Jackie Norris, the chair of the Des Moines school board, ended her 2026 Iowa Senate campaign on Thursday, citing the recent resignation and arrest of the school district’s superintendent.

“The recent Des Moines Public Schools [DMPS] Superintendent crisis demanded my full attention as Board Chair, and, overnight, put the School Board, our community, and me personally in the crosshairs of vicious and coordinated attacks,” Norris, who was running as a Democrat, said in a news release. “Those realities took time and oxygen away from the work I set out to do: stand up for our kids and families — and the backbone of our communities, their educators and caregivers.”

Last month, DMPS........

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