Eddie Andrews

Eddie Andrews was born in Des Moines, Iowa.[1][2] Andrews graduated from Des Moines East High School. He earned a B.S. in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Iowa.[2] Andrews' career experience includes working as an app developer and tech entrepreneur. He founded #mentoromics and has volunteered with I'll Make Me A World In Iowa.[1][2]

Eddie Andrews did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Eddie Andrews did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Eddie Andrews did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I married my high school sweetheart and have a wonderful family, including two daughters, one son who passed away, a niece I helped raise in our home, and other kids who just "showed up".

Helping people is a ministry and I have always been a servant leader, putting the needs of others above mine. For example, my mentoring program and programming classes have always been free for students.

I am a bilingual minister (Spanish) and have been active in our community for many years, helping people at the retail level (getting housing, immigration, food and shelter, teaching English, etc).

As a freelance app developer, I founded a successful youth mentoring program that teaches free coding and programming and entrepreneurship and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills.

I am a problem solver, working with people of all languages, cultures, ethnicities and parties.

Life Matters, and as a Black man, I wish to reverse the targeting of Black and Brown communities by abortion clinics.

I wish to strengthen our criminal justice reform and have actively supported legislation long before even considering running for office.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am running as a PROBLEM SOLVER with a positive conservative message. For many years, as part of ministry, commumity and political efforts, I have listened, strategized and help to solve problems among many ethnicities, languages and cultures.Without a commitment to a strong 1st and 2nd Amendments, which protects free speech and religious liberties, and the right to protect our lives, family and property, we have no Constitution.Mental Health Reform is needed to let families in need get services fast, when they need them

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

TAXES

As a common sense conservative, I want all Iowans to keep more of their hard earned money. After all, you earned it, and we should be good stewards of public funds. I will fight for to lower taxes on working families and small businesses. When you have more money, our local economy flourishes.

MENTAL HEALTH

Our family experienced the frustration of many families navigating the mental health flow, and I am proposing expansion of mental health rapid response units to help families struggling with mental health to get the help they need quickly.

EDUCATION

Education is the best path to success. My parents instilled the need of hard work and education. Every child deserves a high quality education regardless of their zip code. I will fight for full funding for public, private, religious schools to have the resources they need to teach, and students can be free to learn without distraction.

JOBS

The American Dream must be open to all. This means creating incentives for job creators and entrepreneurs, training programs to be prepared for a solid workplace and career advancements.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I have a lot of personal, technical, entrepreneurial, political and spiritual mentors.

Personal: my mother, grandparents

Technical: Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs

Entrepreneurial: Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Mark Cuban

Political: Ronald Regan, Frederick Douglas, Booker T Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr

Spiritual: T.D. Jakes, my uncle Joe Lee, Duane Bolinger, Ravi Zechariah and of course, my dad

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Federalist Papers

5000 Year Leap

Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Many are important: trustworthiness, transparency, desire to help the people, being an active listener, being a servant leader, creativity to do things differently when needed, conviction, integrity, leadership, faith.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a problem solver and intense listener. All of my life, helping has been a part of my being. I am the one who friends and associates call at 3 am, because they know I'll listen, walk them threw whatever issue they're facing. Sometimes that's because I'm in ministry. Other times, it's because I'm just the guy who people know will get things done.

I have a soft spot for young people. My successful mentoring program has helped students for the past 5 years learn technology and coding, entrepreneurship and STEM.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Actively listen, propose ideas to move the state of Iowa forward, provide solutions for people.

What legacy would you like to leave?

lower taxes, moving Iowa towards an income-tax-free state, better access to mental health, rapid response mental health units, expanded options, including vouchers for educational opportunities, fair incentives to expand jobs that work for all business, not just the shiny new ones.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

My first historical event I remember was the Blizzard of 1973 and the talk of Global Cooling.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I shared my brother's paper route, though technically it was his job and kept that from 11 or 12 for 3 or 4 years. My first personal job was a busboy at Babe Bisignano's Italian Restaurant downtown. It was amazing and let me meet and learn from a lot of people.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds

This book fascinates me because it shows how we as people move in herds, and sometimes vote and move against our own interests. It's made me a better political observer.

Grateful by Hezekiah Walker (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQy71bBnMbw)

I am song writer, so I relate to what Steven Tyler of Aerosmity says: I have at least one song CONSTANTLY moving in my head.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Life is always joy and struggle. I am grateful that any struggles have made me a better person.

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

Tenure and size of districts. The senate seems to move slower, and perhaps that's the way it's intended.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. It's supposed to be a citizen government where regular everyday citizens serve and get back to civilian life. This is not intended for a permanent political class.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Economic growth in the age of automation and artificial intelligence. As an award-winning tech engineer and entrepreneur, I'd love to be in a position to help use technology to lead us forward.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

The governor's job as it relates to the legislature is primarily one of leadership and overall direction. The legislators are closer to the people and should in turn inform the governor.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes. Even as a candidate, I constantly reach out to those in office to understand nuances of the law, the background of issues under discussion, and to explore ways to tackle problems. Plus, I meet regularly with other candidates to discuss plans of action and to pass information along. So should I be blessed enough to be elected, I would continue the camaraderie and education through constant communication.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

I'm interested in where I could be of the most benefit, such as Economic Growth, Education, Human Resources, Transportation, and Judiciary committees.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

I am looking at several

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

My current focus is representing the good people of District 39 and by extension the great people of Iowa.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

After I gave a speech mentioning my focus on mental health, a lady came up to me with tears in her eyes and said she was so glad that I mentioned mental heath as a primary focus. Why? She said it was her number one issue. But, she added, that if you had asked her a few months ago, it wouldn't have made her top 10 list of political concerns. But now that it's affected her family, she knows I'm on the right track in trying to expand and simplify the mental health navigation systems.