Sondra Wilson for Iowa Governor
“Heal the Heartland; Heal the World!“
An Independent candidate igniting a peaceful political revolution,
running on a comprehensive platform designed to uplift all Iowans

Hello!
I’m a 43-year-old woman, Class of 2000 from Nevada High School, an Honors graduate from Boone DMACC (2024), and a current Honors student at Iowa State University, where I’ll complete my degree in spring 2026. I’m a proud member of Phi Theta Kappa and Sigma Nu Tau Entrepreneurship Honor Societies.

Over the past decade, I’ve worked and documented extensively alongside U.S. Army Veteran and Wilderness Survival/Ethnobotany Instructor Richard Lonewolf, and Lichen and Mycology Expert Bill Hill, co-founder of the California Lichen Society. Together, we’ve cataloged hundreds of species of plants, lichens, mushrooms, trees, shrubs, and other biological organisms. Through this work, I’ve gained deep knowledge of edible, utilitarian, and traditional medicinal uses, as well as hands-on experience in ancestral cooking techniques (e.g., rock boiling, steam pits, blast ovens, keyhole lays), water sourcing and purification, shelter building, and other survival skills.

In 2011, I invented the Wild Living Skills App™, and in 2024, the Gardens Across Iowa!™ App. I also had the privilege of learning from renowned Environmental Studies pioneer Frank Schiavo during the last four years of his life, and from Ashawna Hailey during that same period, prior to her passing in 2011.

In 2017, Lonewolf and I completed More Valuable Than Gold, a comprehensive wilderness survival and ethnobotany guide. Later this year, I plan to release the much-anticipated Homesteading Starter Kits™.

I’ve lived a life marked by both hardship and profound blessings, and I now find myself in a unique position to run for governor under an unconventional platform I’ve spent years developing. While not all of my publications and accomplishments are listed here, the knowledge I’ve gained through these rare educational opportunities is embedded throughout the platform below.

While I previously ran as a Democrat, I am now running nonpartisan, as reflected in my Official Statement of Organization filed with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board.

If Iowans choose to elect me based on my principles, purpose, comprehensive platform — shaped by decades of research in civics, political science, entrepreneurship, civil and criminal law, common and ecclesiastical law, commercial law, ethnobiology, and permaculture—I will use all excess campaign funds to hire qualified individuals to help launch the Civilian Restoration Corps™, The Public Intelligence Agency™,, and other agencies and commissions essential to realizing this bold and transformative agenda.

Teddy Roosevelt gave us the Square Deal. FDR gave us the New Deal. That’s why I call this platform “A Pretty Big Deal”—because that’s exactly what it is.

Below, you’ll find links to the many sections of this website. I invite—and genuinely urge—all Iowans to take the time to explore them deeply. I’ve included bits of humor and history throughout, because I don’t intend to run a stern or uptight campaign. I’m a laid-back person who believes that people do their best, most passionate work when they believe in what they’re doing—and when they understand how their time and talents are making a difference.

Finally, please note that many parts of the site are still in progress. You may come across typos, dead-end pages, or content still under construction. I assure you, this site will be my primary focus between now and spring, at which point the campaign will begin to formally launch beyond the current grassroots efforts currently underway.

 

About Me and My Campaign

Articles by Sondra—Articles about history, insights, and political perspectives. Many more articles incoming.

Four Treatises to End Sovereign Immunity—A deep dive into untold U.S. history every Iowan should read: how to reclaim our Constitutional Republic by impeaching Supreme Court Justices, overturning Hans v. Louisiana (1890), and breaking up the Bar Association’s de facto monopoly.

Articles specific to my campaign— Brings my campaign into historical and modern context, and explains why I’m running as an independent.

Rob Sand: funded by Republicans, running as a Democrat— View the evidence for yourself. 

My Platform: “A Pretty Big Deal for Iowans”— My comprehensive political platform takes Teddy Roosevelt’s “Square Deal” and FDR’s “New Deal” to the next level.

Autobiography — Section in making.

View My Credentials (still organizing and will add more)

 

Get Involved

Share my posts on Facebook, Instagram, BlueSky, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn— See a link you like? Please share it with a few words of why you believe in it, write #Sondra4Governor and #WildWillpower to help it go anti-viral (as opposed to “viral” which doesn’t sound as healing), and show the world that this is the grassroots campaign to support Iowa the most. If every Iowan who wants a better future is posting this, they can’t ignore us.

Print and Share this PDF—Several of the reasons I am running to be Iowa’s next Governor are included in this PDF, which I encourage any and all Iowans to print, hand out, or set a stack on the counter  

Offer a Campaign Contribution—Offer a campaign contribution to my official candidate committee, “Sondra Wilson for Iowa Governor”.

Support Wild Willpower’s Online Store—Shirts, yard signs, original publications, SondraCuffs Citizen’s Arrest Kits™, flags, survival kits, Homesteading Starter Kits™, recommended books, and more. What isn’t in the store will be added soon!

Donate to me personally — as student of Iowa State University, who is currently developing Wild Willpower as a student project, as as part of the casework I am currently putting together. This is my fulltime job and the most important thing I need to do. Due to the fact that that state and federal government officials are in violation of United States Code Title 18 Section 241 — for removing legal protections for transgender people from the Iowa Civil Rights Act, numerous acts of defamation in collusion with various media networks in order to erode public confidence in such protections, conspiratorial executive orders by Donald Trump, and incitement of harassment, and related acts — as a transgender woman it is not safe for me to work in Iowa right now. Therefore I humbly request, for those who would care to help me survive in this time of need, I would greatly appreciate any help you may have to offer. I contend that this does not violate campaign finance regulations when donations are given to me personally due to the unfair and severely harmful political climate that has been fostered by the defendants in my lawsuit. I am barely scraping by right now, and really appreciate your support.

 

Background image by GettyImages utilized for First Amendment purposes in accordance with the U.S. Copyright Office’s Fair Use Policy and the Fair Use Doctrine. See References below.

Our Government is, by Definition, a Democratic-Republic

Constitutionally, our government is — by definition — a “democratic-republic”. The democratic form of government and the republican form of government are both baked into the Iowa and US constitutions. That said, candidates are required to choose just one party. Before we continue, in case you are wondering what I am talking about, here is some legal self-help information I’ve been piecing together to help Iowans learn more about how our government is supposed to work (because that is the key to fixing this out-of-control Frankenstein’s monster!):

Previously, I was running as a Democrat because the values and platform of the Democratic Party of Iowa generally align with mine. I am grateful that the Democratic Party sticks up for the rights and safety of minorities, for access to healthcare for all, a strong public education system, clean environment, workers rights — the list goes on.

I don’t see the modern Republican Party as the Party of Lincoln: they have lost their way. If you do not know what I mean, please read “A Pretty Big Deal for Iowans“, which gets into the Republican Party’s history, and exactly when and how they went astray. Unfortunately, what we see from Republicans today — a party that was founded on lifting black people up out of slavery — is a group of people seemingly hellbent on kicking down minorities and ripping healthcare away from the poor. The people they have harmed need more than apologies: we are due redress. In the words of Jesus, “Forgive them, Creator, for they know not what they do.“

Now you’ll know what I mean when you hear me say:

“We must use the democratic process to restore our republic.“

 

Before we continue, here is a special lesson to all people on the planet. Please think about this if you find yourself casting judgment against LGBT+ people:

 

A Smorgasbord for Iowans
My Platform Has Something for Everyone

My campaign reaches into the past for answers: particularly when it was transformed during FDR‘s administration from a government run by machine politics to a more holistic approach toward government: the New Deal. While the New Deal brought forth Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) — which is largely accredited with helping to dig the U.S. out of the Great Depression — the deal I am extending to Iowans will create Civilian Restoration Corps (CRC). Assisted by new technology and a myriad of new research grants, the CRC will stimulate Iowa’s economy with thousands of new jobs building food and herbal medicine gardens across Iowa, rebuilding farms and providing well-paid farmhands to rural Iowa, installing solar panels on homes, rental complexes, and downtown businesses, fixing crumbling roads and bridges, bringing apartment buildings up to code, and restoring and improving Iowa’s hiking trails.

The Crop Diversity and Enrichment Act will bring researchers together to help get farmers in on early crop booms: particularly growing solar panels from crops such as pokeweed berries, and hemp batteries that are more efficient than lithium. Hopefully the right to repair takes some of the frustration away from farmers, and FarmHire brings much-needed support to rural Iowa.

And… here’s a playlist of inspiring songs I’m putting together to help people get in the mood for my campaign:

In case you wondered why the Goofy Goober Rock is in my official Campaign Spotify playlist, it is because the word “gubernatorial” is a pretty funny word!

 

Above photo image from Field of Dreams used in accordance with Fair Use Doctrine.

     “What kind of world would we have were it not for the dreamer, the seer, for she who sees visions and then goes to work to bring her visions to pass.”   

– Professor Spencer Ambrose Beach

 

 

References

Featured Image:

Cornfield with sunrise: Getty Images. https://www.gettyimages.com/videos/corn-field-sunrise.