That same year, she was an unsuccessful nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Iowa, running alongside Jack Hatch.

[6] Vernon was born on the Francis E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

[9] Vernon worked as associate director of college relations at Dickinson State University from 1980 to 1981.

After the Iowa flood of 2008, Vernon, as a member of the city council, helped create a post-flood redevelopment map.

[12] She came in second behind former Iowa House Speaker Pat Murphy in the five-way primary for the seat vacated by Bruce Braley.

After that loss, in June 2014, Jack Hatch asked Vernon to join him on the Democratic ticket as his lieutenant governor running mate in the Iowa gubernatorial election, 2014.

[15] Vernon ran for Cedar Rapids Mayor[16] in 2017 but lost, marking her fourth electoral defeat in four years.