Bruce Bearinger
{{short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Bruce Bearinger
| image = Bruce Bearinger - Official Portrait - 85th GA.jpg
| state_house = Iowa
| district = 64th
| term_start = January 14, 2013
| term_end = January 11, 2021
| predecessor = Janet Petersen
| successor = Chad Ingels
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1959}}
| birth_place = Monticello, Iowa
| party = Democratic
| residence = Oelwein, Iowa
}}
Bruce Bearinger is an American politician, educator, and academic administrator who served as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives for the 64th district from 2013 to 2021. Elected in 2012, he assumed office on January 14, 2013.
Career
Prior to entering politics, Bearinger worked as a biology and agriculture teacher. A resident of Oelwein, Iowa, he serve on the Oelwein City Council. He also served as the education director for Iowa State Extension in Buchanan County, Iowa.{{Cite web|last=iowahouse|date=2018-06-05|title=Representative Bruce Bearinger|url=https://iowahouse.org/2018-bruce-bearinger/|access-date=2020-08-24|website=Iowa House Democrats|language=en-US}}
Bearinger was a candidate for re-election in 2020, but withdrew from the race after accepting the role of dean of agriculture, animal science, and business technologies at Northeast Iowa Community College.{{Cite web|date=2020-04-30|title=Top Republican target in Iowa House will be open seat|url=https://www.bleedingheartland.com/2020/04/29/top-republican-target-in-iowa-house-will-be-open-seat/|access-date=2020-08-24|website=Bleeding Heartland|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=2020-05-21|title=Democrats Travis Bushaw, Jodi Grover running in Iowa House district 64|url=https://www.bleedingheartland.com/2020/05/21/democrats-travis-bushaw-jodi-grover-running-in-iowa-house-district-64/|access-date=2020-08-24|website=Bleeding Heartland|language=en}} During his tenure in the House, he served as the ranking member of the Agriculture Committee.{{Cite web|title=State Representative|url=https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/legislator?ga=88&personID=10738|access-date=2020-08-24|website=www.legis.iowa.gov}}{{Cite web|title=Bruce Bearinger|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Bruce_Bearinger|access-date=2020-08-24|website=Ballotpedia|language=en}} During the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Bearinger endorsed Steve Bullock and Amy Klobuchar.{{Cite web|last=BUREAU|first=LEE-GAZETTE DES MOINES|title=Campaign almanac: Klobuchar endorsed by former Bullock supporter|url=https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/campaign-almanac-klobuchar-endorsed-by-former-bullock-supporter/article_a9fdb8ae-fa12-5c62-b3e6-0bf9a98d5126.html|access-date=2020-08-24|website=Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier|language=en}} In January 2020, Bearinger authored a guest opinion column in The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier.{{Cite web|last=BEARINGER|first=BRUCE|title=GUEST COLUMN: How Democrats could lose ground in Iowa|url=https://wcfcourier.com/opinion/columnists/guest_columnists/guest-column-how-democrats-could-lose-ground-in-iowa/article_c3e0209f-5877-5855-a199-222621c72fde.html|access-date=2020-08-24|website=Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier|language=en}}