Theresa Greenfield facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Theresa Greenfield
Greenfield in 2021
Born	(1963-10-20) October 20, 1963 (age 61) Bricelyn, Minnesota, U.S.
Education	Minnesota State University, Mankato (BA)
Political party	Democratic
Children	4

Theresa Greenfield was born on October 20, 1963. She is an American businesswoman and a government official. She was also a political candidate. In 2020, she ran for a special job called a U.S. Senate seat in Iowa as a member of the Democratic Party. She did not win that election, losing to Joni Ernst.

Since November 2021, Theresa Greenfield has been working for the government. She is the director for USDA Rural Development in Iowa. This means she helps improve life in rural areas of the state.

Early Life and School

Theresa Greenfield grew up in a small town called Bricelyn, Minnesota. It's close to the border between Iowa and Minnesota. She was one of five children in her family. Her parents had a small farm where they raised pigs and grew crops. Her dad also flew planes to spray crops.

Theresa helped a lot on the farm. She drove tractors and grain trucks. She also helped with bailing hay and feeding the pigs. By the time she was 16, she was helping her family with important business talks for their crop-dusting company.

After high school, Greenfield went to Iowa Lakes Community College and Iowa State University. She later graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 1987. She earned a bachelor's degree in design and human development.

Her Work in Business

After finishing college, Theresa Greenfield became an urban planner. This job involves planning how cities and towns grow. Later, she started working in real estate, which is about buying, selling, and developing land and buildings.

In 2005, Greenfield joined a company that built homes called Rottlund Homes. By 2007, she became the president of their Iowa division. In 2012, she became the president of Colby Interests. This company works with commercial real estate in Des Moines, Iowa. She has also been a part of several important groups related to real estate and business.

Running for Office

Running for U.S. House in 2018

In July 2017, Theresa Greenfield decided to run for a seat in the United States House of Representatives for Iowa. This was for the 2018 election. She was one of many women running for office that year. She was even featured on the cover of Time magazine with other female candidates. They were called "The Avengers."

However, she had to stop her campaign in March 2018. This happened because her campaign manager had made mistakes with some of the signatures needed for her to be on the ballot. Even though her team tried to collect new signatures quickly, they couldn't get enough in time.

Running for U.S. Senate in 2020

Greenfield campaigning in a cornfield

On June 3, 2019, Greenfield announced she would run for a Senate seat. This seat was held by Senator Joni Ernst.

On June 2, 2020, Greenfield won the Democratic primary election. This meant she was chosen by her party to run against Senator Ernst. She won with almost half of the votes.

The election between Greenfield and Ernst was very close. Many experts thought it would be one of the most important races in the country. It was also one of the most expensive Senate races in Iowa's history.

Theresa Greenfield received support from many important people and groups. This included former President Barack Obama and several U.S. Senators. She also got support from labor unions and other organizations.

On November 3, 2020, the general election took place. Theresa Greenfield was defeated by Senator Ernst. Greenfield gave a speech that night to accept the results.

Working for the Department of Agriculture

Greenfield's official Department of Agriculture portrait

In 2021, President Joe Biden chose Theresa Greenfield for a new job. She became the Iowa director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development program. In this role, she works to help rural communities in Iowa grow and thrive. She works under U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, who used to be the Governor of Iowa.

What Theresa Greenfield Believes In

Healthcare for Everyone

Theresa Greenfield supports the Affordable Care Act. This law helps more people get health insurance. She also wants to expand Medicaid, which provides health coverage for people with lower incomes. She believes in a "public option" for health insurance. This would be a government-run health insurance plan that people could choose. She also supports paid sick leave for all workers. She believes people should have the right to make their own choices about their health.

She also wanted the government to provide more help during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. This included sending money directly to people and helping small businesses. She also thought there should be a rule for everyone to wear masks to stop the virus from spreading.

Helping People in Need

Greenfield supports programs like Social Security. These programs help people who are retired or have disabilities. She often talks about her own life experiences as a reason why these programs are important.

Making Elections Fairer

Theresa Greenfield wants to change how political campaigns are funded. She supports overturning a Supreme Court decision called Citizens United v. FEC. This decision allows companies to spend a lot of money on political ads. She wants to ban money from corporate Political Action Committees (PACs) and make rules about lobbying.

Protecting Our Environment

She agrees with scientists that climate change is happening. She believes it caused events like the big storm in Iowa in August 2020. She has criticized other politicians for taking money from oil companies and for not believing in climate change.

Her Family Life

In 1985, Theresa Greenfield married Rodney Wirtjes. He was an electrician and worked on power lines. They lived in Buffalo Center, Iowa. Sadly, in 1988, Rodney died in a work accident. Theresa was 24 years old at the time. She had a one-year-old son and was pregnant with her second son, who was born five months later.

Later, Theresa married Steve Miller. They had two more children together. Her youngest son, Dane, serves in the United States Army.

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