Democrat Janice Weiner will make her debut in the Iowa State Senate after winning the seat on Tuesday against Republican Harold Weilbrenner for District 45, according to unofficial results from the Iowa Secretary of State. 

Weiner currently serves as an at-large member of the Iowa City City Council and received the endorsement of all other councilors.

Before joining the council, Weiner served as a U.S. diplomat for 26 years and was the executive director of the Council for International Visitors to Iowa City (CIVIC), in which she drew from her experience from the Foreign Service and the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA).

Weiner is a member of the program committee for the Iowa Foreign Relations Council and serves on the boards of Shelter House and UNA/USA. She is also the president of the board of the Agudas Achim synagogue in Coralville.

Weiner obtained her Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University and a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School. In 1987, Weiner joined the U.S. State Department and worked internationally in the Foreign Service.

Weiner has been politically active in the Johnson County community for decades. She considers her exposure to living in autocratic governments during her time in the Foreign Service attributed to her passion for participatory democracy.

In 1984, Weiner ran Get Out the Vote for the Iowa Democrats in Johnson County. Weiner is also a founding member of the Potluck Insurgency, a grassroots group established in 2018 that advocates for Democratic values and officials in various levels of government.

As a senator, Weiner will prioritize funding for public education and increasing pay to child care workers. Weiner previously worked as a short-term substitute teacher for the Iowa City Community School District and has been through the education system herself as a parent.

Weiner’s platform also places an emphasis on women’s rights in a post-Roe v. Wade world. Her campaign advocates for access to birth control, STD testing, abortion rights, and resources that will allow for annual healthy women screenings, safe childbirth options, and help for those in domestic violence situations. Weiner is endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa.