Jerome Amos Jr. (born 1954) is an American politician, teacher and former machinist who has represented the 62nd district in the Iowa House of Representatives since January 2023, which consists of parts of northeast Black Hawk County, including much of northeastern Waterloo. He is a member of the Democratic Party.[1]
Jerome Amos Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 62nd district | |
| Assumed office January 9, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Ras Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1954 (age 69–70) Waterloo, Iowa, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Tina Harmon |
| Children | 7 |
| Education | Upper Iowa University |
| Occupation | Adjunct instructor |
Early life
editAmos Jr. was born in 1954 in Waterloo, Iowa, where he was raised. He graduated from Waterloo East High School in 1972 and attended Upper Iowa University for one year in 1974 before working for John Deere.[citation needed]
Political career
editFollowing decennial redistricting in 2021, Amos Jr. announced his intent to run for the 62nd district in the Iowa House of Representatives after incumbent Ras Smith announced he would not seek reelection.[2] He won the Democratic primaries unopposed on June 7, 2022, and won the general election on November 8 unopposed with over 96 percent of the vote.[3]
In 2024, Amos Jr. filed to run for reelection.[4] He won the Democratic primaries unopposed on June 4, 2024, and will run unopposed in the general election on November 5, 2024.[3]
Amos Jr. currently serves on the Appropriations, Labor and Workforce, Local Government, and Public Safety committees.[5]
Amos Jr. has advocated for labor unions, being a member of the local United Auto Workers chapter. He also supports marijuana legalization.[6][2]
Prior to his election to the House, Amos Jr. served on the Waterloo City Council from 2016 to 2023. He has also served on the Iowa Workforce Development Board, Iowa Energy Sector Partnership, and various Black Hawk County boards.[1]
Personal life
editAmos Jr. has a wife, Tina Harmon-Amos, and seven adult children. He resides in Waterloo. He has served as an adjunct instructor at Hawkeye Community College since 2013, and previously worked as a machinist at John Deere for 36 years.[1][6]
In 2019, Amos Jr. was fined $20 for failing to file his campaign finance report by the deadline while serving as a Waterloo City Council member.[7]
In 2023, Amos Jr. filed for chapter 13 bankruptcy, claiming $93,700 in liabilities, mainly mortgage, an auto loan and over $11,000 in tax debt. U.S. Bank had filed for foreclosure in May 2022.[8]
Electoral history
edit| Election | Political result | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa House of Representatives Democratic primary elections, 2022 [3] District 62 Turnout: 1,282 | Democratic (newly redistricted) | Jerome Amos Jr. | Democratic | 1,280 | 99.8 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 2 | 0.2 | |||||
| Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2022 [3] District 62 Turnout: 6,105 | Democratic (newly redistricted) | Jerome Amos Jr. | Democratic | 5,917 | 96.9 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 188 | 3.1 | |||||
References
edit- ^ a b c "State Representative - All Years". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ a b Perreault, Daniel (February 20, 2022). "Jerome Amos Jr. announces candidacy for Iowa legislature". KWWL. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Jerome Amos Jr". Ballotpedia. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ "primarycandidatelist.pdf" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
- ^ "State Representative". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "New Legislators: Jerome Amos Jr. Wants To Be A Voice For Labor Movement". Iowa Starting Line. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ Jamison, Tim (November 12, 2019). "Schmitt, Amos get small fines for campaign finance errors". The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ Reinitz, Jeff (February 10, 2023). "Jerome Amos files for bankruptcy". The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Retrieved May 18, 2024.