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Ken Croken
Ken Croken
Member of the Iowa House of Representatives; from the 97th district
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; January 9, 2023
Preceded by	Norlin Mommsen (redistricting)
Personal details
Born	1950 (age 73–74); Long Branch, New Jersey, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Kathryn McKnight (d. 2021)
Children	2
Education	Saint Joseph's University; New England Law Boston

Kenneth R. Croken (born 1950)^[1] is an American politician and retired attorney who has represented the 97th district of the Iowa House of Representatives since January 2023, which consists of part of eastern Davenport in Scott County. He is a member of the Democratic Party.^[2]

Early life

Croken was born in 1950 in Long Branch, New Jersey, and was raised in Keansburg, New Jersey.^[2] He attended Mater Dei High School.^[3] He received a bachelor's degree from Saint Joseph's University and a Juris Doctor from New England Law Boston.^[2]

Political career

Croken won a seat on the Scott County Board of Supervisors in 2018.^[4]

Croken announced his candidacy for the 97th district of the Iowa House of Representatives in November 2021, shortly after decennial redistricting.^[4] He won the Democratic primaries unopposed on June 7, 2022, and defeated Libertarian Andrew Onsgard in the general election on November 8 by over 3,500 votes. He subsequently resigned from the Scott County Board of Supervisors.^[5]

In August 2023, Croken announced that he was running for mayor of Davenport.^[6] He was defeated in the general election by incumbent Mike Matson by over 1,600 votes.^[7]

In 2024, Croken filed to run for reelection to the Iowa House.^[8] He won the Democratic primaries unopposed on June 4, 2024, and will face Republican Josue Rodriguez in the general election on November 5, 2024.^[5]

Croken currently serves on the Administration and Rules, Labor and Workforce, Local Government, and Ways and Means committees.^[9]

Personal life

Croken has two adult children and resides in Davenport.^[2] His wife Kathryn died of breast cancer in 2021.^[1] He is a retired attorney and former communications and government relations manager. He is also an adjunct faculty member at St. Ambrose University and is a member of the Quad Cities River Bandits ownership group.^[4]

Electoral history

* = incumbent

Election			Party	Votes	%
Iowa House of Representatives Democratic primary elections, 2022 ^[5] District 97 Turnout: 1,434	Democratic (newly redistricted)	Ken Croken	Democratic	1,421	99.1
	Democratic (newly redistricted)	Other/Write-in votes		13	0.9
Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2022 ^[5] District 97 Turnout: 7,856	Democratic (newly redistricted)	Ken Croken	Democratic	5,638	71.8
		Andrew Onsgard	Libertarian	2,092	26.6
		Other/Write-in votes		126	1.6
Davenport mayoral election, 2023 ^[10] Turnout: 10,862	Democratic	Mike Matson*	Democratic	6,258	57.6
	Democratic	Ken Croken	Democratic	4,604	42.4

References

^ ^a ^b "Kathryn McKnight Obituary (1948 - 2021) - Davenport, IA - Quad-City Times". Legacy.com. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "State Representative - All Years". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
^ "Pep Club Members Elect New Officers", The Daily Register, May 6, 1966. Accessed June 5, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "Kenneth Croken and Eleanor Cahill were elected president and treasurer of the Pep Club recently in Mater Dei High School."
^ ^a ^b ^c Turner, Jonathan (November 10, 2021). "Croken announces run for Iowa General Assembly in 2022". WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Ken Croken". Ballotpedia. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
^ Watson, Sarah (August 3, 2023). "State Rep. Ken Croken announces bid for mayor of Davenport". The Quad-City Times. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
^ "Matson wins third term as Davenport mayor". KWQC. November 8, 2023. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
^ "primarycandidatelist.pdf" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
^ "State Representative - Bills & Committees". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
^ "Election results: Davenport Mayor Mike Matson reelected". WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. November 8, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2024.