When Mark Divitt voted in the June 2 Democratic primary he noted there was no candidate on his ballot for the Iowa House of Representatives. That led to his decision to run and Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart called a special nominating convention for House District 91 on July 9. About half of district voters live in Iowa County, and half in Johnson County, so the convention was held virtually. Divitt became the nominee.

On Saturday, July 18, Divitt formally launched his campaign in conjunction with the grand opening of the Iowa County Democrats’ campaign office in Williamsburg. In the meanwhile, he has been preparing for the campaign by meeting party officials and other candidates, creating campaign materials, and raising money. Who is Mark Divitt and what does he stand for? He’s a Democrat.

The candidate provided some biographical information as follows.

Born and raised in Northern California, I attended Sonoma State University and earned a B.S. in Computer Science, graduating cum laude. I started my career at Hewlett-Packard, then went on to work with a number of large companies and small startups as a software engineer and architect. Along the way I held numerous leadership roles, where I learned that listening, attention to detail, and hard work are the real keys to success.

I’m blessed to be the father of two successful children and grandfather to six great kids. I’m married to a wonderful woman originally from Benton County, and we moved back to Iowa to be closer to family and build a simpler, more grounded life.

Recently retired from a long tech career, I haven’t slowed down. I’ve been organizing neighbors, researching the regulatory process, and pushing for transparency in the fight against the proposed Morgan Valley Energy Center, a gas-fired power plant that would affect the air and water our communities depend on. That fight led me to found EcoInference.ai (Many Rivers Iowa LLC), where I’m building energy-efficient, privacy-respecting AI technology that runs right on a device you already own, like your phone or your computer, instead of relying on massive, resource-hungry data centers. If EcoInference.ai ever turns a profit, I’ve committed to donating all of it to local charities.

That fight taught me something: the people of District 91 deserve someone who will actually show up, listen, and do the work — not offer platitudes. I’m not a career politician — I’m a plain citizen, same as you, who wants to help. And I believe that’s exactly what our founders intended: neighbors stepping up to serve their communities for a time, then coming home. Iowa built its legislature as a citizen legislature for that very reason. That’s the spirit I’d bring to it, and that’s why I’m running.

Regarding policy, Divitt will seek diverse opinions in his campaign and if elected to the legislature. “I believe in free speech — not just for people I agree with, but for people I don’t,” he said. “Tolerance only means something if it cuts both ways: if you only defend the speech you like, you’re not defending free speech, you’re defending your own opinions.”

Divitt supports public schools, and recognizes the need to fund Iowa public schools first. Iowa’s school voucher system sends tax dollars from the public school system to private schools, and he would change the program. He sees a short-sighted governor who has information about the failure of vouchers in other states, yet hasn’t “hasn’t lifted a finger to fix Iowa’s program.” Divitt seeks to remedy that.

He believes small to mid-sized farms are the backbone of Iowa County and rural Johnson County. Divitt would support policies that impact these operations. Farming is a way of life in Iowa, he said, and farm families deserve a better regulatory environment to improve earnings.

His statement about water and air quality is straight forward. “I’ll push for transparency and enforceable standards, informed by direct experience fighting the Morgan Valley Energy Center power plant.”

If the topic of data centers and the energy and water they use is something of a moving target, Divitt has been in the fight for data center accountability. He believes ratepayers and rural communities shouldn’t foot the bill for someone else’s power and water demand.

Regarding mental health, Divitt sees the differences between the two counties he would represent. He views the Johnson County GuideLink Center as something that works, and would like to expand the concept to Iowa County and other parts of rural Iowa.

Mark Divitt supports a woman’s right to choose.

To learn more about Mark Divitt, or get involved in the campaign, check out his website at markdivittforiowa.org.