Iowa Civil Rights Act (HF 190)
Prohibition of certain materials in schools and civil actions regarding obscenity (HF 361)
Human trafficking penalties (HF 406)
Prohibition of health mandates and requirements (HF 507)
Protection of religious liberty and state sovereignty regarding marriage (HF 508)
Iowa Human Life Protection Act (HF 510)
Authorization for schools to employ chaplains (HF 2073)
Unlawful activities related to residency and citizenship requirements (HF 2112)
Proof of citizenship for in-state tuition (HF 2128)
Regulations for health care employment agencies (HF 2199)
Retirement benefits and bail restrictions for public safety personnel (HF 2206)
Survival of wrongful death of an unborn child (HF 2230)
Education requirements for licensed professions (HF 2233)
Aid, processes, and support for children in foster care (HF 2242)
Adoption tax credit (HF 2243)
Parental authorization for minors on social media platforms (HF 2255)
Establishment of criminal offense of looting (HF 2259)
Higher education policies and programs (HF 2327, HF 2330)
Regulation of Satanic displays on state property (HF 2370)
Proposal for a constitutional amendment related to marriage (HJR 8)
Resolution regarding foundational principles of American government (HR 5)
Designation of May 2023 as Jewish American Heritage Month (HR 6)
Addressing stigma around mental health terminology (HR 102)
Affirmation of support for Texas and condemnation of federal immigration policies (HR 109)
Kyle Kruse (D) was born and raised on a small Iowa dairy farm. Kruse is a carpenter by trade and lives on a farm outside of Hardy with his wife, Tennie. He shared with the Wright County Monitor, “I have seen firsthand the struggles of small farmers of the last few decades. I feel my life experiences have given me a unique ability to see and understand the problems that rural Iowa is facing.”
Kruse feels it is important to focus on what is happening in “our own backyards,” rather than too much on national politics. “I want to pursue options and new ideas to help our current small businesses thrive and add new ones. For instance, it would be great for the state of Iowa to help a John Deere expansion, but how does that help a main street business in downtown Clarion?” Kruse proposed.
Kruse shares a few reasons for running for public office:
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A belief that public dollars should be used for public schools.
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Adequately funding county and city governments.
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Strongly opposed to for-profit companies tearing up farmer’s fields to run C02 Pipelines.
You can contact Kyle at 2730 200th St, Hardy, IA 50545, 319-429-0515, or at KAK1624@netzero.net.
The primary election will take place on June 4th.
