# Ruth Ann Gaines

Ruth Ann Gaines is a Democratic member of the Iowa House for district 33.

- Party: Democrat
- Seat: Iowa House, district 33
- Serving since: 2023-01-01
- Current term: IA 2025–26 session
- Open States ID: ocd-person/dad6bcf1-d56a-4a10-a969-2980dd3582d8

Source: https://americaspoliticalpulse.com/p/dad6bcf1-d56a-4a10-a969-2980dd3582d8 (America’s Political Pulse, Polarization Research Lab), data through 2026-10-27. Data under CC BY 4.0. Cite as: Westwood, Sean J., and Yphtach Lelkes. 2024. America's Political Pulse [data set].

## Headline

Gaines missed 56% of 822 roll calls, the lowest attendance of 98 in the Iowa House (average 91.8%).

## Ideology (CSIP)

CSIP score −0.72 (standard error 0.03), from 57 donors and 600 roll calls. Negative is left of 0, positive right of it, on one scale for every official. 35% of State House Democrats score lower.

## Votes (IA 2025–26 session)

822 roll calls. Attendance 44% (Iowa House 91.8%). Party unity 97.0% (96.0%). 16 votes against the party majority.

Key votes:

- 2026-10-02 · voted nay · Shall the bill pass? · HF 2801 A bill for an act modifying the major economic growth attraction program, and including effective date provisions. · pass · https://openstates.org/ia/bills/2025-2026/HF2801/
- 2026-05-02 · voted not voting · Shall amendment H-8456 be adopted? · SF 639 A bill for an act creating a specialty business court, and including effective date provisions. · fail · https://openstates.org/ia/bills/2025-2026/SF639/
- 2026-05-02 · voted not voting · Shall amendment H-8451, to amendment H-8414, be adopted? · HF 2770 A bill for an act relating to and making appropriations to the justice system, providing fees, and including applicability provisions. · pass · https://openstates.org/ia/bills/2025-2026/HF2770/
- 2026-05-02 · voted not voting · Shall the bill pass? · SF 2480 A bill for an act relating to the taxation and regulation of alternative nicotine products and vapor products, making appropriations, and including… · pass · https://openstates.org/ia/bills/2025-2026/SF2480/
- 2026-05-02 · voted not voting · Shall the bill pass? · SF 2465 A bill for an act relating to agriculture, including by providing for the powers and duties of the department of agriculture and land stewardship,… · pass · https://openstates.org/ia/bills/2025-2026/SF2465/
- 2026-05-02 · voted not voting · Shall amendment H-8416, to amendment H-8414, be adopted? · HF 2770 A bill for an act relating to and making appropriations to the justice system, providing fees, and including applicability provisions. · fail · https://openstates.org/ia/bills/2025-2026/HF2770/
- 2026-05-02 · voted not voting · Shall amendment H-8417, to amendment H-8414, be adopted? · HF 2770 A bill for an act relating to and making appropriations to the justice system, providing fees, and including applicability provisions. · fail · https://openstates.org/ia/bills/2025-2026/HF2770/
- 2026-05-02 · voted not voting · Shall the bill pass? · HF 2794 A bill for an act establishing a sexual assault forensic examination center grant program and trust fund. · pass · https://openstates.org/ia/bills/2025-2026/HF2794/
- 2026-05-02 · voted not voting · Shall the bill pass? · HF 2797 A bill for an act relating to the peace officer, public safety, and emergency personnel bill of rights, and providing fees. · pass · https://openstates.org/ia/bills/2025-2026/HF2797/
- 2026-05-02 · voted not voting · Shall the bill pass? · HF 2617 A bill for an act relating to abandoned vehicles. · pass · https://openstates.org/ia/bills/2025-2026/HF2617/

## Legislation (IA 2025–26 session)

Sponsored 21 bills: 21 reached committee, 3 passed one chamber, 0 passed both, 0 became law. Cosponsored 0. 14.3% of sponsored bills got out of committee (Iowa House 13.4%; rank 37 of 98).

Recent sponsored bills:

- HF 2733: A bill for an act relating to water quality, including a water quality monitoring network and the water quality initiative, an agricultural best management… (in committee, 2026-03-09) https://openstates.org/ia/bills/2025-2026/HF2733/
- HR 109: A resolution honoring the Jordan House Museum for more than 180 years of historical service to the people of Iowa. (passed one chamber, 2026-03-30) https://openstates.org/ia/bills/2025-2026/HR109/
- HF 2384: A bill for an act relating to the maximum amount of unemployment benefits payable during a benefit year. (in committee, 2026-03-31) https://openstates.org/ia/bills/2025-2026/HF2384/
- HF 2385: A bill for an act prohibiting the misclassification of employees as independent contractors, providing penalties, and including applicability provisions. (in committee, 2026-03-31) https://openstates.org/ia/bills/2025-2026/HF2385/
- HJR 2008: A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to worker rights. (in committee, 2026-03-31) https://openstates.org/ia/bills/2025-2026/HJR2008/
- HF 2373: A bill for an act establishing a retirement savings plan trust, providing penalties, and including implementation provisions. (in committee, 2026-02-10) https://openstates.org/ia/bills/2025-2026/HF2373/
- HF 2380: A bill for an act providing for a community-based wage enforcement program for purposes of the state wage payment collection and minimum wage laws. (in committee, 2026-03-31) https://openstates.org/ia/bills/2025-2026/HF2380/
- HF 2378: A bill for an act increasing the state minimum hourly wage and providing for subsequent increases by the same percentage as the increase in federal social… (in committee, 2026-03-31) https://openstates.org/ia/bills/2025-2026/HF2378/
- HF 2223: A bill for an act relating to local and state government finances by modifying provisions relating to homestead property tax credits, providing a residential… (in committee, 2026-03-04) https://openstates.org/ia/bills/2025-2026/HF2223/
- HF 2206: A bill for an act relating to the manufacture, delivery, and possession of marijuana, the licensure of retail marijuana, providing fees, including excise… (in committee, 2026-01-29) https://openstates.org/ia/bills/2025-2026/HF2206/

## Campaign money (2026 cycle)

Itemized receipts $1,589 (State House Democrats median $40.4K). 100% of itemized individual money came from in state. Aggregates only; no individual donors.

## Links

- Official site: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/legislator?ga=91&personID=9413
- X: https://x.com/repruthagaines
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gainesforiowa/?hl=en
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-ann-gaines-58163889/

Full profile, with every chart and the methods: https://americaspoliticalpulse.com/p/dad6bcf1-d56a-4a10-a969-2980dd3582d8