Jack G. Hatch (born March 13, 1950) is a former Iowa State Senator and American business owner. He was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Iowa in the 2014 election. A Democrat, Hatch served in the Iowa Senate from 2003 to 2015, and was an assistant majority leader. Prior to his election to the Iowa Senate, Hatch served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1985 to 1993 and 2001 to 2003. He unsuccessfully ran for mayor in the 2019 Des Moines mayoral election, narrowly being defeated by incumbent mayor Frank Cownie in the runoff. Personal life and education Hatch, who struggled with dyslexia as a child, was born in Hartford, Connecticut. Hatch moved to Des Moines in 1968 as a freshman at Drake University. He graduated from Drake his B.S. in 1972 and his MPA in 1973. While a student at Drake, Hatch was elected student body president for the 1971–72 school year. In that school year he founded and organized the Ralph Nader inspired Iowa Student Public Interest Research group. After a petition drive on 13 college and university campuses, ISPIRG became a consumer-led interest group. Today, the organization still exists as Iowa PIRG. Prior to his election, Hatch organized the largest student volunteer program in the Midwest, The Revitalization Corps. The program sent more 750 students per year into inner-city tutoring programs and clinics offering counseling to mental health patients. Upon graduation he received the Orin E. Scott Award for the outstanding student of the year. Hatch is married to Sonja Roberts. Together they live in the historic Sherman Hill neighborhood of Des Moines. They have two daughters. Career Hatch represented the 33rd District of the Iowa Senate. His district includes much of the city of Des Moines. Hatch served on the Appropriations committee; the Economic Growth committee; the Human Resources committee; the Labor and Business Relations committee;and the State Government committee. He also chaired the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee. Throughout his career, Hatch has helped write most of Iowa's major legislation over the past three decades. Hatch has primarily focused on issues relating to healthcare, education, children and families, and environmental proaction. While in office, Hatch authored the 1989 Leaking Underground Storage Tank Act, co-sponsored legislation the creation of the Resource Enhancement Program, expanded Iowa's Brownfield and Greyfield tax credits, created IMAGES (Iowa's state-supported minority education scholarship program), created scholarship program to help foster