Nicole Loew for Iowa Senate
Think like a nurse...
This image popped up on Facebook last week, proving that Facebook is still good for some things, despite so much evidence to the contrary.
Loew, a Democrat who lives in Chariton, is challenging Republican Senate President Amy Sinclair of Allerton. Sinclair has served in the Senate since 2013 and was elected as President of the Senate in November of 2022.
So, last Saturday morning I drove to Chariton to meet Loew. About 35 people were in attendance—a good crowd. Below is an AI transcription of her speech, which her husband had to read because Nicole’s voice was nearly gone because of an allergic reaction.
Nicole:
Hi everybody. I have had a very unfortunately timed allergic reaction. And so I'm actually having my husband deliver my speech for me, which I can assure you he's not thrilled about but loves me so he's gonna do it.
But I do just say what I have some…there's also a zero percent chance I'll make it through without crying.
This is very personal for me. Rural people are in my bones and you just deserve so much better and I've been working so hard, for so many years to prepare myself for this moment, I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of you showing up today and all the work it's gonna take to make this happen. I just thank you.
Michael’s preliminary remarks before he reads Nicole’s prepared speech:
Hi everybody. So I do see some familiar faces out there, but for people who may not know me, my name is Michael. Oh and as you've heard I'm her husband. Was one of those things when we got married, you know for better or worse, unfortunately, you guys are getting the worst part today because I'm speaking and not her so the better is not speaking today.
I know you were coming to listen to Nicole speak with her voice, with these allergies. It's just it didn't work out. So I'm gonna step up and try to help her out to get her message out to people to come and listen. This is a day that Nicole and many others have spent a lot of time preparing for and she didn't want to cancel or reschedule. So that's why we're out here making this work.
It's gonna be a bit of a launch and listen kind of day for Nicole. But here's the speech that she's delivered and she wants you all to hear:
Nichole’s speech:
Hi everybody. My name is Nicole and I'm beyond grateful to all of you who’ve come out here today to support me as I announce my candidacy for Iowa State Senate District 12, which serves Lucas, Wayne, Clark, Decatur, Madison, and Adair County, and townships in Union, Dallas, and Appanoose County.
I'm sure many of you are wondering who I am and why I would want to be your next Senator. So, please let me share my story with you.
As I said, I am Nicole Loew, a nurse researcher, a farmer's daughter, born and raised on an intergenerational farm with a rich hunting history, a rural woman, proud wife to a former United States Air Force Captain, and current city councilman, and the mother to three beautiful babies. After leaving the Air Force my husband and I intentionally chose to move to and raise our children in a rural community. We wanted to know our neighbors, who our kids are hanging out with, and their parents.
It takes a village to raise a family and that is what rural communities are, a place where everyone knows everyone and is always willing to help. We may not be native Iowans, but we are now invested in Iowa and we are proud to be rural Iowans. We tell our babies that Daddy is going to do everything he can to make sure your city, you have a city to be proud of and Mommy is going to do everything she can to make your state the best place to live in.
Also, if you didn't know me, Iowa was the best for my husband; Iowa was the best place for deer hunting which is another reason we ended up here.
But I digress. I became a nurse because, like many people in healthcare, I wanted to help others. But I especially wanted to help rural women because I think rural women are magical. I come from a long line of rural farm women and I think their work ethic and resourcefulness is incredible and inspiring. I also feel strongly that rural women are not only the building blocks of our families in our communities, but they're also drivers of health for our kids, spouses, and extended families.
But in nursing school, a funny thing happens. You repeatedly get told to think like a nurse, but nobody tells you what that means. It took me years to finally figure it out. What that meant to think like a nurse and what that is to think consequentially, you have to anticipate downstream effects of or consequences for every single action.
As a result, I began to see the human body and the world as interconnected systems. If you mess with one part of the system, you have to be able to think consequentially and anticipate downstream effects or how this may impact other systems. So when I see an issue, it's not singular. It's not black and white and it's not linear; issues sit inside of a spider web, so to speak, and your health also sits inside of a spider web right in the middle, where all strands cross.
And your health is influenced by all the different strands that create the web like our social environment, our education and income, our physical environment, and our abilities to access healthcare, but here's the crazy part where your web is geographically located matters. In fact, your ZIP code will impact your health more than your genetic code. Again. Your ZIP code will impact your health more than your genetic code and rules. Rural ZIP codes are worse off and policies are one of the biggest reasons why your ZIP code matters so much to name a few. Compared to urban residents rural people are more likely to be uninsured, have lower income and educational attainment, have less access to Specialty Health Care, especially birth facilities. All things that are impacted by policy, rural people's lives are made harder and unhealthier simply because of where we live and who represents us.
So I started to reflect on my own childhood, my own mother getting married at 18 and having three kids by 24 while trying to run a farm and work off a farm to make ends meet. Watching our cows and machinery be sold to the highest bidder as corporate farming crushed family farms. Watching my dad struggle with alcoholism my whole life and ultimately dying by suicide when I was 23.
And as I continue to learn more and unpack my family's history, I'm connecting more and more that maybe life in rural areas is unnecessarily harder than it needs to be. Rural women tend to marry younger, have more kids, have a harder time accessing contraceptives, and experience more severe domestic violence as I previously mentioned. I come from a long line of farmers and in one generation, there are no more dairy farmers in my family.
The same thing is happening to Iowa since 1982. The number of farms raising hogs has dropped 90%. And farmers are making less money per hog. That's a massive hit for rural families and communities.
Tobacco substance abuse or substance abuse and meth use are higher in rural areas and the opioid epidemic is felt more intensely here. Farmers and ranchers are also more likely or among the most likely to commit suicide than any other occupation in the United States. Farmers are the backbone of this state, but they're also one of the most vulnerable populations for mental health just like my dad. Iowa’s ranked last in the country for the number of psychiatric treatment health beds available per capita and psychiatric care is even harder to access in rural areas.
Again, these are all issues impacted by legislation. So ask yourselves. How can my life have been or your life different if we had legislators who recognize the importance and power of rural people and rural women. Folks, we deserve better.
And everyone standing here has a valid reason to feel left out or left behind by our current political parties. Democrats--you have every reason to feel frustrated by state and national political organizing committees, the more I learn and engage with state and national Democrats, I'm really realizing just how much Democrats and rural areas are being left behind, underfunded, and undervalued, and trust me, I'm frustrated.
Independents, I understand you're probably wondering what happened to the center, the moderate, the pragmatic perspective. Politics and politicians should be actively listening and responsive to the needs of all their constituents, solving real problems Iowans are facing and actually addressing the root of the problem with balance and evidence.
Republicans, I understand that you may be feeling disenfranchised by a president who promised to drain the swamp to get rid of career politicians and promise tax breaks for the average family. Yet, here we are in Iowa with our current Republican State Senator Amy Sinclair, who supported giving tax breaks to corporations that send our tax dollars overseas and we know sold her vote to special interest groups when she ushered in educational savings plans or vouchers in Iowa despite being overwhelmingly unpopular among Iowans across the state, the district, and our own party.
The program where your tax dollars will now be given to private schools with no transparency for how that money is spent. This program is estimated to cost $918 million dollars or nearly one billion dollars over the next four years and is funded out at the same place Public Schools also receive some of their funding.
And then the third year of the program, there's no income cap, meaning wealthy families will be getting subsidized private education on your tax dollars and institutions that are already raising their rates to ensure that the average working-class family like you still won't be able to afford to attend. This is hardly fiscally responsible or making the government smaller.
Folks, we have schools in this district that have to shut down when it gets too hot out because they don't have air conditioning. Three-fourths of Iowa school districts don't even have a private school within their boundaries, Yet, your tax money will fund something that our kids can't even take advantage of, plus the voucher program is going to be administered by a company that isn't even located in Iowa, again sending your hard-earned tax dollars out of Iowa.
We deserve better.
The government was also made larger when we passed SF 494 which addressed asset testing to receive SNAP or state food benefits. This is an example of legislation that makes life unnecessarily harder, and trust me nobody including myself wants fraud, but an estimated 200 jobs were added to the state payroll during record inflation and during a workforce crisis in the name of preventing fraud for a program with less than 1% fraudulent rate. In fact, it was a 0.001% fraud rate. This bill, which Senator Sinclair spoke in direct support of, disproportionately impacts the elderly; the people who build our communities and state, kids, those who we are fighting so hard to protect, and rural people who are already having a hard time accessing healthy food.
Senator Sinclair also listed among her accomplishments Senate File 75, which allows rural hospitals to take on rural emergency hospital designation to help keep their doors open. This sounds great. Of course, we want rural hospitals to stay open, but guess what, if hospitals take on this designation, hospitals are not allowed to have inpatient units or allow patients to stay longer than 24 hours. This will drastically reduce the services offered and the staff employed by the hospital. Hospitals are literal lifelines in rural communities. How many of you want to drive to Des Moines to see sick or loved ones? Most rural folks don’t want to have to travel to Des Moines for any type of healthcare, myself included.
A new designation that limits the ability of rural hospitals does not improve rural people's access to care or their health and does not solve the problem or reasons why rural hospitals are struggling. Not only are hospitals feeling the crushing impact of privatizing Medicaid, but so are everyday Iowans with Medicaid are now illegally denied and disputing claims.
We deserve better.
Since we're talking about health and poor access to care Iowa ranks 50th out of 50 for the number of ob/gyns per capita, which is even worse in rural areas. Two-thirds of Iowa counties don't have a single OB and over 34 maternity units have closed since 2000 including right here in Lucas County.
We already have data to show that following the closures, more expectant mothers aren't making an adequate number of prenatal visits, resulting in being more likely to deliver prematurely and putting both the baby and parent at higher risk for complications because who wants to drive an hour one way for a five-minute appointment?
And guess what folks babies can be born in an hour?
Remember, Michael is reading Nicole’s speech, and makes a joke:
To the part that I don't know why she put this in there, but she said my husband may be very smart and confident but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be worried about him delivering my baby on the side of a road.
Nicole again:
So regardless of how you feel about reproductive rights and abortion, we all have to recognize that having poor access to care, tampering with the patient-provider relationship, insurance issues, and a shortage of providers all at the same time, that babies are being born is deeply concerning and just downright scary as a woman. This is the complex web I was talking about.
Yet, Senator Sinclair tells us that they have capped non-economic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits to help make Iowa a more affordable state to practice in and invested some money to create a new OB/GYN fellowship program to help four fellows expand maternal health in Iowa.
Four. This is not enough to move us out of 50th place. This is not enough to support women, children, and families.
We deserve better.
So many of us have given up on politics and stopped paying attention because we felt like our vote wouldn't make a difference. Well, guess what folks, it does make a difference and it will make the biggest difference in 2024 when you vote for me in November.
I am running as a rural Democrat not just a Democrat because I too am frustrated by my party and see the need for change and a larger seat at the table for rural Iowans. Every single decision a legislator makes will impact your health and life in some way and we need lawmakers who recognize that rural folks are disproportionately impacted by legislation voted on in Des Moines, New York, and or Florida.
Especially when legislation is made by think tanks and lobbyists from outsiders like the American Legislative Exchange Council. Some of you may know them as ALEC. ALEC does not engage with Iowans, ask what issues are impacting us or what is most important to Iowans. Instead, they create an agenda to influence state legislators and incentivize them to implement their model policies.
For example, the education savings account act more popularly known in Iowa as the voucher bill is from the Alec model policy library. Folks, Alec is not a constituent in the 12th District. And the kicker is Alec is also the same group that named Senator Sinclair legislator of the month for January for her work in passing the voucher program.
You deserve a legislator who lives in the district full-time, who wants to hear your stories, who believes and knows that you hold the solutions to real issues facing Iowans, and someone who isn't going to cave to special interest groups. I became a nurse and got my Ph.D. because of rural women. When I was frustrated over my statistics, our work, and being sexually discriminated against because I wanted to start a family while getting my Ph.D., I didn't quit because I told myself if I quit I quit rural women
Everyone, thank you. We're behind you all the way.
I went to hell and back getting that degree because I believed in my bones that that was what I needed to learn and know to help rural women. My education shouldn't be something people fear or hold against me. It's a testament of my commitment to helping rural people. I won't quit and I won't be bought out. I will always center rural people because you are why I do what I do.
I know that when I ask you to support me and I'm really asking you to trust me which is no small thing. Whether you're a Republican, Democrat or Independent, know that I will listen. We all need each other and we all bring value and perspective to the table. At the end of the day, we're all rural people we are all struggling with many of the same issues. We all care immensely about our communities and our state and we all deserve better.
We need a researcher in office who can identify and navigate the complexities of issues. We need a nurse who recognizes how literally every decision a legislator makes will impact your health and more so for rural folks. We need a mother who is driven every day to make sure her kids are receiving the best education, the best care, and live in the best state.
So, please strongly consider supporting me and trusting me. Turn inward and reflect on what it means to be a rural person. And what would make your life better. Rural people deserve better. You deserve better. We deserve better.
Thank you.
Michael again:
So folks, Nicole had, I got the privilege of speaking for her because she knows or she felt that I know her better than anybody else over the last 18 years, and what I will tell you about Nicole that wasn't part of her speech, is that or while you'll get it from her speech, that she is a great candidate, somebody who shows compassion to others. She doesn’t back down from challenges or adversity in fact, if anything it fuels her even more.
She cares about the issues that are plaguing real Iowans and wants to hear your solutions. Growing up in a rural area, she understands rural people growing up on a farm. She understands farmers. She went to public schools. She supports and values our public educators and believes in America's and Iowa's future for our children.
She will listen to rural Iowans over the special interests who think our state’s for sale and it's not for sale.
She will not sell your vote because she's worked too hard to get to this point and understands what she's asking you to trust her is asking a lot.
And for some of you whether it's Independents or Republicans trusting her is like doing a free fall from the Empire State Building and asking her to catch you.
And surprisingly to some of you, I'm not a Democrat. I'm not a Republican. I'm an Independent that believes in my wife and believes in her vision and what Iowa can do and let me tell you, I know that she will catch you and she will catch all rural Iowans regardless of what your party affiliation is. With Nicole, you finally have somebody who will put rural Iowans first and who will fight to make their lives better.
Thank you.
This work, identified by PublicDomainFiles.com, is free of known copyright restrictions.
During my visit to Chariton to hear Loew, I was reminded that it was a Lucas County coal miner, John L. Lewis, who was the father of the modern labor movement.
And of course, Loew reminded me of the cultural icon Rosie the Riveter. Put Loew in her nurse’s uniform in this pose, and it would be a powerful image for her campaign.
Here is her website.
On July 5, I will celebrate one year writing this column. Substack tells me that I have written 88 posts in that time, and have over 1,400 subscribers. To put it frankly, I’m amazed by my productivity, and for your support. It fuels my passion for writing. Thank you. My content will always be free, but if you have the means to support this work financially it is greatly appreciated. Paid subscribers will find a link to today’s Office Lounge meeting at noon below.
Please subscribe to the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Weekly Round-up column:
Please check out the work of other collaborative members: