Aime Wichtendahl

Aime J. Wichtendahl is an American politician. In 2024, Wichtendahl became the first transgender person elected to the Iowa General Assembly, representing House District 80 in the Cedar Rapids area. She is also the first transgender woman to be elected to public office in Iowa. She was first elected to Hiawatha's City Council in 2015, a seat to which she was re-elected twice in 2019 and 2023. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Personal life Aime was born in Minnesota. She then moved to Newhall, Iowa. She attended Kirkwood Community College and Mount Mercy College (now University) in Cedar Rapids where she graduated with a B.A. in journalism and political science in 2005. Wichtendahl began her transition at the age of twenty-five, the same year she graduated from Mount Mercy. She moved to Hiawatha, Iowa in 2007.

On November 5, 2024, Wichtendahl won her campaign for Iowa House District 80, becoming the first transgender person elected to the Iowa legislature. She is an advocate for transgender and LGBTQIA+ rights, Economic Growth and Technology (ranking member) Judiciary Local Government Veterans Affairs Ways and Means