# Eric Gjerde

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**Eric Gjerde** is an American politician and police officer[1] who is a member of the [Iowa House of Representatives](/source/Iowa_House_of_Representatives) from the 74th district. Elected in 2020, he assumed office on January 11, 2021.

## Early life and education

Gjerde earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and religion from [Augustana College](/source/Augustana_College_(Illinois)), a Master of Education in secondary education and another in educational administration from the [University of Iowa](/source/University_of_Iowa), and a Doctor of Education from the [University of Northern Iowa](/source/University_of_Northern_Iowa).[2][3]

## Career

After earning his first master's degree, Gjerde worked as a teacher and [emergency medical technician](/source/Emergency_medical_technician) in [Le Roy, Minnesota](/source/Le_Roy,_Minnesota). While studying for his doctorate in education, he worked as a special education teacher at [Clear Creek Amana High School](/source/Clear_Creek_Amana_High_School). He has since worked as a special education teacher and coach in the [Cedar Rapids Community School District](/source/Cedar_Rapids_Community_School_District). Gjerde was a volunteer deputy with the [Linn County, Iowa](/source/Linn_County,_Iowa) Sheriff's Office.[4] He is currently a police officer for the City of Cedar Rapids.

In 2018, Gjerde was the Democratic nominee for district 67 in the [Iowa House of Representatives](/source/Iowa_House_of_Representatives), losing to [Ashley Hinson](/source/Ashley_Hinson). After Hinson announced that she would not seek re-election to the [Iowa House](/source/Iowa_House_of_Representatives) and instead run for the [United States House of Representatives](/source/United_States_House_of_Representatives), Gjerde declared his candidacy to succeed her. He did not face an opponent in the Democratic primary and defeated Republican nominee Sally Ann Abbott in the general election.[5][6]

## Personal life

Gjerde and his ex-wife, Amy, have three daughters.[7]

## References

1. ["Eric J. Gjerde"](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/legislator/legislatorAllYears?personID=30659). April 20, 2026.

1. ["Meet Eric | Eric Gjerde | Iowa House District 67"](https://www.ericforiowa.com/about-eric). *ericgjerde*. Retrieved 2020-12-29.

1. ["Gjerde: We can make Iowa work again"](https://www.thegazette.com/subject/opinion/guest-columnist/gjerde-we-can-make-iowa-work-again-20181027). *The Gazette*. Retrieved 2020-12-29.

1. ["A special education teacher from Iowa is running against an abortion ban supporter"](https://medium.com/crowdpac/special-education-teacher-from-iowa-runs-against-abortion-ban-supporter-1a6c0c7016bd). *Medium*. 2018-08-10. Retrieved 2020-12-29.

1. ["Eric Gjerde"](https://ballotpedia.org/Eric_Gjerde). *Ballotpedia*. Retrieved 2020-12-29.

1. ["Eric Gjerde wins bid for State House District 67 after second run"](https://kwwl.com/2020/11/04/eric-gjerde-wins-bid-for-state-house-district-67-after-second-run/). *KWWL*. 2020-11-04. Retrieved 2020-12-29.

1. Lynch, James Q. ["Eric Gjerde ready to run again in Iowa House 67"](https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/eric-gjerde-ready-to-run-again-in-iowa-house-67-linn-county-20190708). *The Gazette*. Retrieved 2020-12-29.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Eric Gjerde](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Gjerde) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Gjerde?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.