A Newton teacher is providing a Democratic challenge to the new Senate District 19.

Tyler Stewart is running for the seat created in the latest round of redistricting, which includes all of Jasper County and most of Marion County outside of Knoxville. Stewart is a Hampton, Iowa native and Central College graduate frustrated with Republican-led legislation since the GOP took control of both chambers of the Iowa Statehouse in 2016.

“Both of my parents were middle class workers–my mom worked at a fast food restaurant and my dad worked at a factory, and we struggled to make ends meet, and I ended up graduating from high school — and I always tell people that because I had really good public educators, I went to Central College and wanted to be a teacher so I could replicate that experience for my students,” he says.

“I’ve had a very successful teaching career so far — I’ve won a national award and a couple of state awards, and I really enjoy my job, but over the last couple of years, the way the GOP has kind of gone after teachers and attacked them in the state legislature has motivated me to decide to start running and to hopefully change things from within.”

Stewart is the first Democrat to announce intentions to run; two Republicans currently in the Iowa Legislature have done so already — District 40 State Senator Ken Rozenboom, who is reversing a previous decision to retire, and current District 28 Representative Jon Thorup, who announced his plans to run following final approval of the new legislative maps — both of whom would have to move into the new district to be elected.

Stewart will join several other Democrats running in federal and state elections at the Annual Marion County Democrats Soup Luncheon on Sunday, March 6 from 1-4 p.m. at the Knoxville Raceway Sprint Car Hall of Fame.