Nathan Wrage, left, announces his run for State Representative in House District 72.

Gladbrook – Nathan Wrage of rural Gladbrook has announced that he will run for the Democratic nomination for State Representative in House District 72. The district includes all of Tama County, much of rural Marshall County, and Big Creek and Eagle townships in Black Hawk County.

Wrage, 52, is a lifelong resident of the district. He attended Gladbrook High School and then Iowa State University. After working at Lennox Industries in Marshalltown for 23 years, Gladbrook-Reinbeck School District for 4 years, Nathan is currently employeed by DECO Tool Supply in Waterloo. Nathan is a former UAW member, shop steward, and secretary of the Local 893 CAP committee. While at Lennox, he was a member and president of the Lennox Employees Recreation Association.

“I am running for State Representative because we need representation that will fight for our district. We’ve seen funding cut from our schools and jobs leave our community with the closure of the Iowa Juvenile Home,” said Wrage, a Democrat. “In addition to that, our current representative and Governor Branstad are focused on dismantling Medicaid, leaving too many people in our district with more questions than answers about the future of their healthcare.”

Nathan is a member and past chairman of the Tama County Conservation Board, serving since 2007. He is Membership Director of the Grundy-Tama Chapter of the Izaak Walton League, member of the Iowa Trappers Association, and a Ducks Unlimited member. He has participated in the Master Conservationist program through ISU Extension Services. He is also a board member of the Tama County Economic Development committee.

“I’ve followed politics for years,” Wrage states, “and realize that there is far more to the process than election year sound bites. Like many people, I’ve grown tired of the partisan rhetoric that has become common in policy debates. I realize that each party has its own philosophical and ideological stances, but I firmly believe that I have the skills to work with any member of the House to craft policies and budgets that benefit the people of this state. There are a number of current issues that have become political footballs, and I think it’s time to quit playing games and get to work.”

Nathan is married to his wife of 25 years, Jennifer Wrage. Jennifer is a teacher at Gladbrook-Reinbeck Middle School. They have two children. Tyler, a sophomore at UNI and Angela, who graduated with honors from UNI last May, and will pursue graduate studies this fall.