The state officeholder who is in charge of receiving, investing and distributing state funds is seeking re-election to a 10th term.
State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald, a Democrat, has the longest tenure among state treasurers who’re currently serving. If Iowans reelect him this November, early next year Fitzgerald would surpass the all-time service record of a South Carolina man who was that state’s treasurer for a little over 36 years.
Fitzgerald was first elected in 1982.
“I’m asking Iowans to reelect me because I’ve been responsible with their money, building up a triple A credit rating for the State of Iowa,” Fitzgerald told Radio Iowa recently, “and then establishing the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt, where we return millions of dollars (and) establishing College Savings Iowa, where we have 250,000 kids saving for college.”
Jeremy Davis is the Republican challenging Fitzgerald. He served one term on the Ames City Council and has worked for Republican Congressman Steve King. Davis has said if he’s elected treasurer, he’ll appoint a task force to find duplication and wasteful spending in state government.
“The state treasurer is the chief revenue officer of the state, but when’s the last time he reached out to Iowans and asked: ‘How do you feel your money is being spent?” Davis said during a speech on The Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair. “‘Is it being spent appropriately by the legislature? Is the governor introducing the type of budget that meets the needs of all Iowans.'”
The third candidate on the ballot for state treasurer is Libertarian Timothy Hird, an engineer from Des Moines. He’s been the long-time treasurer for the Iowa Libertarian Party.