Thomas Laehn (born 1982, age 43) is the Greene County Attorney (2018-present) and Iowa's first Libertarian elected to a partisan office. A former university professor who taught constitutional law and political philosophy, Laehn is running for U.S. Senate as a Libertarian to challenge what he views as the corruption of the two-party system. He holds a B.A. from Drake University, studied at LSU and Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and was a professor at McNeese State University in Louisiana before returning to Iowa. He has been re-elected as Greene County Attorney as a Libertarian in 2022. Laehn is fundamentally opposed to the two-party system and argues that Congress has unconstitutionally delegated vast authority to the presidency, allowing executive orders to shape policy without proper congressional oversight.
Laehn grew up in Allison, Iowa, to a pastor father and school librarian mother. He earned degrees from Drake University, LSU, and studied at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He was a professor of constitutional law and political philosophy at McNeese State University in Louisiana. He moved back to Iowa and ran for Greene County Attorney in 2017, becoming the first Libertarian elected to a partisan office in Iowa. He was re-elected in 2021. A former intern of Senator Chuck Grassley, Laehn has deep knowledge of federal constitutional issues.
Opposes executive overreach and unconstitutional delegation of authority
Laehn's core issue is that both parties have allowed presidents to become too powerful since President Truman entered the Korean War without congressional approval. He criticizes executive orders creating criminal law and unilateral tariff authority.
Voting History: As Greene County Attorney, recommended his county not follow Biden vaccine mandate, which courts later agreed was unconstitutional
Running against the two-party system itself
Laehn argues that the Democratic and Republican Parties have corrupted the constitutional system and are equally complicit in undermining representation.
Voting History: Elected as first Libertarian to partisan office in Iowa
Opposes private companies using government to seize land
Laehn advocates ending the ability of private companies to use government coercion to seize property for commercial projects like pipelines.
Opposition to Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline
Laehn identified stopping the $9 billion carbon capture pipeline project as his number one issue.
Government should not interfere in economy or personal autonomy
Core Libertarian position: no government interference in markets, commerce, or individual moral decision-making.
As Greene County Attorney, Laehn has taken positions consistent with Libertarian principles opposing executive overreach, including recommending his county not follow the Biden vaccine mandate (which was later struck down by courts as unconstitutional).
| Bill | Title | Vote | Date | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biden Vaccine Mandate | Resistance to vaccine requirement executive order | Opposed | 2021-09-01 | Laehn recommended Greene County not follow Biden's vaccine mandate; courts later agreed the mandate was unconstitutional |
Laehn's campaign tone is serious and academic, emphasizing constitutional arguments and systemic critique rather than partisan attacks.