NEWS

Anne Roth helped send Grassley to D.C.; now she wants to make her own mark on Iowa

Brianne Pfannenstiel
bpfannenst@dmreg.com

The 2016 election brought Anne Roth back to where it all started for her family.

Her mother and father met while working on U.S. Sen Chuck Grassley’s first Senate campaign in 1980. Iowa's senior senator has now been serving long enough to hire the Roths' daughter, initially as his finance director and then as deputy campaign manager in his successful re-election this year.

“Seeing that foundation that my dad was so passionate about and then also my mom … being able to understand how much she’s invested here of her time and talents, has re-energized or re-framed why I am here — and I’m going to stay here,” Roth said.

Anne Roth is a cancer survivor and up-and-comer in the political world. She just finished working on U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley's wildly successful re-election campaign and is planning to make her mark in the Des Moines civic world. Here she poses for a photo on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016, in Des Moines.

Typically, after helping to navigate a successful campaign season, political operatives and campaign hands look to relocate to Washington, D.C., to serve under the new administration they helped establish.

But for Roth, who is one of The Des Moines Register’s People to Watch in 2017, this election made clear a different priority.

“D.C. is great,” she said. “But it’s just not Des Moines. It’s not Iowa.”

Grassley’s campaign manager and veteran Iowa political operative Bob Haus called Roth an "an exceptionally talented young woman” who could have an impact on D.C. if she went there. But the 26-year-old says she’s hoping to find ways to carry on her parents' efforts to make Iowa a better place — in her own way.

She’s decided to forego any D.C. administration or agency job in favor of taking some time to think about what she can bring to the table at home.

Among her top priorities: promoting female leaders and diversity across the board in Iowa businesses, government and civic life. Roth said she wants to see policies and initiatives that make it easier for a diverse population to want to live and grow both in Des Moines and across the state.

“We need a diverse working community to be successful,” she said. “And that’s not political. That’s just true.”

Roth, a Republican, leans back in her chair and lets loose a deep laugh when asked whether those priorities occasionally get confused with those of her Democratic rivals. Yes, she concedes. On occasion, they do.

“But that’s what I think is important about what I’m saying,” she said, arguing that today’s political climate is so polarized that “compromise” has become a dirty word and any Republican who dares to cross party lines is demonized.

“Some people may say that I don’t belong in public office or policy or whatever because some people would maybe say you can’t hack it that way," Roth said. "And I just refuse to believe that. Because I don’t want to be part of a society and a community that enables that sort of division as the standard.”

Family politics

Anne Roth is a cancer survivor and up-and-comer in the political world. She just finished working on U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley's wildly successful re-election campaign and is planning to make her mark in the Des Moines civic world. Here she poses for a photo on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016, in Des Moines.

Helping to re-elect the man her dad first helped put into office carried special meaning for Roth as she learned about the effect her dad, Luke, had on the Iowa political scene before he died of cancer in 2002.

"Her father was so well-known in the community throughout Republican circles and so well-respected, and to see her kind of step into his footsteps is really great to see," said Anne's mom, Katie. "He would be so proud of her."

Luke was heavily involved in Republican politics in Iowa, eventually spearheading President George W. Bush’s Iowa campaign in 1999.

“I didn’t fully comprehend the reputation and the impact that he made until I got this job,” Anne said, noting that as she made fundraising calls, the people picking up the phone often said they remembered her dad.

Her mom has remarried, owns her own business and sits on Grassley’s executive committee. Roth said her mother’s perseverance and dedication to her work has been an inspiration to her as she seeks to define her future.

Haus, who knew both of Anne’s parents, said she has the best attributes of each of them.

“Luke was just this bigger-than-life force that could command a room,” Haus said. “He had this personality that would fill every corner, and people just wanted to be around him. And (Anne) has that. And she also has the keen eye and sense and smarts of her mother, who knows when to ask the right questions and really get to the critical information points.”

Roth, a cancer survivor herself, said she doesn’t like to let that issue define her. She’d rather take her cues from her mother, who pulled the family together after her dad's death.

“You can think, ‘Woe is me; this is the worst thing; I’m never going to get by.’ Or you can say, ‘This happened to me, and now it’s time to figure out what life looks like afterward,'” Roth said. “(My mom) was able to instill that in us.”

Haus said he knows that Roth will succeed in whatever she plans to pursue next because of the spirit and intellect she showed throughout the election cycle.

Roth said she’s always felt a connection to Iowa. But sometimes, she said, it takes leaving to fully understand how great your home is.

“I was eager to leave and wanting to be part of something bigger,” she said. “But now I realize I can be part of something bigger here.”

Anne Roth

AGE: 26

LIVES: Des Moines

EDUCATION: Bachelor's degrees in Spanish and politics, The Catholic University of America, 2012

CAREER: Finance director and deputy campaign manager for U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley's 2016 re-election campaign; account executive focusing on issues advocacy for DCI Group

FAMILY: Katie Roth, mother; Luke Roth, father (deceased); Mark Clark, step-father; siblings Luke and Clare Roth

15 People to Watch in 2017: About the Series

These are central Iowans in business, arts, nonprofits, civic activism and unelected government positions who are expected to make a difference in their fields of endeavor in 2017. Readers were invited to submit nominations. Selections were made by Des Moines Register editors and reporters. Look for profiles daily through early January.

Earlier Profiles:

With this story at DesMoinesRegister.com/PeopletoWatch, see profiles of: