John Norwood

John Norwood is a West Des Moines Democrat running for Iowa Treasurer of State in 2026. He has lived in West Des Moines for more than 20 years, where he raised two children who graduated from West Des Moines Valley High School. Norwood brings over 30 years of experience in strategy, finance, governance, and public service, having managed multimillion-dollar portfolios and advised Iowa business owners on finance and accounting. Since 2019 he has served as a Business Advisor with the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program, coaching founders and CEOs across agriculture, manufacturing, and technology, and he has traveled to all 99 Iowa counties. He holds a BA from Williams College and both an MBA in Finance and a Master of Environmental Management from Yale University, and he is a longtime member of the CFA Society of Iowa. He previously served as a Polk County Soil and Water Conservation District commissioner.

Norwood says he is running to protect Iowa's fiscal future and strengthen opportunity for families, arguing that the Treasurer's role requires independence, transparency, and a willingness to oppose wasteful spending. His top priority is defending the Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System (IPERS), pledging to stand against efforts to privatize or weaken pension benefits for Iowa's public employees. He also emphasizes fiscal responsibility and budget discipline, eliminating wasteful spending, responsible debt management, returning unclaimed money to Iowans, and improving access to the ISave 529 college savings program.