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FOUND IN HIS POSSESSION. WE LEARNED TODAY A STATE LAWMAKER HAS ENTERED HOSPICE CARE. DEMOCRATIC STATE SENATOR CLAIRE KELSEY’S FAMILY SENT A RELEASE TODAY ASKING FOR PRIVACY, BUT DID NOT INCLUDE FURTHER DETAILS. THE WEST DES MOINES LEGISLATOR HAS BEEN IN OFFICE SINCE 2019. ����vlog BEAU BOWMAN SPOKE WITH A COLLEAGUE OF KELSEY’S GOING BACK TO BEFORE HER TIME IN THE SENATE. BO. YEAH, BEN. BEFORE KELSEY WAS ELECTED TO THE STATE HOUSE, SHE WAS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE WEST DES MOINES DEMOCRATS. THEIR CURRENT CHAIRMAN SAYS KELSEY IS A TRUE COMMUNITY ADVOCATE. CLARE WAS DEEPLY INVOLVED IN HER COMMUNITY BECAUSE SHE CARED VERY MUCH ABOUT HER COMMUNITY. AL WOMBLE IS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE WEST DES MOINES DEMOCRATS. HE SAID HIS MOTHER GOT HIM INVOLVED IN THE GROUP YEARS AGO AFTER BECOMING FRIENDS WITH THE FOUNDER, CLARE KELSEY. MY MOM INTRODUCED ME TO HER AND THEN CLARE SAID TO ME, WELL, ARE YOU INVOLVED WITH WEST WING DEMOCRATS? DO YOU VOLUNTEER? AND I SAID, WELL, NO, NO, I HAVEN’T. SHE SAYS, WELL, YOU ARE NOW. KELSEY WAS FIRST ELECTED TO THE IOWA SENATE DURING THE 2018 MIDTERMS. OVER THE LAST SEVEN LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS, SHE SERVED ON THE APPROPRIATIONS, EDUCATION, NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT, STATE GOVERNMENT COMMITTEES AND WAS THE RANKING MEMBER ON THE GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE. HER COLLEAGUES SAY THEY THINK OF HER AS SOMEONE WHO ALWAYS SPEAKS HER MIND. LIKE I SAY, SOMETIMES CLARE COULD BE A LITTLE BIT SPICY, BUT YOU KNOW, FOR THOSE OF US WHO APPRECIATED HER STANDING UP FOR, YOU KNOW, WORKING CLASS CITIZENS, FOR THOSE OF US WHO APPRECIATED HER STANDING UP FOR THE ISSUES THAT AFFECT PEOPLE ALL AROUND THE STATE, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, WE DIDN’T MIND THAT. WOMBLE SAYS HE’LL REMEMBER HER PASSION FOR ADVOCACY. IT’S GOING TO TAKE SOMEBODY WHO GOT SOME GOOD FIGHT IN HIM TO BE ABLE TO REPLACE SOMEBODY LIKE CLARE. KELSEY IS IN THE MIDDLE OF HER SECOND TERM AS STATE SENATOR. HER SEAT WOULD BE UP FOR ELECTION IN 2026. SHE’S 59 YEARS OLD. BEN.