University of Iowa Law Professor and former Faculty Senate President Christina Bohannan, a Democrat, announced her candidacy for the Iowa House District 85 seat on Monday.

District 85 encompasses northern Iowa City and Manville Heights. The seat is currently held by Rep. Vicki Lensing, D-Johnson.

Bohannan said in a news release that, if elected, she will focus on restoring unions’ collective-bargaining rights, raising the minimum wage for Iowa, and encouraging the state to lead the way for others in sustainability and alternative energies.

“Iowa has a history of supporting common-sense progressive values,” Bohannan said in the release. “It is time to restore Iowa’s values, reclaim Iowa’s legacy, and fulfill Iowa’s promise. I’m running for Iowa House District 85 because I am all in.”

Before her tenure as a UI professor, Bohannan worked as an environmental engineer at the State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

At the UI, Bohannan was a member of the 2015 presidential search committee that appointed Bruce Harreld as the 21st UI president. As then-UI Faculty Senate president, she supported a vote expressing the Senate’s lack of confidence in the state Board of Regents’ decision-making process to appoint Harreld.

Faculty Senate functions as a way for its members to communicate with administrators at the UI. The “no-confidence” vote was a response to faculty concerns about the process of the presidential search, the DI reported.

Harreld met privately with several regents and members of the search committee — including Bohannan — before his hiring. Faculty had reported feeling he lacked qualifications to succeed on the job, given his lack of higher-education administrative experience. Faculty skepticism over the search prompted rumors that Faculty Senate leadership would be asked to resign.

Bohannan touted her personal experiences with higher education as a first-generation college student in her announcement.

“I am the product of public education,” Bohannan said. “Education provides people of all backgrounds — like me — the opportunity for a better life.”

Bohannan’s campaign will host a kickoff fundraiser at Big Grove Brewery in Iowa City at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 13.

“Iowa City can help to lead the state forward, win back Iowa’s values, and make our state better for everyone,” Bohannan said.