The Democratic candidate for governor has worked in health care and union organizing. She’s new to politics, but not governing.

We have an extraordinary opportunity to elect a governor who emerged by popular demand, not from establishment politics. Cathy Glasson, a grass-roots progressive Democrat, has a mission to construct well-defined and bold solutions to our state’s serious problems.

Start with health care. Glasson is an intensive-care nurse and understands health insurance. She knows it’s a for-profit industry selling a product that’s unaffordable. Unencumbered by corporate donations and the strings attached, she was able to design a comprehensive universal health-care plan for all Iowans.

Glasson does not propose half-measures. She wants a $15 minimum wage phased in quickly because it’s long overdue. Full-time workers such as nurses’ aides, custodians, and technicians shouldn’t need second jobs to survive, nor should they have to rely on public assistance. She also intends to fully fund public schools and strengthen employee unions.

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She’s new to politics but not to governing. As a former union organizer and president, Glasson knows how to negotiate, budget, manage, and deal with emergencies. She has the endorsement of National Nurses United and Iowa CCI Action.

There’s a growing movement in this country that’s about doing politics differently. On Feb. 5, you can join this wider view by caucusing for Cathy Glasson for governor.

— Betty Salmon