David Young

David Edmund Young (born May 11, 1968) is an American politician who currently serves as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 28th district, and previously served as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 3rd congressional district from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he is a native and resident of Van Meter, a western suburb of Des Moines. He was first elected in 2014 and reelected in 2016; he lost reelection in 2018 to Democrat Cindy Axne. Young unsuccessfully challenged Axne in 2020 in a rematch, losing by 1.3%.

Young was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2022. He represents parts of Dallas County, including western suburbs of Des Moines.

Early life and education Young was born in Des Moines, Iowa and raised in Van Meter. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Drake University.

Early career Young first worked as a legislative assistant to Colorado senator Hank Brown from 1993 to 1996. He was then chief of staff to Kentucky senator Jim Bunning from 1998 to 2006, and later served from 2006 to 2013 as the chief of staff to Iowa senator Chuck Grassley. A poll conducted by the conservative website Caffeinated Thoughts of 118 of the 513 delegates was conducted on June 9–10, 2014. Young and Brad Zaun took 27% each.

On June 21, 2014, in what was described by the Des Moines Register as a "stunning upset", Young won the nomination on the fifth ballot of the convention. Young went on to defeat Democrat Staci Appel 53% to 42% in the 2014 general election.

2016

Young ran for re-election in 2016. He defeated Joe Grandanette in the Republican primary, which took place on June 7, 2016. He then defeated Democrat Jim Mowrer in the general election, winning 54% of the vote.

2018

Young ran for reelection in 2018. He was unopposed in the Republican Party primary. In the November 2018 general election, he was defeated by Democrat Cindy Axne of nearby West Des Moines. Axne won 49% of the vote to Young's 47.5%, with four different third-party candidates winning the remaining 3.5% of the vote. He won 15 of the district's 16 counties, but could not overcome a deficit of over 30,000 votes in the district's most populous county of Polk.

2020

Young attempted to Reclaim his seat two years later. He easily defeated Bill Schafer For the Republican nomination, but in the general election he was again defeated by Axne, receiving 48% of the vote to Axne’s 49%.

Tenure Young was sworn into office on January 3, 2015.

He was a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership and the Veterinary Medicine Caucus.

In April 2015, Young joined the Southwest Iowa Housing Trust Fund to announce over $530,000 in affordable housing grants from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines (FHLB Des Moines) Strong Communities Fund. The grants would assist nearly 100 residents with key home repairs.

During the January 2018 government shutdown, Young remained in Washington, canceled town hall meetings, and, in solidarity with government employees who were going unpaid during the shutdown, refused to accept his own salary. “I'm disappointed and I can't believe that Congress is getting paid during this time right now,” he said. “The people working hard every day in the military, for our federal government, should not be blamed for this.”

Committee assignments Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

Iowa State Representative In February 2022, Young said that he was contesting the 28th district seat in the Iowa House of Representatives. He won the election and took his seat on January 9, 2023. Young was reelected in 2024 and served through the end of the 2026 legislative session. He will seek reelection in the 2026 general election.

Political positions

LGBT issues In May 2016, he voted to approve a measure aimed at upholding an executive order that bars discrimination against LGBT employees by federal contractors.

Veterans

In 2016, Young sponsored the "No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act" aimed at reducing suicides of veterans. The bill passed the U.S. House unanimously.

Health care Young voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) in 2015.

Young opposed the original March 2017 Republican effort to repeal Obamacare. When the effort ended in March 2017 with the withdrawal of the GOP health-care legislation from further consideration, Young praised Trump and the party leaders for this action and called for everyone to join anew in “a thoughtful and deliberate process that takes the time and input to get this right to achieve accessible, affordable quality healthcare for every American.”

Young supported the second 2017 Republican effort to repeal Obamacare. On May 4, 2017, Young voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. This second repeal effort narrowly passed the House 217-213, but failed in the Senate. The repeal bill that Young voted for would have made it possible for states to allow insurers to raise health care premiums for individuals with preexisting conditions who did not have continuous coverage.

Tax reform Young supports tax reform and voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. He said he believed the bill would provide tax relief to Iowans.

In April 2018, he voted for a Balanced Budget Amendment. In June 2018, Young voted for H.R. 3, the Spending Cuts to Expired and Unnecessary Programs Act, also known as the rescission package.

Tariffs In September 2017, Young was part of a six-member bipartisan delegation that traveled to China to discuss agriculture, North Korea, the South China Sea, energy, and cybersecurity with Chinese officials. “The continued potential for growth in exports to China for Iowa’s products is of great importance to job and economic growth for the state,” said Young. In April 2018, Young told an interviewer that while he agreed with President Trump's belief in the need for “regulatory relief and common-sense regulatory reform and tax relief,” he and many of his constituents believe that “tariffs are taxes,” and are therefore “going to hurt consumers, going to hurt employers.”

Immigration In January 2018, Young reiterated support for permanent legal status for so-called DREAMers, saying that he would vote for a measure giving them residency while also improving border security. “I want to find a way for those people to be here legally and stay here without fear of deportation,” Young said, but added that he was “not quite there on citizenship” for immigrants covered by DACA. He acknowledged that might support a citizenship guarantee if it was tied to enhanced border security or immigration controls.

Foreign policy

Young supported the 2017 Shayrat missile strike.

Abortion Young opposes using federal funds to pay for abortions. He does not believe Planned Parenthood should receive federal funding. He does "believes in women’s access to healthcare and contraceptives" with the organization relying on outside funding to achieve these ends.

Drug policy

In 2016, Young co-sponsored the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States Act (CARERS Act). The CARERS Act is a marijuana policy reform which would reschedule cannabis to allow it to be researched and would permit states with medical marijuana programs to operate without federal interference.

Electoral history 2014

2016

2018

2020

Personal life Young is a non-denominational Christian and lives in Van Meter.

Since 2023, Young has worked as the Practitioner in Residence for the Olson Institute for Public Democracy at Drake University, his alma mater.