MARY'S PRIORITIES
Focus on practical issues, not political noise
Mary Ungs-Sogaard is running for the Iowa Senate because she believes Iowa can do better on the issues that affect everyday life: affordability, health care and brain health, clean water, healthy soil, and honest leadership. These are not abstract policy debates. They are the conversations families are having around kitchen tables, in grocery aisles, at work, at community events, and with neighbors. Can we afford to stay here? Can we get care when we need it? Will our children be able to build a future in Iowa? Is our water safe? Are leaders in Des Moines focused on real problems, or are they focused on political fights? Mary believes Iowa needs leaders who will listen first, tell the truth, and work with anyone serious about solving problems.
Top 3 Priorities
Making everyday life more affordable for Iowans
Across Iowa, families are doing everything they are supposed to do – working hard, caring for children and aging parents, paying bills, helping neighbors, and trying to plan for the future. But everyday life has become harder to afford. Groceries, housing, health care, childcare, utilities, and prescription drugs are taking a bigger bite out of household budgets. Seniors are watching costs rise while living on fixed incomes. Young people are asking whether they can afford to stay in Iowa, buy a home, raise a family, or build a future here. Small businesses are feeling the pressure too, especially when families have less room in their budgets and communities struggle to attract and keep workers. Mary believes affordability should be at the center of the conversation in Des Moines. That means paying attention to the real costs families face every month. It means looking at wages, housing, childcare, health care costs, property taxes, utility bills, prescription drug costs, and the pressures facing local economies. Mary does not believe every problem can be solved with a slogan. But she does believe state leaders should spend more time on the issues that affect household budgets and less time on political fights that do not make life easier for Iowa families. MARY'S APPROACH: Mary will focus on practical steps that help families, workers, seniors, young people, and small businesses. She will listen to local communities, ask direct questions, and look for solutions that strengthen household budgets and local economies. She believes Iowa should be a place where people can work hard, raise a family, care for aging parents, start a business, and still afford the basics. Everything costs more, and wages have not kept up. Iowa can do better.
People who work hard should be able to afford the basics of a good life.
Mary knows these problems do not have easy one-line answers. But she also knows Iowa cannot solve problems by ignoring them, politicizing them, or waiting until families are in crisis. Her approach is simple: listen to the people affected, ask better questions, look at the facts, and focus on solutions that make sense for Iowa families and communities.
Health care should be available when people need it, close enough to reach, and affordable enough to use. But too many Iowa families are trying to navigate care systems on their own. People face long waits, high costs, insurance barriers, provider shortages, and long drives for care. Rural communities are especially vulnerable when clinics, hospitals, mental health providers, and care services are stretched thin. Mary believes Iowa can do better. That includes better access to rural health care, mental health care, brain health services, substance use treatment, disability services, senior care, maternal health care, and support for caregivers. Mental health and brain health are health care. They should be treated that way. Families should not have to wait until someone is in crisis to get help. People should not have to drive hours, wait months, or fight through confusing systems alone. Care should be closer to home, easier to navigate, and delivered with dignity. MARY'S APPROACH Mary will focus on access, affordability, dignity, and early support. She believes Iowa should strengthen care systems so families can get help sooner, not only after things have become emergencies. She will listen to patients, families, providers, caregivers, seniors, and people who have struggled to find care. Their experiences should guide better decisions in Des Moines. Too many families are trying to figure out health care, mental health care, or elder care alone. Iowa can do better than waiting for a crisis.
Families should be able to get care before they are in crisis.
Health Care, Mental Health and Brain Health
Iowa’s land and water are part of who we are. Families deserve clean drinking water. Farmers depend on healthy soil. Communities need honest information about public health. Our children and grandchildren deserve a future where they can live, work, farm, raise families, and trust the water coming from the tap. Mary believes clean water, healthy soil, air quality, public health, conservation, and long-term stewardship should not be partisan issues. We can support farmers and take water quality seriously. We can respect rural communities and ask honest questions. We can protect Iowa’s natural resources and strengthen local economies. We can face hard problems without blaming one another or looking away. Mary knows these issues are complex. She also knows that complexity cannot be an excuse for inaction. Iowans deserve leaders who are willing to listen to farmers, families, local officials, scientists, health professionals, and community members – and then work toward practical solutions. MARY'S APPROACH: Mary will focus on stewardship, accountability, transparency, and public health. She believes Iowa should support farmers who are doing the right thing, invest in practices that protect soil and water, and make sure families have honest information about risks that affect their health and communities. This is not about pointing fingers. It is about protecting the place we all call home. We all want safe drinking water, healthy soil, and a future where our kids can live here without worrying about what is in the water.
Clean water should not be political.
Clean Water, Healthy Soil, Healthy Communities
GET INVOLVED
Help Mary win.
If you’re ready to help Iowa do better, there’s a place for you on Mary’s team! You can knock on doors, make calls, write postcards, help with events, deliver yard signs, host a gathering, talk to friends and neighbors, or make a contribution to help the campaign reach more voters.
No experience needed! Whether you have an hour, an afternoon, or time every week, your support matters.