Joel Fry
2023 - Present
2025
1
Joel Fry (Republican Party) is a member of the Iowa House of Representatives, representing District 24. He assumed office on January 1, 2023. His current term ends on January 1, 2025.
Fry (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Iowa House of Representatives to represent District 24. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Fry serves as House majority whip.
Biography
Joel Fry was born in Des Moines, Iowa. Fry earned a B.A. from Simpson College and an M.S.W. from the University of Iowa. His career experience includes working as a therapist, a public speaker, a faculty member with Simpson College and the University of Iowa, a health care consultant, and the president of TEAM Restoration Ministries. Fry served as the co-chair of the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of Iowa’s Education Committee and Social Work Peer Group, on the National Peer Grant Review Committee with the American Cancer Society, and as the board chair of the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of Iowa.[1]
Committee assignments
2023-2024
Fry was assigned to the following committees:
- House Appropriations Committee
- House Education Committee
- House Human Resources Committee
- Public Safety Committee
- Health Policy Oversight Committee, Co-Chair
2021-2022
Fry was assigned to the following committees:
- House Appropriations Committee
- House Education Committee
- House Human Resources Committee
- Public Safety Committee
2019-2020
Fry was assigned to the following committees:
- House Appropriations Committee
- House Education Committee
- House Human Resources Committee
- Public Safety Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Iowa committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Education |
| • Human Resources, Chair |
| • Public Safety |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Fry served on the following committees:
| Iowa committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Administration and Rules |
| • Education |
| • Human Resources |
| • Labor |
| • Public Safety |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Fry served on the following committees:
| Iowa committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Administration and Rules |
| • Education |
| • Human Resources |
| • Labor |
| • Public Safety |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Fry served on the following committees:
| Iowa committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Commerce |
| • Human Resources, Vice chair |
| • Natural Resources |
| • Public Safety |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2024
Joel Fry did not file to run for re-election.
2022
See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Iowa House of Representatives District 24
Incumbent Joel Fry won election in the general election for Iowa House of Representatives District 24 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joel Fry (R) | 98.3 | 9,773 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.7 | 169 | ||
| Total votes: 9,942 | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 24
Incumbent Joel Fry advanced from the Republican primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 24 on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joel Fry | 99.2 | 2,824 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.8 | 23 | ||
| Total votes: 2,847 | ||||
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2020
See also: Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Iowa House of Representatives District 27
Incumbent Joel Fry defeated Cody Dilliner in the general election for Iowa House of Representatives District 27 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joel Fry (R) | 73.8 | 10,109 | |
 | Cody Dilliner (D) | 26.0 | 3,565 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 33 | ||
| Total votes: 13,707 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 27
Cody Dilliner advanced from the Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 27 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cody Dilliner | 98.8 | 1,403 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.2 | 17 | ||
| Total votes: 1,420 | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 27
Incumbent Joel Fry advanced from the Republican primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 27 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joel Fry | 98.9 | 2,546 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.1 | 28 | ||
| Total votes: 2,574 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jordan Omstead (R)
2018
General election
General election for Iowa House of Representatives District 27
Incumbent Joel Fry defeated Richard Foster in the general election for Iowa House of Representatives District 27 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joel Fry (R) | 69.0 | 7,691 | |
| Richard Foster (D) | 30.9 | 3,441 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 11 | ||
| Total votes: 11,143 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 27
Richard Foster advanced from the Democratic primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 27 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Richard Foster | 100.0 | 973 |
| Total votes: 973 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 27
Incumbent Joel Fry advanced from the Republican primary for Iowa House of Representatives District 27 on June 5, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joel Fry | 100.0 | 1,349 | |
| Total votes: 1,349 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Elections for the Iowa House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 18, 2016.
Incumbent Joel Fry defeated Rich Higdon in the Iowa House of Representatives District 27 general election.[2][3]
| Iowa House of Representatives, District 27 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Joel Fry Incumbent |
70.93% | 9,478 | |
| Democratic | Rich Higdon | 29.07% | 3,885 | |
| Total Votes | 13,363 | |||
| Source: Iowa Secretary of State | ||||
Rich Higdon ran unopposed in the Iowa House of Representatives District 27 Democratic primary.[4][5]
| Iowa House of Representatives, District 27 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Rich Higdon (unopposed) | |
Incumbent Joel Fry ran unopposed in the Iowa House of Representatives District 27 Republican primary.[4][5]
| Iowa House of Representatives, District 27 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Joel Fry Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the Iowa House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 14, 2014. Fred P. Diehl was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while incumbent Joel Fry was unopposed in the Republican primary. Diehl faced Fry in the general election.[6][7][8] Incumbent Fry defeated challenger Diehl in the general election.[9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joel Fry Incumbent |
66.8% | 6,609 | |
| Democratic | Fred P. Diehl | 33.2% | 3,278 | |
| Total Votes | 9,887 | |||
2012
Fry ran in the 2012 election for Iowa House of Representatives District 27. Fry defeated James Demichelis, Jr. in the Republican primary on June 5, 2012.[10][11]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joel Fry Incumbent |
67.4% | 8,230 | |
| Independent | Ruth Eileen Smith | 32.6% | 3,977 | |
| Total Votes | 12,207 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Joel Fry Incumbent |
85.5% | 1,473 |
| James Demichelis, Jr. | 14.5% | 249 |
| Total Votes | 1,722 | |
2010
Fry won election to the Iowa House of Representatives, defeating incumbent Michael Reasoner (D) in the November 2 general election.[12]
| Iowa House of Representatives, District 95 General Election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Joel Fry (R)
|
6,191 | |||
| Michael Reasoner (D) | 4,732 | |||
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Joel Fry did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Joel Fry did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2014
Fry's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[13]
Constitutional Rights
- Excerpt: "As citizens of a free country, we must stand up and abide by the Constitution of the United States. I will fight to uphold those basic rights of the Iowa Constitution to their fullest."
Economic Development
- Excerpt: "I understand the need for less bureaucracy and taxation. I support a reduction in property taxes that will ultimately fuel business and create more job opportunities. Stimulating an environment where entrepreneurial business can begin is critical to the rural way of life as well as returning Iowa's sons and daughters back to their native homes."
Education
- Excerpt: "Every family deserves the choice of how best to meet the educational needs of their children. Many families are unable to choose to place their children in private or home school programs due to financial constraints. I will help create programs that allow parents the choice of how to educate their children. These options should be available to all citizens regardless of economic status."
Honest Leadership
- Excerpt: "Overwhelmingly, constituents everywhere raise intense frustration over the Iowa Supreme Court stripping Iowans of our constitutional right to vote on the definition of marriage. I am committed to standing firm on allowing the citizens of the state to vote on this issue."
Iowa's Economy
- Excerpt: "I believe that a more stable economy means a more stable home life for all Iowans. The current economic conditions have affected all households which ultimately caused us all to review our household budget. In that review each family has to make decisions where they will choose to continue spending their income. The same must be true for government."
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Fry and his wife, Heather, have three children.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Iowa scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 9 to May 4.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 10 to May 24.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 11 to May 19.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 13 to June 14. The session was suspended from March 16 through June 3.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 14 through April 27.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 8 through May 5.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 9 through April 22.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 11 through April 29.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 12 through June 5.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the 85th Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 13 through May 2.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 14 to May 23.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the 84th Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 9 to May 9.[16]
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See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Iowa Legislature, "Joel Fry - All Years," accessed May 13, 2023
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "General Candidate List, 2016," accessed August 24, 2016
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "2016 General Election Canvass Summary," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Iowa Secretary of State, "Candidate Listing by Office," March 21, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Iowa Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Canvass Summary," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official primary election candidate list," accessed March 18, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed June 30, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official general election candidate list," accessed July 7, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed December 1, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official Primary Results," accessed October 1, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Department of Elections, "2012 Primary Candidates," accessed May 15, 2012
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official 2010 General election results," accessed October 1, 2014
- ↑ fryforiowahouse.com, "Official campaign website," accessed September 25, 2014
- ↑ ACLU Iowa, "Legislative Report & Civil Liberties Scorecard," accessed July 11, 2017
- ↑ ACLU of Iowa, "Legislative Report & Civil Liberties Scorecard," accessed July 11, 2017
- ↑ StateScape, "Session schedules," accessed August 2, 2014
- ↑ ACLU of Iowa, "Civil Liberties report card," accessed July 11, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Cecil Dolecheck (R) |
Iowa House of Representatives District 24 2023-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Iowa House of Representatives District 27 2011-2023 |
Succeeded by Kenan Judge (D) |
