Senator Zach Wahls

Zach Wahls was first elected to the Iowa Senate in 2018. He was elected to his second term in 2022, representing Senate District 43, which includes Coralville, North Liberty, Solon, part of western Iowa City, and rural northeast Johnson County.

Zach ran for the Iowa Senate to give all Iowans a voice. Growing up in a non-traditional family, he learned early in life what it felt like to be left out, and he remembers how hard families like his had to fight to get a seat at the table.

Prior to his election, Zach worked primarily as an advocate in the LGBTQ civil rights movement following his 2011 testimony before the Iowa House Judiciary Committee in defense of marriage equality and his “two mom” family. In this capacity, he wrote extensively about his family’s experience, including a best-selling book, and has spoken to hundreds of audiences, including a prime-time speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention. 

An Eagle Scout, Zach co-founded and led Scouts for Equality, which successfully executed a national campaign to end discrimination against LGBTQ people in the Boy Scouts of America.

Outside of the Legislature, Zach serves as the Vice President for Community Investment and Development at GreenState Credit Union, Iowa’s largest financial cooperative. He also owns and operates a small business with his sister, selling custom-made playing cards, and he is a co-owner of his family tree farm in northeast Iowa.

Zach completed his Masters in Public Affairs from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs in 2018 and his Bachelors from the University of Iowa in 2014. He married his wife, Dr. Chloe Angyal, in 2021, and they live with their dog, Zelda, in Coralville.