Ray "Bubba" Sorensen is a Republican member of the Iowa House of Representatives representing District 23, which includes all of Adair and Madison Counties, as well as portions of Dallas, Clarke, and Union counties. He is a small business owner, artist, and muralist renowned for creating the Freedom Rock® series honoring veterans.

Born in 1979 in Creston, Iowa, and raised in Fontanelle, Sorensen grew up playing sports, showing cattle, and drawing. Inspired by the film Saving Private Ryan at age 19 while at Iowa State University, he painted the first Freedom Rock® in 1999—a 12-foot boulder along Interstate 80 near Menlo, Iowa, as a tribute to veterans. In 2007, he married Maria Galanakis, and they founded Sorensen Studios in 2008, a photography and mural-painting business. Starting in 2013, they expanded the Freedom Rock® Tour, completing one in all 99 Iowa counties by September 2021, plus a 100th in Altoona and others in additional states. Sorensen has received numerous awards for his veteran-focused artwork, including the George Washington Honor Medal from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, Kentucky Colonel commission by Governor Ernie Fletcher in 2005, Outstanding Young Iowan by the Iowa Jaycees in 2007, Commander's Award for Public Service from Major General Timothy Orr, and induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2019. First elected in 2018, he won re-election in 2020, 2022 , and 2024 for his fourth term, assuming office on January 14, 2019. He currently chairs the House Economic Growth Committee and serves on the House Appropriations Committee, where he previously was vice chair.

Education and Political Experience

Sorensen attended Des Moines Area Community College and Iowa State University. Prior to politics, he worked as a graphic designer for Edje Technologies and Livestock Plus. His political career began with his 2018 election to the Iowa House; he now serves his fourth term as a Republican representative for District 23.