Jack Hatch

Personal life and education

Hatch, who struggled with dyslexia as a child, was born in Hartford, Connecticut. Hatch moved to Des Moines in 1968 as a freshman at Drake University. He graduated from Drake his B.S. in 1972 and his MPA in 1973. While a student at Drake, Hatch was elected student body president for the 1971-72 school year. In that school year he founded and organized the Ralph Nader inspired Iowa Student Public Interest Research group. After a petition drive on 13 college and university campuses, ISPIRG became a consumer-led interest group. Today, the organization still exists as Iowa PIRG. Prior to his election, Hatch organized the largest student volunteer program in the Midwest, The Revitalization Corps. The program sent more 750 students per year into inner-city tutoring programs and clinics offering counseling to mental health patients. Upon graduation he received the Orin E. Scott Award for the outstanding student of the year.

Hatch is married to Sonja Roberts. Together they live in the historic Sherman Hill neighborhood of Des Moines. They have two daughters, Reagan, 31, who is employed at Wells Fargo, and Caslon, 23, who is a reporter for KTUU, an NBC affiliate in Anchorage, Alaska.

Career

Hatch currently represents the 33rd District of the Iowa Senate. His district includes much of the city of Des Moines. Hatch currently serves on the Appropriations committee; the Economic Growth committee; the Human Resources committee; the Labor and Business Relations committee;and the State Government committee. He also chairs the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee.

Throughout his career, Hatch has helped write most of Iowa's major legislation over the past three decades. Hatch has primarily focused on issues relating to healthcare, education, children and families, and environmental proaction.

While in office, Hatch authored the 1989 Leaking Underground Storage Tank Act, co-sponsored legislation the creation of the Resource Enhancement Program, expanded Iowa’s Brownfield and Greyfield tax credits, created IMAGES (Iowa’s state-supported minority education scholarship program), created scholarship program to help foster kids attend state universities, co-sponsored earned income tax credits for low income earners, fought against discrimination to gays and lesbians in housing and employment and supported women’s right to choose and family planning programs. Hatch also led the state's comprehensive health care reform establishing Hawk-i, Iowa’s healthcare access program for young children.

Hatch's work reforming Iowa’s healthcare system gained him national prominence when, in 2009, he was appointed chair of the White House Working Group of State Legislators for Health Reform. In that capacity, he led state legislators, in advising the President and Congress on national proposals for health reform.

Hatch was re-elected in 2006 and in 2010, running unopposed both times.

In 1997, together with his wife Sonja, Hatch founded Hatch Development Group, a company that builds affordable housing in low-income neighborhoods. Working with neighborhood leaders, city and county officials, lenders and investors, Hatch designed, built and managed eight housing communities.

Prior to serving in the Iowa Senate, Hatch twice served in the Iowa House of Representatives and served as the state director for U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin. Hatch also served as board member of the Des Moines Water Works in 1998, a board member of Des Moines Public Housing from 1996 to 1997, a board member of Children & Families of Iowa from 1980 to 1984.

2014 Gubernatorial Election

In 2013, Hatch announced his candidacy for Governor of Iowa. Hatch faced Republican incumbent Terry Branstad. Hatch focused his campaign on raising the minimum wage in Iowa, expanding healthcare and education access to children and cleaning environmental resources across the state.

In June 2014, Monica Vernon, a Cedar Rapids city councilwoman and advertising firm owner, joined Hatch's campaign as the candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Iowa.