Government : Senate Candidates Dawn Driscoll and Ivy Schuster attend Blueprint for Winning

Democrat Ivy Schuster and Republican Dawn Driscoll, both candidates for Iowa Senate District 38, attended a three-day training for female candidates and campaign managers in Johnston January 23-25. The Blueprint for Winning Academy was 50-50 in 2020's first training program, formed to provide campaign training specifically tailored for women. 

Former state senators Jean Lloyd-Jones (D-Iowa City) and Maggie Tinsman (R-Bettendorf) founded 50-50 in 2020 with the aim of recruiting, training, and mentoring women to run for office. Their goal is that by the 100th anniversary of Women's Suffrage (the year 2020), women will be equally represented in all Iowa political arenas. When the organization began, Iowa had never elected a woman to serve as governor, U.S. Senator, or U.S. Representative. Few women were serving in the Iowa House and Iowa Senate.

Pictured:

Schuster and Driscoll at a January 24 dinner after presenting their stump speeches. The keynote speaker was Dr. Karen Kedrowski, the director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University.