Libertarian Party

About the Candidate

Russ Gibson was born and raised in the Quad Cities, and his maternal side of the family hails from the Cedar Rapids and Webster City areas. He and his wife, Rosemary, have two young children, and have resided in West Des Moines for over three years.

A desire to be closer to their roots and the opportunity to live in a medium-sized metropolitan area brought the Gibsons to West Des Moines. After studying for two years at the University of Illinois, Russ continued his college curriculum at St. Mary's University of Minnesota, where he earned his B.A. in Spanish in 2003.

Upon graduation, Rosemary and Russ were married, and subsequently moved to rural Indiana where Rosemary attended university. Russ began teaching high-school level Spanish at a private, residential school for underacheiving youth. This setting allowed Russ to see and respond first-hand to the challenges facing teens. "I enjoyed working with these kids," Russ said, "but was disappointed with the teacher licensing requirements imposed by the state, especially since I worked for a private institution. Despite these setbacks, I was able to assist these young people in ways that I wouldn't have been able to at a government school."

Following teaching, Russ pursued a career in the life insurance industry. He spent a while as an agent with the Knights of Columbus. Russ' time as an agent allowed him to help clients meet their financial needs, while getting a better sense of how economic trials like taxes affected families. Since moving to Iowa, Russ Gibson has continued his life insurance career, and now works as a Senior Customer Service Representative at FBL Financial Group. This role has given Russ an opportunity to develop important skills such as listening, critical thinking, problem solving, and team-building.

In his spare moments, Russ enjoys square-foot gardening, learning foreign languages, reading, and cooking, not to mention playing with his Siberian Husky, Mackenzie. Family is a priority for Russ, so spending time together with his wife and children is a key aspect of his life. In fact, Rosemary is a stay-at-home mom, a decision that the Gibsons made in order to prioritize their family. Russ comments, "I'd like to repeal taxes so that more Iowans can decide to have a stay-at-home parent if they choose."