Who is running for Congress in Iowa in 2024? Here's a look at the candidates
Brianne PfannenstielIowa's four Republican U.S. House members have filed for re-election as the 2024 election cycle gets underway and primary election ballots are finalized.
This year's primary elections are set for June 4 ahead of the Nov. 5 general election. Candidates had until 5 p.m. March 15 to file paperwork with the Iowa Secretary of State to be included on the ballot.
The public can still challenge those filings with the Secretary of State's office through March 22.
Two incumbents — U.S. Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Randy Feenstra — will face Republican primary opposition in June. However, neither GOP challenger has reported any fundraising or spending to the Federal Election Commission in their most recent financial disclosures.
And Democrats will see a primary in Iowa's 3rd Congressional District, where U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn is seeking a second term. Lanon Baccam and Melissa Vine are set to face off in June.
Neither of Iowa's two U.S. senators, Republicans Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley, are up for re-election this year.
Here's a look at which candidates have filed to run for the U.S. House of Representatives.
U.S. House — 1st District
- Republican incumbent Mariannette Miller-Meeks is seeking a third term in Congress after inching past her Democratic challenger by 6 votes in 2020 and earning a comfortable re-election in 2022. Miller-Meeks served in the U.S. Army as a private, nurse and doctor, and she practiced ophthalmology in Ottumwa. She is a former state legislator.
- Republican David Pautsch, a businessman and minister from Davenport, is the longtime organizer of the annual Quad Cities Prayer Breakfast. He said he is running because Miller-Meeks is "out of step" with the party, and he hopes to expand the role of faith in government.
- Democrat Christina Bohannan, an Iowa City law professor and former state legislator, will again run against Miller-Meeks after losing to her in 2022. She told the Des Moines Register she expects to focus on issues such as access to health care and reproductive rights.
U.S. House — 2nd District
- Republican incumbent Ashley Hinson is a former TV anchor and state legislator. She was elected to Congress in 2020 after defeating incumbent Democrat Abby Finkenauer and is now seeking a third term. She is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
- Democrat Sarah Corkery of Cedar Falls runs a marketing and creative services agency, Corkery & Corkery, with her husband. She described herself to the Register as a "moderate" Democrat focused on issues such as disability rights, LGBTQ rights and equity for people of color.
U.S. House — 3rd District
- Republican incumbent Zach Nunn is a combat veteran who served as an airborne intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force. He was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2014, and he won a Senate seat in 2018. He defeated Democratic incumbent Cindy Axne to take the 3rd District congressional seat in 2022 and is now seeking a second term.
- Democrat Lanon Baccam, a former U.S. Department of Agriculture official and veteran, announced he would seek the office in November 2023. He has amassed major endorsements from former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and State Auditor Rob Sand. Baccam is the son of Tai Dam refugees from Laos and a native of Mount Pleasant.
- Democrat Melissa Vine is a law student and the executive director of The Beacon, which provides housing and programming to women recovering from trauma. Before that, Vine was a business owner who fell into poverty after getting out of an abusive marriage, eventually pursuing a master's degree while starting and selling small businesses.
More:Cash dash begins as Iowa congressional candidates start off 2024 election year
U.S. House — 4th District
- Republican incumbent Randy Feenstra is a former state senator who defeated then-incumbent U.S. Rep. Steve King in a 2020 primary race. He took office in 2021 and is seeking a third term in Congress. He serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Agriculture Committee.
- Republican Kevin Virgil is a veteran and entrepreneur challenging Feenstra in the GOP primary. In a fundraising email, Virgil said he is running because he believes Feenstra should take a stronger stand against federal overspending and oppose continued aid to Ukraine, among other issues.
- Democrat Ryan Melton is a Nevada resident and insurance supervisor. On the social media website X, he describes himself as a "non-corporate, progressive Democrat." He ran unsuccessfully against Feenstra in 2022, earning about 30% of the vote in this Republican-heavy district.
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. She is also covering the 2024 presidential race for USA TODAY as a senior national campaign correspondent. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.