Democrat Michael Fitzgerald won in the race for state treasurer by 53 percent as of press time.

He was born in Marshalltown and was first elected state treasurer in 1982. He graduated from the University of Iowa in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Fitzgerald earned more than $1 billion in interest in the state.

He advocates conservative financial management practices which have been part of leading Iowa to recieve an AAA rating from all major credit agencies. This would roughly be the same as having a credit score of 800.

He has invested more than $2 billion of state operating funds into the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt program, which helps people find money they may have lost or forgotten about, as well as college saving programs.  These programs are a straightforward, low-cost, tax-advantaged way for people to save for college and any unclaimed property.

Fitzgerald said he represents the “little fellers and not the Rockefellers.”

Runner-up David Jamison, a Republican, has lived in Ames for more than 20 years. He graduated from Iowa State University with a BBA in management and served in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Since then he has been a life member of the ISU Alumni Association. He has been the treasurer of Story County since 1985. 

Jamison proposed letting local banks and financial institutions compete with Vanguard, an investment managment company, in offering college saving investment plans.

Fitzgerald was not available for comment on the win.