Warren Campaign Press Release - Iowa State Senate Democratic Leader Janet Petersen Endorses Elizabeth Warren

West Des Moines, IA—Iowa state Senate Democratic Leader Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines, has endorsed Elizabeth Warren for president, and will appear at events in the Des Moines metro with Elizabeth on Sunday and Monday.

Petersen is the highest-ranking woman in the Iowa Legislature, and the first woman to hold the office of Senate Democratic Leader. She is serving her second term in the Senate and previously served six terms in the Iowa House.

"I want our next president to bring our nation back together," Janet Petersen said. "That's why I'm proud to endorse Elizabeth Warren for President. All Iowans and all Americans can unite behind her plans for ending corruption and ensuring opportunity."

"Elizabeth has a vision for fundamentally changing how we show up for one another in this country," Petersen said. "Her plans will recommit our government to working for us, and reshape our economy to level the playing field for all."

Petersen will appear with Elizabeth at a town hall in Des Moines on Sunday and a community conversation in Grimes on Monday.

Petersen sponsored and passed Iowa's Smokefree Air Act, and is a leading advocate in the legislature for defending and expanding access to health care and advancing stronger domestic abuse prevention laws. Like Elizabeth, she has a record of fighting corruption and calling out cronyism in state government.

She is a founding partner, along with four other Des Moines-area moms, of Healthy Birth Day, Inc., an education and support nonprofit dedicated to the prevention of stillbirth and infant death. Healthy Birth Day is best known for its Count the Kicks campaign, which educates parents-to-be on tracking their babies' movements to reduce the risk of stillbirth.

Petersen is a leading Democratic voice in Iowa. She was a critical endorser for then-Sen. Barack Obama in 2007, and supported Hillary Clinton in 2015.

"Janet came to politics for all the right reasons, and she fights for all the right things—her family, her neighbors, our children and our communities," Warren said. "I'm grateful to stand with her as we build a grassroots movement for big, structural change."

Petersen joins State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald, former Lieutenant Governor Sally Pederson, Iowa Democratic leader John Norris, the Storm Lake Times newspaper, 10 fellow state legislators and scores of local officials and activists who have endorsed Warren's campaign.