Proud.

For years, this was synonymous with conversations I had about growing up in Iowa. A product of a rock-solid public-school system, I was taught perspective, patience and acceptance.

Dynamic arts and cultural opportunities were easily accessible. And sure, I recognized the outsized privilege I had growing up in Iowa City, the state’s liberal bastion. But in my travels across the state, I saw these opportunities exist in communities large and small.

Unfortunately, the Iowa of today is a shell of its former self. I no longer feel proud.

Once the nation’s leader in education, our standings have slid dramatically, a result of Republican disinvestments.

Inequities — from the arts and clean waterways to healthcare — are stark, particularly between our rural and urban areas. Attacks on equality, including Gov. Reynolds’s restrictive transgender sports bill, are shutting the door of opportunity on current Iowa families and sending a signal to potential transplants that they’re not welcome here.

I still believe in my home state’s future. I love it deeply and long for the time when I can return home, raise a family and build a fulfilling career.

Our future starts by rejecting the culture wars being predicated by Republicans and voting for Democrats up and down the ballot.

As Governor, Democrat Deidre DeJear will double down on education, providing more funding per year to public schools. She’ll protect a woman’s right to choose and bolster mental health funding, among other things.

In Congress, Democrat Christina Bohannan will work to codify Roe v. Wade, go to bat for local infrastructure improvements, and seek solutions to Iowa’s rural healthcare gaps.

The road to restoring Iowa’s status as a national leader is long. But with your help, Democrats up and down the ballot can get it done.

Vote because our state’s future is at stake.

—Quentin Misiag, Former University of Iowa student and staff member, Chicago, IL

Columns reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board, The Daily Iowan, or other organizations in which the author may be involved.