Rep. Randy Feenstra formally announced his campaign for governor Tuesday, saying he aims to “take Iowa to new heights” by working with President Donald Trump and keeping the governor’s seat Republican in 2026. Feenstra had filed the paperwork to run for governor with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board in May, and shortly after […]
2026 Election
Posted inCommunity/News
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks touts role in firing of teacher over Charlie Kirk remarks
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, speaking to supporters at a fundraiser in Iowa City on Friday, claimed credit for her involvement in the firing of an Oskaloosa teacher over remarks about slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Miller-Meeks, speaking at her fifth annual tailgate fundraiser, said there’s “a lot at stake” in the upcoming election. To show voters […]
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GOP federal candidates outraise Democrats in Iowa — with one exception
Though there have been many shake-ups in Iowa heading into the 2026 campaign season, Republican candidates have largely kept their fundraising leads in Iowa’s U.S. Senate and House races, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission reports. Iowa will have open races for two U.S. House seats, as well as for governor and U.S. […]
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‘When hell freezes over’: Republicans Miller-Meeks and Nunn continue to dodge town halls, including one planned by Raygun
One week after CNN reported Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks told fellow Republicans she would hold town hall meetings “when hell freezes over,” the three-term incumbent held a town hall meeting. Sort of. Miller-Meeks, who represents Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, held what her office calls a telephone town hall meeting on Wednesday. Unlike an in-person town hall […]
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Jackie Norris ends Senate bid, will focus on Des Moines School Board issues
Des Moines School Board Chair Jackie Norris has dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. Norris, who launched her campaign for Sen. Joni Ernst’s seat on Aug. 5, announced her decision in a news release on Thursday. Norris’s withdrawal came one day after Axios Des Moines reported Norris had confirmed […]
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Former U.S. Rep. Rod Blum ends 2nd Congressional District campaign after 25 days
Former U.S. Rep. Rod Blum announced Monday he is suspending his campaign for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. “It has become clear to me that I can help President Trump in other ways that are more effective than being in the U.S. House,” Blum said in a news release. “I love our country, and despite our […]
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Shannon Lundgren, House floor manager for Iowa’s anti-abortion bills, becomes fourth Republican running in 2nd District
On Tuesday, Shannon Lundgren became the fourth Republican to join the race in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. Lundgren currently serves in the Iowa House of Representatives District 65, which covers parts of Dubuque County. She and her husband, Charlie, own the Trackside Bar & Grill in Peosta. “I’m running because I love Iowa and I […]
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Ashley Hinson pledges loyalty to Trump, throws Zach Wahls a jab at Senate campaign kickoff
U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, officially launching her U.S. Senate campaign in Cedar Rapids on Sunday, said Iowa Republicans can’t be complacent in 2026 if they want President Donald Trump to be able to accomplish his agenda. The Marion Republican announced her run earlier in September, hours after U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said she would not […]
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Rob Sand talks water quality, trans rights and ‘tables in Des Moines that need flipping’ on the campaign trail
Not everyone at Field Day Brewing in North Liberty last Thursday night was there to see Rob Sand, something he acknowledged as he started the Johnson County stop on his 100 Town Hall Tour. Some people were just there to eat, which is why the clatter of knives and forks on plates was the background […]
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More Republican candidates join 2nd and 4th District congressional primaries
Two more Republican candidates, Joe Mitchell and Christian Schlaefer, have declared their campaigns for congressional seats in Iowa. The GOP primary race for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District opened up last week when incumbent U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson entered the 2026 U.S. Senate race after U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst announced she would not seek reelection. Following Hinson’s announcement, several Republicans expressed […]
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Hinson praises Trump as the ‘best president in history’ as he endorses her for Senate
Jim Carlin, the first Iowa Republican to launch a run for Senate this year, has spent the better part of a decade loudly proclaiming his loyalty to Donald Trump, including endorsing the false conspiracy theories Trump favors. Shortly after the November 2020 election, Carlin, then a member of the Iowa Senate, was a featured speaker […]
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‘Stay tuned!’: Republicans tease 2nd District campaign announcements after Hinson’s jump to Senate race
Following incumbent U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson’s Senate campaign launch, some Republicans, including former U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, have hinted they are planning to run for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District in 2026. Hinson, who has represented the northeast Iowa district for three terms, announced Tuesday she would run for Senate, shortly after U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst […]
