Dearden served on several committees in the Iowa Senate - the Appropriations committee; the Labor and Business Relations committee; the Rules and Administration committee; the State Government committee; the Ethics committee, where he is vice chair; and the Natural Resources committee, where he is chair.
His prior political experience includes serving on the Polk County Central Committee since 1972, serving as Chairman of the Polk County Democrats from 1980 to 1982, and serving as a delegate to the 1996 Democratic National Convention.