ASBL 53 Xavier Carrigan, House Candidate, Iowa District 3

ASBL 53 Xavier Carrigan, House Candidate, Iowa District 3

Xavier Carrigan is a Democrat running for the House in Iowa’s 3rd District to bring a working-class perspective, educational insight, and creative problem-solving to Washington.

His website is www.XCarrigan.com.

Xavier is a teacher, communicator, and advocate who wants our government to work for the people who make this country run. He knows what it means to hustle and fight for a better future.

He has his Master's in Linguistics and Bilingual Education and has taught English as a Second Language at institutions such as Ohio State, Arizona State, Ohio Northern, Owens, and Findlay, as well as internationally in Japan, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia.

Some highlights of our conversation:

In early 2025 Xavier thought that two declared candidates in Iowa would be business-as-usual. Then he decided to run for Congress “when Trump unilaterally struck Iran [in June] because I have family there. I’m half Persian. My family got out of Tehran when that happened, but they did lose some friends and that was motivation enough [and] I feel we need somebody who’s more connected with the working class than politics-as-usual in this moment.”

“I feel I have that direct connection with the working class, even the unemployed. I can understand where you’re at because I’ve been in your shoes.”

What do you want to do?

“Medicare for all is probably at the top of the list, followed by climate change and women’s rights and ending the student loan debt. It’s a burden that other countries around the world have managed to figure out and there are very easy solutions. [The resistance comes from] inconveniencing the billionaire class.”

Regarding Medicare and healthcare in America, “We all know the truth. We’re being price-gouged, the worst in the world, especially when it comes to prescription medication.” He described a two-and-a-half-day hospital stay that ended up with a $37,000 bill which got dropped to around $3,700, “which kind of proves what the real bill should be.”

And we discussed our small business issues:

The American Small Business League (www.asbl.com) wants to stop big businesses from getting small business contracts. (Small businesses would create millions of jobs with those contracts and the economy would boom.)

Our www.DontCheatWomen.com project wants to end discrimination against women in federal contracting. We want Congress to:

•        Raise from 5% to 15% the amount of federal contract dollars that must go to women-owned small businesses.

Women are half the population. They own 40% of all businesses. They sell what the government buys.

But companies owned by men get over 95% of federal contracts. Men dominate in politics because they earn and save more than women. Men give more to politicians and have more influence with them. And it’s easier for men to run for and win office.

Men hold roughly 75% of seats in the House, the Senate, all State Legislatures, and every president’s cabinet. They hold almost that many governorships and 90% of committee chair and party leadership positions

Women need to participate in politics as equals. They have different wisdom, values and priorities and deserve equal representation.

Raising the number of federal contracts that must go to women-owned small businesses is a great first step.

#xaviercarrigan #xcarrigandotcom #xcarriganforcongress #americansmallbusinessleague #dontcheatwomendotcom