Ben Nizzi is President of Ironworkers Local 67 in Des Moines.

In more than fourteen years as a member of Ironworkers Local 67, I have never seen our union make an elected official a dues-paying member. Not once. Until now.

A few weeks ago, Ironworkers Local 67 welcomed Iowa State Senator Zach Wahls into our union. This is the first time in our history we have extended this honor to an elected official. I want to explain why, because it speaks to Zach’s character and why Iowa workers need him in the U.S. Senate.

This was not a political gesture, nor did Zach ask for it. We reviewed his record, saw how he shows up for working people, and decided he had earned it. When our brothers and sisters are on the picket line, Zach is there not for a photo op, but because he believes in the fight. Our members know the difference.

Throughout his career in the Iowa Senate, Zach has fought for good paying jobs, strong benefits, and collective bargaining rights. He was even removed from leadership because he challenged his own caucus for not doing enough for Iowa workers. He chose his integrity and the Iowa workforce over his title. That is the kind of leadership we need in Washington.

Zach has committed to being a day one co-sponsor of the PRO Act to strengthen organizing rights and crack down on union busting. Iowa needs a senator who fights for these protections rather than rubber stamping policies that ship jobs overseas and cut essential benefits.

Many union members in Iowa have stopped voting for Democrats. They feel the party stopped fighting for them long ago, prioritizing corporate donors over the people who build bridges and buildings. That frustration is valid. Zach is different. He refuses corporate PAC money and is not part of the Washington establishment. He grew up here and is raising his family here. When he speaks about how the system is rigged against working families, he isn’t reading a script; he’s describing a system he has fought at a personal cost.

This message resonates with people who have tuned out the Democratic Party. When Zach listens to ironworkers and speaks plainly about Washington corruption, people who haven’t trusted a Democrat In years realize he is one of us.

This distinction matters in his race against Representative Ashley Hinson. Hinson has voted against lowering insulin prices and against $5 billion in infrastructure investment that Iowa desperately needs. She has dismissed Medicaid cuts as “not a real problem” and continues to prioritize corporate interests over Iowa families. Zach Wahls can win by earning back the trust of working class Iowans who feel abandoned. He has spent his career making that case, and our union is proud to confirm this is our guy.

Ironworkers build this state. We build its bridges, its buildings, and its future. Iowa needs a senator who understands that and shows up for workers every day, not just on election day. That is why we welcomed Zach Wahls into Local 67, and why we are proud to stand with him.

In Solidarity,

Ben Nizzi

President, Ironworkers Local 67