Mary Lee Madison (born 1950) is an American politician, minister and educator who has represented the 31st district in the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

since January 2023, which consists of parts of southwest Polk County and a very small part of southeast Dallas County, including most of

West Des Moines West Des Moines is a city in Iowa, United States. Most of the city is in Polk County, some of it is in Dallas County, and small portions extend into Warren and Madison Counties. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 68,723. West Des ...

. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Early life

Madison was born in 1950 in

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

and was raised in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

. She received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from

Saint Peter's University Saint Peter's University is a private Jesuit university in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. Founded as Saint Peter's College in 1872 by the Society of Jesus, the university offers over 60 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than ...

, a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum an ...

from

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizab ...

, a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

from

Tarleton State University Tarleton State University is a Public university, public research university in Stephenville, Texas, United States. It is a founding member of the Texas A&M University System and enrolled over 15,000 students in the fall of 2022. It is Carnegie C ...

, and a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

from the

Interdenominational Theological Center The Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) is a consortium of five predominantly African-American denominational Christian seminaries in Atlanta, Georgia, operating together as a professional graduate school of theology. It is the largest ...

Political career

Following decennial redistricting in 2021, Madison announced her intent to run for the open 31st district seat in the Iowa House of Representatives in early 2022. She won the Democratic primary on June 7, 2022, against Michael Andreski, a professor, with over 62 percent of the vote, and went on to win the general election on November 8 against Republican Justin Pearson with over 56 percent of the vote. Madison is a member of the Economic Growth and Technology, Education, Health and Human Services, and Transportation committees. In 2024 Madison filed to run for reelection. She won the Democratic primaries unopposed on June 4, 2024, and will run in the general election unopposed on November 5, 2024. Madison has said that her priorities include public education, mental health and

reproductive rights Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to human reproduction, reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights: Reproductive rights ...

. She is

pro-choice Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, are movements that advocate for legal access to induced abortion services, including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their ...

and supports stricter

gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms and ammunition by civilians. Most countries allow civilians to own firearms, bu ...

Personal life

Madison is a licensed school counselor, social worker and ordained minister. She is married to L. Keith Madison, a radiologist, with whom she has three adult children and one grandchild. She has resided in West Des Moines for over twenty years. She is a member of the St. Paul A.M.E. Church,

Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is an List of African American fraternities, historically African-American Fraternities and sororities, sorority. The sorority was founded in 1908 at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. Alpha Kappa Alpha ...

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

, Des Moines Women's Club,

The Links The Links is an American social and service organization of prominent black women. It was founded in 1946 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of 2025, it has 299 chapters and more than 17,000 members in the United States and other countries.. Its ...

, Interfaith Allegiance of Iowa, Questers and Women's Missionary Society.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madison, Mary Date of birth missing (living people) Living people 1950 births Democratic Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Iowa General Assembly 21st-century American Christian clergy American social workers Educators from Iowa 21st-century American women educators Seton Hall University alumni Saint Peter's University alumni Tarleton State University alumni Interdenominational Theological Center alumni People from West Des Moines, Iowa Politicians from Jersey City, New Jersey Women state legislators in Iowa African-American state legislators in Iowa 21st-century African-American women politicians 21st-century African-American politicians