Union leader Cathy Glasson makes it official, is running for governor

After months of “exploring” a run for Iowa governor, union leader Cathy Glasson officially entered the race Tuesday.

Glasson, a nurse and president of the SEIU Local 199 union that represents health care workers at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and elsewhere, is one of seven Democratic candidates running for the June party primary.

She’s positioning herself as the most progressive candidate in the race, championing a higher minimum wage and state action on universal health coverage, among other policies.

“I’m inspired by the hundreds of working people I’ve listened to across Iowa who are ready to rise up for a $15 minimum wage, expanded union rights, universal health care, clean water and fully-funded public education,” she said in a statement Tuesday. “Iowans who are struggling to make it are demanding a seat at the table in 2018. They’re not going to let the politicians ignore them anymore.”

Glasson, 58, of Coralville, announced that she was exploring a run for governor in May and has been actively campaigning since then, appearing at party events and speaking on stage with the six other Democratic candidates.

As Glasson announced her candidacy in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, her campaign gathered supporters in Iowa City, Sioux City, Des Moines, Waterloo, Davenport, Ames and Burlington to knock doors in a “day of action.”