In the Senate

State Senator Nate Boulton was first elected to the legislature in 2016. In his first term in the Iowa Senate, Nate has stood out as a leader on issues related to workplace rights and civil justice. In 2017, just a month after taking office, he lead Senate Democrats in debate throughout the night to fight against a bill that stripped away public sector bargaining rights–work that allowed public employees across the state to secure extensions on their contracts before their rights to negotiate fair agreements on wages and benefits were taken away. In 2018, Nate introduced a bill that would create a paid family leave program for Iowa workers. In 2019, Nate took the lead in resisting legislation that attempted to prohibit private conservation nonprofit organizations from purchasing land for public uses that included water quality and flood mitigation and successfully passed an amendment on a major sports gambling bill to help protect student athletes. In 2020, he was able to author multiple pieces of legislation that advanced through the subcommittee and committee process despite being in the minority party, with one of his bills expanding health care for children passing the full Senate without receiving a single no vote. In 2021, Boulton again introduced legislation for strong workplace protections with the support of other Senate Democrats while also authoring three bills with bipartisan co-sponsors.

Lawyer and Professor

Outside the legislature, Nate works as a private practice attorney focused on protecting workplace rights. He has represented Iowans who have suffered devastating and even fatal injuries at work, victims of wrongful termination, as well as a number of public and private sector labor unions. On behalf of public employees, he has argued before the Iowa Supreme Court against the closure of two state mental health institutes as well as helped secure a landmark Iowa Supreme Court decision in a case where Governor Branstad illegally used a line-item veto to shutdown workforce centers across the state. In addition to his work as an attorney, Nate has also served as an adjunct professor and taught college and law school classes related to law, management, and leadership. He has also served as a grader for the Iowa bar exam and been featured as a presenter at legal education seminars for Iowa lawyers.

Family

While Nate grew up in southeast Iowa, he has lived in Des Moines area for 20 years as he attended college and law school and, after graduating law school in 2005, bought his first and only home on the east side of Des Moines. Nate’s wife, Andrea Boulton, works as the trails and greenways director for the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to conservation and outdoor recreation in Iowa. She is involved in a number of community organizations, including her active role in the newly-reorganized Accent Neighborhood Association. She is a graduate of Drake University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree and master of public administration degree. Apart from her professional and community activities, Andrea is also a backyard beekeeper.

Nate and Andrea have two daughters, Gwyneth and Alys, and live near Grand View Park in east Des Moines.

Boulton for Senate
3127 Thompson Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50317
( 515 )  265  –  1389