Ken Croken
American politician (born 1950)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kenneth R. Croken (born 1950)[1] is an American politician and retired attorney who has represented the 97th district of the Iowa House of Representatives since January 2023, which consists of part of eastern Davenport in Scott County. He is a member of the Democratic Party.[2]
Ken Croken | |
|---|---|
| |
| Member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 97th district | |
| Assumed office January 9, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Norlin Mommsen (redistricting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1950 (age 75–76) Long Branch, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Kathryn McKnight (d. 2021) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Saint Joseph's University New England Law Boston |
Early life
Croken was born in 1950 in Long Branch, New Jersey, and was raised in Keansburg, New Jersey.[2] He attended Mater Dei High School.[3] He received a bachelor's degree from Saint Joseph's University and a Juris Doctor from New England Law Boston.[2]
Political career
Croken won a seat on the Scott County Board of Supervisors in 2018.[4]
Croken announced his candidacy for the 97th district of the Iowa House of Representatives in November 2021, shortly after decennial redistricting.[4] He won the Democratic primaries unopposed on June 7, 2022, and defeated Libertarian Andrew Onsgard in the general election on November 8 by over 3,500 votes. He subsequently resigned from the Scott County Board of Supervisors.[5]
In August 2023, Croken announced that he was running for mayor of Davenport.[6] He was defeated in the general election by incumbent Mike Matson by over 1,600 votes.[7]
In 2024, Croken filed to run for reelection to the Iowa House.[8] He won the Democratic primaries unopposed on June 4, 2024, and will face Republican Josue Rodriguez in the general election on November 5, 2024.[5]
Croken currently serves on the Administration and Rules, Labor and Workforce, Local Government, and Ways and Means committees.[9]
Personal life
Croken has two adult children and resides in Davenport.[2] His wife Kathryn died of breast cancer in 2021.[1] He is a retired attorney and former communications and government relations manager. He is also an adjunct faculty member at St. Ambrose University and is a member of the Quad Cities River Bandits ownership group.[4]
Electoral history
* = incumbent
| Election | Political result | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa House of Representatives Democratic primary elections, 2022 [5] District 97 Turnout: 1,434 | Democratic (newly redistricted) | Ken Croken | Democratic | 1,421 | 99.1 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 13 | 0.9 | |||||
| Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2022 [5] District 97 Turnout: 7,856 | Democratic (newly redistricted) | Ken Croken | Democratic | 5,638 | 71.8 | ||
| Andrew Onsgard | Libertarian | 2,092 | 26.6 | ||||
| Other/Write-in votes | 126 | 1.6 | |||||
| Davenport mayoral election, 2023 [10] Turnout: 10,862 | Democratic | Mike Matson* | Democratic | 6,258 | 57.6 | ||
| Ken Croken | Democratic | 4,604 | 42.4 | ||||