| Bob Krause | |
|---|---|
| Democratic candidate for United States Senate election in Iowa, 2010 Primary |
|
| Election date June 8, 2010 |
|
| Opponent(s) | Tom Fiegen, Roxanne Conlin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 15, 1950 Algona, Iowa |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Vicky Krause |
| Residence | Fairfield, Iowa |
| Alma mater | University of Iowa |
| Occupation | Transportation Planner |
Robert (Bob) A. Krause was a candidate for United States Senate from Iowa in the 2010 United States Senate election in Iowa. He lost the Democratic party primaty to Roxanne Conlin who later lost in the Senate election against Charles Grassley. He is a member of the Democratic party.
He was first elected to the Iowa General Assembly in 1972. He is a past Chair of the Iowa Democratic Veterans Caucus.
Raised on a family farm in rural northwest Iowa, Krause graduated in 1968 from Sentral Community School District of Fenton, Iowa. He was active in 4-H, athletics and editor of the student newspaper. He was elected as a state senator at the American Legion's Boy's State program at Camp Dodge.
Krause worked his way through college at the University of Iowa. Graduating in 1972 with a B.A. degree in political science, he was a member of ROTC, student senate and president of University Democrats and, during summer breaks, worked as a construction laborer. He also devoted two summers for the Robert D. Fulton for Governor campaign and worked for the Iowa Democratic Party.
Krause ran for state representative, winning election and being sworn in soon after his 22nd birthday. He was also commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Reserve and served six years in the Iowa House of Representatives. Krause's was appointed as Assistant House Minority Whip in his first term. In this capacity, he helped pass Iowa's collective bargaining bill.
As Chair of the House Transportation Committee for four years, he was assisted in the passage of legislation that allowed for the establishment of the coordinated regional transit systems throughout Iowa, which became a national model of the Federal Transit Administration. He also crafted a restructuring of Iowa's road system that included Iowa's first ethanol exemption when passed, which became the basis for Iowa's ethanol industry. Because of these efforts and others, the Des Moines Register in 1978 honored him as one of the "Top 10 Most Effective Iowa Legislators."
Krause left the House that year to run for Treasurer of the State of Iowa, losing the election. After a brief stint for Land O'Lakes as transportation manager for the Agricultural Services Group, Bob left to become Regional Representative for the Secretary of Transportation in 1979. In this capacity, he was ranking department official for Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska, and he was administration spokesperson in the field for federal policy.
After the Carter administration, Krause taught in the business school at Iowa State University then joined the staff of the Council of State Governments, the national association for state government officials. There he ran a think-tank on transportation policy, writing five books and staffing several national policy task forces on transportation matters. He left that position for an intergovernmental affairs position with Palm Beach County, Fla., subsequently returning to Iowa.
Krause then served as transit director for the Iowa Northland Council of Governments before joining the Iowa Department of Transportation in 1986. He served as a district planner then served as planning and coordination manager for the Public Transit Division. He also managed Iowa's Rural and Large Urban Public Transit Intelligent Transportation System. He retired in 2008 from the Iowa DOT with 20 years of state government service.
Krause was recognized for his public service by having a locomotive named "Robert A. Krause" by the Rock Island Railroad in honor of his work on transportation issues. He was honored for his efforts on railroad deregulation and served on the Iowa Interstate Cooperation Commission during the Carter administration.