By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)
Republicans and Democrats have chosen their nominees for a host of legislative seats and local races, plus the June 4 Primary has set the major party match ups in Iowa’s four congressional districts.
The most watched Iowa congressional race in this year’s General Election will be in the third district, where Democratic Primary voters have chosen Lanon Baccam of Des Moines to challenge Republican Congressman Zach Nunn of Bondurant. Baccam won the Democratic Primary with over 84% of the vote.
“We’re going to show Iowans that the connections we have to each other and the communities we build together are more important than the political disagreements we may have,” Baccam said during a speech to supporters.
Nunn discussed the stakes in the third district at a gathering of Iowa Republicans this past weekend. “This race in Des Moines, IA03, has been ranked as one of the most competitive races in the country,” Nunn said. “We have an opponent who’s raised millions…and candidly, that buys a lot of TV time in Iowa.”
Nunn suggested the economy will be a top issue.
“When our economy has fallen so far — inflation has increased, interest rates have increased — we are putting brakes on the best country in the world,” Nunn said.
In his remarks tonight, Baccam told his supporters abortion rights will be a pivotal issue. “I’ll fight to restore the rights found under Roe v Wade,” Baccam said. “I’ll make sure that women have the freedom to make their own health care decisions.”
Baccam defeated Melissa Vine of West Des Moines, a single mother of four boys who leads a non-profit that serves women who’ve experienced trauma, like domestic abuse. The Iowa Secretary of State’s website shows Republicans had a voter registration edge of 16,000 over Democrats in the third district on June 1.
Miller-Meeks and Bohannon rematch in first congressional district
Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Davenport has cleared a Republican Primary challenge in Iowa’s first congressional district and will be on the November ballot as she seeks a third term in the U.S. House. Miller-Meeks finished about 12 points ahead of David Pautsch, a Republican businessman from Davenport.
“The work that we have done has been solid work, solid effort in making sure that we address the needs and issues of people and that feel they have been listened to and that someone is working to solve their problems and issues,” Miller-Meeks said during an interview with Radio Iowa earlier this evening, “and to make their lives better.”
Miller-Meeks said having former President Donald Trump at the top of the Iowa ticket gives Republicans “tail-winds, while President Joe Biden will be a drag on Democrats.
“The economy is struggling,” Miller-Meeks said. “We’ve got two wars abroad with Iran looking to become even more aggressive and China looking to be more aggressive they see a weak president and a weak response.”
Democrats have again nominating Christina Bohannon of Iowa City in the first congressional district. Bohannon, who lost to Miller-Meeks by a little less than 7% in 2022, said the political environment in 2024 is different.
“People are really fed up with what’s been happening here both at the state level and the federal level,” Bohannon said during a Radio Iowa interview. “At the federal level, we see nothing but dysfunction.”
Bohannon said Miller-Meeks is out of step with voters on the abortion issue.
“It’s why people are so fired up to knock doors and donate to this campaign because they know she is too extreme for Iowa on this issue,” Bohannon said.
Republicans have a voter registration edge over Democrats in the first congressional district of just over 17,000.
Feenstra and Melton rematch in fourth congressional district
Fourth district Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull has defeated Republican Primary challenger Kevin Virgil by 20 points. Feenstra issued a written statement tonight, saying voters “sent the message they want a conservative voice in congress” and he’s “humbled by the strong support for our campaign.”
During a forum in Cherokee last week, Feenstra discussed his decision to run for the U.S. House in 2020. “I had a tremendous amount of farm producers and businesses come to me and say: ‘We need somebody who can make a different in congress,’” Feenstra said, “and that’s what I try to do every single day.”
Feenstra beat fellow Republican Steve King in that first race and he’s defeated the candidate King endorsed in this 2024 GOP Primary.
Ryan Melton of Nevada is again the Democratic Party’s nominee in the fourth congressional district. Melton said the top concerns he hears from voters haven’t changed much since 2022.
“Number one is the hollowing out of our communities in our fourth congressional district,” Melton said during a Radio Iowa interview, “a steady population decline that’s leaving us much less secure, much more vulnerable in a wide variety of different ways.”
Melton, who got 30% of the vote in his 2022 race, said concerns about the proposed carbon capture pipelines come up at nearly every campaign stop.
“I’m the first major party candidate in the state to fight against the pipelines back in early ’22, so that’s given me a rare foot in the door in Republican households that other Democrats don’t have,” Melton said, “that I’ve been on the right side of that battle since the very beginning.”
Republicans hold a sizable voter registration edge in Iowa’s fourth district, with nearly 153-thousand more Republicans than active Democratic voters.
Hinson and challenger Corkery had no opposition in second congressional district primaries
There were surprises in results from Iowa’s second congressional district, as there was only one candidate in each party’s primary. Sarah Corkery, a small business owner from Cedar Falls, is the Democrat who’ll challenge Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson’s bid for a third term in the U.S. House.
Corkery, a breast cancer survivor, said voters are concerned about Iowa’s high cancer rate. “We need to work together to find solutions,” Corkey said during a Radio Iowa interview, “to be sure we can make Iowa a safe place for everyone.”
And Corkery said there’s another important topic voters bring up regularly.
“First and foremost, women’s health rights,” Corkery said. “I believe women should be empowered to make those kinds of decisions, including abortion health care.”
During a speech last weekend at a fundraiser for Senator Ernst, Hinson said “life should be defended at every stage.”
“They want to codify Roe v Wade. I think we need to stand up for life,” Hinson said. “…We’re also going to continue to fight to keep biological men out of girls’ sports.”
Hinson described the current Republican majority in the U.S. House as “a firewall” against the Biden Administration until voters have a say in the 2024 election.
“This is about course correction,” Hinson said. “…The future of America is on the ballot.”
As of June 1, Republicans had a nearly 19,000 edge in active registered voters in the second congressional district compared to Democrats.
The November 5 General Election is 154 days away.
