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The Bosnian War Influenced Refugee to Grapple with Iowa Politics
Anesa Kajtazovic became the first Bosnian-American member of the Iowa Legislature after her family left a refugee camp for Iowa.

By Lillian Schrock

 
Anesa Kajtazovic knows what it means to beat the odds. The 27-year-old immigrated to the United States from western Bosnia as a child. In 2010, Kajtazovic, a Democrat, became the youngest woman ever elected to the Iowa legislature, and the first Bosnian-American member of the legislature.

Kajtazovic earned two degrees from the University of Northern Iowa in 2007, only three years after she graduated from high school. Now serving her second term in the Iowa House of Representatives, Kajtazovic is running for election to the U.S. House, representing the 1st Congressional District of Iowa. She would replace Democrat Bruce Braley.

TM: How did you and your family come to be in Iowa?
AK: I came to this country when I was 10 years old in 1997. My family came from a refugee camp in Bosnia. We settled in Waterloo. I was always interested in what was going on around me. I think it had to do with the war, I was very curious. In college, I studied business and public administration. For my public administration major I had to have an internship. I just remembered thinking I didn’t have the money to go to Washington, D.C. I just stayed in my community. I interned with Bob Kressig from Cedar Falls. I didn’t know anything about campaigning before my internship. I was always passionate about so many different policies, but I never planned to run for anything. I just volunteered with the Democratic Party in my community. But in 2010, I ran for the Iowa House seat.

TM: What encouraged you to get involved in politics and campaigning?
AK: The war and having that experience before coming here. My family and I were grateful for the opportunity, but there were also challenges. Like a lot of immigrants, my parents worked hard-labor jobs. Mom worked at a meat-packing plant, and she was injured there. I saw how little protection these workers had. She couldn’t even choose her own doctor. My dad worked two jobs and I worked two jobs. I believe we have to work toward ensuring everyone has affordable healthcare. I think it’s a basic human right.

TM: What is the greatest challenge you’ve faced in your life so far?
AK: I don’t have a single one; it’s been a number of challenges. It’s been overcoming so many obstacles, and I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given. It certainly has inspired me to try to do better to fully exercise our rights, and I think voting is one of those rights. I’m very passionate about democracy and everyone having the right to vote, because there are so many countries where they don’t. We’re lucky that we have we have a system where we can make changes for the better. I think it’s time for a new generation of leadership to step up. I think we have too many millionaires and career politicians in Washington, D.C.

TM: What do you do in your free time?
AK: I don’t really have any free time anymore. I work two jobs, and when I was in school, I worked on school and working and volunteering. We’ve been in every single county a number of times. I have people say they’ve seen me in their county more than any other candidate. I think that will help us win. I’m used to beating the odds. I feel like that’s what my life has been like.

TM: What is your biggest hope for the future?
AK: Right now I’m just focused on my campaign. I don’t know what I’m going to end up doing. I’m just focused on the right now. I do know we need to give the power back to the people. Campaign finance reform has to happen. It’s really a root cause of a lot of problems were seeing today. I think our founding fathers would be appalled at what’s happening.

More about Kajtazovic …
Kajtazovic believes in being a champion for working and middle-class Americans. The Iowa representative said she belongs in the U.S. House because she understands the challenges Americans face, as well the opportunities the United States provides. She believes the current minimum wage is not enough for workers and their families to get out of poverty, so she supports raising the minimum wage to over $10 an hour. Kajtazovic has also fought for the environment and helped pass Iowa’s first solar incentives bill. She wants to end the country’s dependence on foreign oil and opposes the Keystone XL pipeline.

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Photo courtesy of Anesa Kajtazovic

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