Ryan Melton

Ryan Melton was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He earned a bachelor's degree from Iowa State University in 2005. He earned a graduate degree from Kansas University in 2008. His career experience includes working as a supervisor in the area of personal lines insurance.[1]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a 39 year old husband and father of 2 boys. I work as a people leader at a Fortune 100 Auto and Home insurance company. This is my second time running for this seat. I reject corporate PAC money, and consider myself to be a populist Democrat who sees much to improve upon when it comes to the status quo in our Congressional District, one that has long been hollowing out and seeing declines in vital quality of life indicators across the board.

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?

First, I was arguably the first candidate for office in Iowa to run against the carbon capture pipelines and the eminent domain abuse, public health threat, excessive water use, and waste of tax payer money they'd bring. My opponent, Randy Feenstra, on the other hands, is a public supporter of these pipelines and has taken a lot of money from the godfather of Summit's pipelines, Bruce Rastetter.I'm looking to address the water quality and cancer crisis that are afflicting our district. We have the 2nd highest cancer incidence rate in the country, and we're the only state with a rising cancer incidence rate, and yet our electeds typically don't talk about it, afraid they'll upset special interests groups and corporate donors. Too many people are sick and dying here, we need to ask the tough questions and bring everyone to the table in a non-judgmental way to solution the problem together.The vast majority of the 36 counties in our 4th Congressional District have seen decades of population decline. This hollowing out has been driven by an emphasis on driving away small and mid scale farmers, young people, and unionized labor to cement Republican Party political power in rural Iowa. As a result, we now are last as a state in mental health care bed availability rate, last in OB-GYN availability rate, our public ed rankings are plummeting, we have one of the worst cases of expert/college grad brain drain in the country, and our per capital household income is lower than most of our surrounding states. My opponent is amplifying these trends by rejecting any community improvement earmark money in Congress.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The top 3 I just mentioned are areas of high passion for me.

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

No one really comes to mind. I don't try to model myself after anyone in particular. I just want to stack good decisions on top of each other throughout my life and hope those come to define me.

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

No, I just do what I think is right.

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

Bravery, telling the truth regardless of who it bothers, remaining independent by rejecting corporate money, focusing not on distractions that most don't care about but instead prioritizing the actual major issues that affect most people.

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

I'm honest, I've proven with my M.A. in U.S. History that I can learn complex subject matter, synthesize it, and apply it, I care about people, I'm not wealthy and have spent many years living paycheck to paycheck, and I'd like to think I'm a brave fighter for the greater good.

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

Listen to their constituents, reject corporate PAC money so I'm only beholden to my constituents, remain open minded so I can continue to grow, fight for those who need the most advocacy, eradicate poverty to the best of my ability, drive economic opportunity, prioritize public health and landowner rights, and many more.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want people to think of me as a good man. That'd be fine by me.

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

A blizzard in Omaha when I was roughly 3 or so that drove an interest in meteorology/climate.

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

Newspaper delivery when I was a kid in Omaha, NE and Laurens, IA. A few months or so each time. Those Sunday papers in Omaha were heavy. Definitely put some hair on my chest delivering those while being chased by angry dogs.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Siddhartha, since it does such a good job showing the journey one goes on as they grow and learn. It has been a while since I've read it though. I also like Cry, The Beloved Country as it showed the impact of racism and apartheid on people in very practical, descriptive ways.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

None come to mind at the moment. I'm at peace with who I am for the most part but there's always work to do to become the best dad, husband, neighbor, family member, and friend I can and want to be.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car"

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

My weight. Definitely my biggest struggle. It's an everyday fight to be healthy.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

It's very responsive to local needs.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

It depends. Often, that experience seems to corrupt people rather than help them grow positively.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

1. Financial stress. 60% of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck, and our federal minimum wage remains immorally low.

2. Corporate money in politics for the reasons previously cited.

3. Health care: We need a single payer universal health care plan

4. Rural collapse: We're facing a massive aging out of our farmers and a ramp up in consolidation of landownership and power in ag, which harms everyone else in rural Iowa more and more.

5. Climate change caused by humans: I do believe it's an existential threat, but there's too much grift and false solutions being peddled in the name of raking in massive amounts of federal tax credits that are sullying the good name of climate change mitigation advocacy. We need to clean that up.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

I'd make it 4 years personally. 2 year terms mean you are constantly in re-election mode, taking focus away from legislating true, long-lasting solutions.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I'm open to them but I don't think they get to the root of corruption. We need to ban stock trading if you're a sitting member of Congress, we need to ban the Congress to plush lobbyist job pipeline, we need to overturn Citizens United and get corporate money out of politics, etc.

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

No, I'm just trying to make the right decisions every time and stack them on top of each other.

Both sitting representatives 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?

Someone living in my district during my '22 run was married at the time, and her husband was dying of cancer from his exposure to toxic burn pits from his military service overseas. At the time, the Biden Administration was wanting to sign the PACT Act to expand VA health care access to those veterans suffering with the after effects of that exposure. My opponent had voted against the PACT Act the first time it was in front of him in the U.S. House, so I made it a priority to fight for those afflicted with these severe illnesses. I'm proud that my forced accountability on my opponent in part drove hi to vote for the PACT Act the 2nd time it came in front of him in the US House, and I'm grateful to the Biden Administration it is now law.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Dad jokes are usually my fare but I can't think of a specific one right now and I'm very tired.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

We definitely need to invest in our district's communities but we need to do it wisely, with accountability and transparency mechanisms. We shouldn't be wasteful with taxpayer money.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

If there is an act of wrongdoing that rises to the level of national threat that's within our purview as members of the U.S. House to investigate, we should, regardless of partisan influence.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

UAW, NEA, AFL-CIO, The Committee to Protect Health Care, SEIU, Newtown Action Alliance.

What committees interest you?

Labor, Public Health, Environment, Rural, Education

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

There should be as much of it as possible. There's far too much corruption and disproportionate corporate power that affects our politics and governance.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a 37-year old father of 2 sons, a husband, and a people leader at Nationwide Insurance. I've lived in the 4th district here in Iowa for about 20 years. I am a graduate of Iowa State University, with a degree in History and Political Science, and of Kansas University, where I earned a Master's in U.S. History. I'm running because of the unprecedented attack we're seeing on our democratic institutions. The preservation of our democracy is not guaranteed. We need to protect it at all costs, as it's through it that the people are protected. I'll run on a "putting people first" campaign, where I'll focus on relevant, impactful issues that if solved for, would make the lives of our citizens in the 4th district better.

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?

People should vote for me because I'm running for the right reasons. I'm running for them. When you compare my stances against Randy Feenstra's, it is clear I'm the candidate of the people and for the people.People will see that I have a history of being a quick learner. I want to get to know the people of our district so I can advocate for them.People understand that what happened on January 6, combined with the other anti-democratic efforts we're seeing at all levels, is untenable. We can not allow this to be the new norm. I'm the only candidate that recognizes the urgency of this moment.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

-Universal Health Care

-Affordable and Accessible Child Care

-Paying our teachers and child care workers what they deserve, as they often are paid well below their worth, causing retention issues that will have significant downstream impacts in our communities

-Keeping public money in public education, and properly funding our public schools

-Promoting competition in Agriculture to fight back against the trend toward monopoly that not only harms our farmers, but our supply chain, our environment, and the well-being of our communities

-Federally mandated living wage and paid family medical leave

-Defending the rights and well-being of at risk populations, such as People of Color, Women, the Disabled, and the LGBTQ+ communities

-Making college more affordable and working to mitigate the debt load that's impairing the spending potential and financial independence of our people.

-Protecting voting rights and pushing back against the weakening of our democracy

-To see my other stances, please go to meltonforiowa.com

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

My wife. She's so resilient, perseverant, and committed to doing good for the people in her orbit. Politically, I'm inspired by Bernie Sanders and his lifelong efforts for pursuing justice for our people.

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

No. I'd encourage them to read my stances and get to know me personally, as I'm my own person.

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

Honesty. Care for the people. Running for selfless reasons. Always being open minded to new arguments, data, or ways of doing things. Always seeking to learn. Having unnegotiable values of democracy, fairness, and care as your solid bedrock from which all decisions are made.

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

Honesty, I'm running for selfless reasons, I look at myself as a servant leader, I'm always looking to learn more about our district so I can best advocate for our people, I love people, I still care about people that don't share all of my political views, I'm a quick learner, and I'm not afraid to speak truth to power.

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

One needs to be educated as to the pressing issues within the district that really impact people's lives. They then need to support legislation that rectifies those issues to the best of their ability. They should be transparent and accessible as they are there to serve the people. One needs to eschew the culture war issues that divide us while leading to negligible benefit for the people.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I simply want people to remember me as someone who loved, cared for, and advocated for people who were in need of a supporter and who are struggling with stressors in life that we have the resources and ability to solve for.

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

My first memory is of a major blizzard in Omaha, where I was born and raised. This inspired my love for meteorology, which is what I initially majored in at Iowa State University.

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

My first job post-undergrad was as a Graduate Teaching Assistant teaching history courses at Kansas University while pursuing my Master's degree. I had this job for my first academic year at KU.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Siddhartha really resonated with me, as it did such an amazing job of digging into the conscience of someone who was learning what life was all about. I also have always remembered Cry, the Beloved Country, as it was so poetic and jarring regarding race and discrimination. I'm an historian by education, so Glenda Gilmore's Gender and Jim Crow and Donald Worster's Dust Bowl have always resonated with me, long after graduate school, not only because of their ability as writers, but the immense expertise present within their scholarship.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

I always struggle with this question, because I'm just focused on doing whatever I can to be the best dad, husband, and person I can be every day. I try to avoid hero-worship or envy, so I'd say I don't really have a fictional character I'd wish to be. I just want to be my best self. I scratch the surface of that sometimes but have a drive to be who I want to be all the time. I think I'm getting there, but I'll be fighting that battle along with everyone else until the day I die.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

I've been on a Paramore/Hailey Williams kick lately, so really anything by them. I'd say my favorite musicians though are David Gray, Nirvana, Bon Iver, Hozier, etc.

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

I come from poverty, and have had to fight towards some semblance of financial independence to be able to provide for my children for most of my adult life. It's been a really stressful journey, but it's given me the experience to know what the people in our district struggle with every day.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

How closely tied its members are (or should be) to the district they represent.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

It depends. There are representatives, just like there are people in all walks of life, that will use their prior experience to create good for the people, and there are those that will use their experience and knowledge of the system to only bring change for themselves and their donors.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Protecting and preserving our democracy, followed by the need to change the status quo narrative in this country that the working class is simply supposed to be poor and are just supposed to have harder lives. Our people work hard, and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. There are so many areas of their lives where obstacles are in place holding them back from financial independence and overall contentment, and we have the resources to solve for them. We should not accept the continuing wage gap disparity and all of its downstream impacts as normal and unchangeable. We need to treat all people with dignity and respect.

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

I would prefer to work on committees that directly work to protect our democracy, our at-risk populations, our working class and poor, and the environment.

If you are a current representative, why did you join your current committees?

N/A

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

I don't think so. It seems like representatives are in a near-continuous campaign mode, when they should be working to bring meaningful change via legislation. 4 years seems sufficient to me.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I don't think term limits are really the root cause of the issue regarding corruption in government. If someone is a true fighter for the people every day, why shouldn't they be in Congress long term? The root cause of corruption in government is the need for campaign finance reform, voting rights protections, and many other issues where the wealthiest among us continue to get wealthier, and as such, continue to have more power over our Democracy.

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

Bernie Sanders, Katie Porter, and Jaime Raskin are the first that come to mind.

Both sitting representatives 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?

My mother's story is really compelling to me, as through many aspects of her life, we can see how we can do better for our people. My mother is a recovering substance abuse addict who was facing homelessness back in Omaha, who had to figure out primarily on her own with family support how to overcome that. So, I moved her to be closer to my wife and I so we could help.

She also is on disability benefits after decades of working through mental and physical health struggles that she often didn't have the money or health care access to solve for. It was a long, stressful struggle to obtain those benefits, as her family had to help her quite often to obtain them. Since she's on a low fixed income, she doesn't have transportation, so needs to rely on my wife and I to get to doctor's appointments, the store, etc. She's a fighter, and I'm proud of her. But what if she didn't have family support? Many don't. There are so many gaps that our vulnerable people can fall through. We need to focus on properly allocating resources to help our people in need, to solve for our social safety net gaps, as people like my mom have worked hard for the communities they've been part of.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Our current tax system.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes, I think that's where we should start, but at some point, if the other side decides they are completely close minded on working with us, we need to find other ways to bring needed change for the people.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

Currently, we have tax policy that exacerbates the wealth disparity in our nation that has so many detrimental downstream impacts for our people. So, I'd focus on making the wealthiest among us pay their fair share of taxes. I'd also prioritize ensuring that there are fraud guardrails so money allocation that we approve to help solve for gaps is spent efficiently and fairly.

Campaign website

Melton's campaign website stated the following:

Health Care & Prescription Drug Prices

We are one of the only industrialized nations without guaranteed, universal health care. If we really are a district that values the dignity of life, we would prioritize the implementation of universal health care. Our rural hospitals are at risk of closure, something that Medicare for All would help to solve. With Medicare for All, we could see any doctor we wanted to see, instead of having to go far out of the way for “in-network” treatment. Additionally, a Medicare for All system would help alleviate crippling medical debt that hinders our independence to live the lives we deserve.

It is clear our current prescription drug pricing model is not working for Iowans. Fixing this and making it possible for our people to access the medications they need to live their lives will be a top priority. It is unconscionable that Big Pharma has the ability to hike up the prices for prescription drugs that people rely upon, without regard for their well-being or ability to pay those prices. Within a Medicare for All framework, we would allow Medicare to negotiate better prescription drug prices. While we are working towards Medicare for all, we need to continue to strengthen the Affordable Care Act. While the act has done plenty of good things, we still have burdensome deductibles and other concerns we need to prioritize resolving.

Every Iowan should have affordable access to all necessary health care services and affordable prescription drugs.

Support for Children & Families

We need to continue to fight for affordable, accessible child care and a continuation of the Child Tax Credit monthly pay out program. The program that was implemented in 2021 lifted 3 million children out of poverty. We also severely underpay our child care workers. We should appropriately compensate care-givers to draw more of our best and brightest into the field. This would help address child care availability issues, which is a big problem in the 4th district. Hundreds of thousands of Iowans live in child care deserts, which suppresses the ability of households to gain financial independence and to live the lives they want. We should also be funding grant programs in these and other high-need industries to provide for education/training/start up costs to help people meet regulatory requirements so we can safely fill availability and accessibility gaps quickly.

Every Iowa Family should have access to quality, affordable child care.

Funding our Public Schools

We need to pay our teachers more to attract and retain quality educators so we can provide our children with the educational opportunities they deserve. Iowa ranks as low as 46th in the nation for starting teacher pay. We need to embrace and be grateful for our teachers, in word and in deed. We also need to ensure each school is provided with the resources they need to provide for those who have disabilities. Teachers should be empowered to teach an accurate history of our nation. We can not shy away from our history, as those that do are doomed to repeat it. We also need to prioritize anti-bullying education efforts and drive accountability in this space so our students and teachers have a safe environment. Again, if we truly are going to be a district that respects the unconditional value of life, we should be paying our teachers commensurate with the impact they have on the future of our community and our nation.

We need to fund Iowa schools and provide adequate pay, resources and support to our teachers.

Support for Mental Health & Addiction Services

We have long had a problem in Iowa regarding our lack of mental health and addiction treatment services. With all Iowans learning to navigate life during a pandemic on top of the already existing stressors we face, it is time to re-evaluate how we treat and fund mental health services. I will prioritize bolstering our mental health and addiction treatment capacity to protect our citizens. I will also fight for federal legislation making it harder for corporations that sell opioids to avoid legal consequences for knowingly disseminating their product in a harmful way. In addition, we need to treat addiction/drug use like a medical condition and not a crime. When people fear legal repercussions, they are far less likely to seek the help they need.

Mental health care and addiction treatment services should be treated as a medical necessity.

Jobs, Wages, and Financial Independence

Financial stress often makes it harder for us to raise our children the way we would like to, increases mental health issues, and prevents us from pursuing the lives we wish to live. Per the USDA, rural communities have not seen as much success in recovering from the Great Recession as urban areas have. This is not simply attributable to the fact that there’s a higher rate of retirees per capita in rural areas. As such, it is important to advocate for the revitalization of our rural communities. We need to continue to prioritize programs to revive main-street districts, funded by grants. We will also work to spur job creation in the 4th district, by prioritizing infrastructure improvements like high speed internet so Iowans have access to expanded work-from-home job opportunities. Future Ready Iowa is a great example of a governmental program that can facilitate partnerships between businesses and local communities to create job training and career opportunities.

We also need to fight back against the ever-increasing consolidation of power in the hands of a few large agricultural corporations that leads to negative downstream impacts for our rural communities and economies, by promoting competition in ag so our smaller scale farmers have a fighting chance.

I will also fight for a federally-mandated living wage. It is not acceptable that any Iowan can work 40 hours per week and still not be able to pay for basic needs. Additionally, I will fight for unions and place focus on workplace safety.

We are also on the wrong side of history when it comes to federally-protected paid family leave. Our people shouldn’t be unsupported in this space as they are looking to create and support their families.

We also need to foster a financial independence mindset for our people. To do this, housing needs to be more affordable and accessible, as we’re seeing rent inflation as corporate landlords are becoming more common. We’re also dealing with a supply-and-demand crisis when it comes to homeownership, as supply chain and other issues are hindering the building of new homes, and crushing medical, college, and credit card debt is making it harder for our younger people to buy homes as first time homeowners. The cit