June 30, 2026 | Source: Substack,com | by Robert Leonard and Jason Walsmith
With “Portraits of Democracy in Action,” Jason and I continue our collaboration, highlighting Iowans from different walks of life.
Jason and I attended the Iowa State Democratic Convention in Des Moines on Saturday, June 13, where we spoke with attendees and Jason shot photographs. We began our series “Portraits of Democracy in Action” with interviews and photographs of three members of the Iowa Creator Corps, and today we will continue with the first of several candidates for office and other people at the convention.
Our first interview was with Liz Fleming, aka “Liz from Iowa,” and can be found here. The second interview, with Maddie Houser Webb, is here. The third interview with Jen Geigley can be found here.
Today’s interview is with Chris Jones, a former University of Iowa water quality researcher and chemist who is running as a Democrat to be Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture. His opponent is Republican incumbent and former Monsanto lobbyist Mike Naig.
