How To Use This Guide

1. Pick the issues you care about. Rank the two or three that matter most to you, such as health care costs, prices and tariffs, the war with Iran or water quality.
2. Find which office handles them. The U.S. House and U.S. Senate write federal law and set the federal budget, including Medicaid, Affordable Care Act subsidies and farm programs. The Senate also confirms federal judges and approves treaties. Statewide Amendment 1 would make it harder for the Legislature to raise income taxes.
3. Compare the candidates. Read where each candidate stands on your top issues, then read the candidates’ own words, endorsements and who funds each campaign.

The U.S. House Race

What This Office Does

U.S. House members serve two-year terms and vote on every federal law and the federal budget. All bills that raise taxes must start in the House. The 3rd District covers south central Iowa, including Des Moines, West Des Moines, Winterset and Ottumwa. It is the least Republican of Iowa’s four districts, according to Iowa Public Radio’s report on the race’s anti-corruption pitches. The district stretches from the Des Moines metro to the Missouri border and includes more than 26,000 farmers, according to AgWeb’s report on the district’s farm vote. ​

The district uses the map Iowa adopted in 2021, according to the Iowa Legislature’s district map law. The Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rate the race Lean Democratic, and Inside Elections rates it Tilt Democratic, according to Ballotpedia’s race overview.

Candidates In Brief

Republican Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA), 45, of Ankeny, is seeking a third term. Nunn is a colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and a former director of cybersecurity policy for the National Security Council. Nunn served in the Iowa House and Iowa Senate from 2015 to 2023, according to Iowa Capital Dispatch’s House voter guide. Nunn unseated Rep. Cindy Axne (D) in 2022 and won reelection in 2024 with 51.8% of the vote to 47.9% for Lanon Baccam, according to Nunn’s Ballotpedia profile. Nunn was unopposed in the Tuesday, June 2 Republican primary.

Democrat State Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott (D-West Des Moines), 48, is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Trone Garriott is also the coordinator of interfaith engagement at the Des Moines Area Religious Council, according to Iowa Capital Dispatch. Trone Garriott won an Iowa Senate seat in 2020 and won reelection in 2022 after redistricting by defeating former Senate President Jake Chapman. Trone Garriott earned master’s degrees from Harvard Divinity School and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, according to Trone Garriott’s Ballotpedia profile. Trone Garriott was the only candidate on the June 2 Democratic primary ballot.

Where They Stand

Health care. Trone Garriott says “We’ve got to protect the ACA and expand options for folks so that they can have coverage, more choices, not less.” Trone Garriott would restore the Medicaid funding cut by the 2025 tax and spending law and supports a public option “to fill in the other gaps,” according to Iowa Public Radio’s debate report. Nunn says “We didn’t pull the rug out from people when they needed it most.” Nunn points to the law’s $50 billion for rural health and Nunn’s January vote to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies. Nunn says “the ACA is not the best way to move forward” and calls Trone Garriott’s plan “a government takeover of healthcare.”

Costs, tariffs and taxes. Trone Garriott blames Nunn’s support for tariffs and the Iran war for high prices and would end the “chaotic tariffs.” Trone Garriott supports the law’s tax breaks for tips, overtime and seniors but says families earning under $180,000 should benefit most. Nunn credits the law’s tax provisions with economic growth. Nunn also points to the ROAD to Housing Act, which was signed into law in July and includes Nunn’s rural housing changes.

The war with Iran. Both candidates say Iran should never have a nuclear weapon. Trone Garriott criticizes Nunn’s earlier votes against limiting the president’s war powers and has called for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s removal, saying “He is not accomplishing the goal.” Nunn changed course in September after peace talks broke down. Nunn says Congress must meet its “constitutional obligation” and ensure an “off ramp.”

Farms and water quality. Nunn says “The overwhelming majority of farmers want to make sure they’re doing it the right way” and that “They’re not the enemy here.” Trone Garriott supports lowering the federal nitrate limit for drinking water, and Nunn declined to say whether Nunn would. Trone Garriott supports year-round E15 sales, opposes eminent domain for private gain and says “Most farm issues aren’t partisan.”

Stock trading. Nunn cosponsored the Stop Insider Trading Act, which would bar members of Congress and their families from buying individual stocks. Nunn says “when Washington spends more time making themselves rich, they spend less time taking care of the country.” Trone Garriott calls that bill “a stock trading ban in name only because you could still trade stocks.” Trone Garriott supports a ban that would also cover congressional staff, the president, the vice president and Supreme Court justices. Neither candidate currently owns stocks.

In Their Own Words

Zach Nunn, after the debate, on voter frustration:

“I think this goes directly to the frustration that every Iowan has with the corruption.”

Sarah Trone Garriott, to Iowa Public Radio:

“People can see that something is really wrong and they’re discouraged about our government.”

Questionnaires And Debates

Nunn and Trone Garriott met for their only debate on Tuesday, Oct. 27, on KCCI in Des Moines, after weeks of disputes over scheduling, according to Iowa Capital Dispatch’s debate report. Moderators asked each candidate to answer attack ads. Neither candidate completed Ballotpedia’s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Asked about the Epstein files, Nunn said Nunn opposed earlier release efforts because exposing victims’ names, addresses and backgrounds is “not fair to the victims.” Trone Garriott said Nunn voted for release only “when the president had given him permission.” Asked about votes against laws on transgender athletes and school restrooms, Trone Garriott said those bills “took away a parent’s voice.” Nunn said Trone Garriott “authored the bill that would teach transgender ideology to kindergartners.” Iowa Capital Dispatch reported that the bill concerned Iowa’s Area Education Agencies and does not mention sex education.

Endorsements

Before the primary, President Donald Trump endorsed Nunn on Friday, July 11, 2025, writing “Zach Nunn has my Complete and Total Endorsement,” according to Iowa Capital Dispatch’s report on the endorsement. Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson have visited the district to support Nunn, according to Iowa Public Radio.

Trone Garriott picked up three endorsements before the primary:

Reproductive Freedom for All also backs Trone Garriott.

Who Is Funding Them

These figures come from Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports for the 2026 cycle through Wednesday, Oct. 14, as compiled by Ballotpedia:

  • Trone Garriott reported raising $8,070,402 and spending $6,916,812, with $1,153,590 on hand.
  • Nunn reported raising $6,123,740 and spending $5,555,815, with $620,759 on hand.

AllCiv’s Iowa 3rd District race page shows $3.7 million in outside spending in the race. About $2.3 million of it opposed Trone Garriott and about $1.4 million opposed Nunn, according to Ballotpedia’s FEC data. Donors who give more than $200 in a cycle are listed by name in FEC filings, while smaller gifts are reported only as a lump total.

The Incumbent’s Record

Nunn serves on the House Agriculture and Financial Services committees, according to AllCiv. Nunn is also vice chair of the Financial Services subcommittee on national security and illicit finance and sits on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. This Congress, Nunn has voted in 614 of 645 roll call votes and voted against most Republicans 22 times out of 576, according to AllCiv’s vote data. Nunn has cosponsored 390 bills, and the 58 bills Nunn sponsored drew 479 cosponsors.

Nunn voted for the 2025 tax and spending law, which passed the House 218 to 214 on Thursday, July 3, 2025, according to the House clerk’s roll call. In a Tuesday, Sept. 8 campaign video, Nunn said “We have cut the largest taxes in U.S. history.” PolitiFact rated that claim Mostly False. PolitiFact found that, as a share of the economy, the law’s new tax cuts tied for sixth-largest since 1980, or third-largest counting the extended 2017 cuts. Nunn voted for the Epstein Files Transparency Act in 2025 but did not sign the discharge petition that forced the vote.

Challengers’ Records

Trone Garriott has served in the Iowa Senate since 2021 and represents District 14. Trone Garriott voted against a 2022 law barring transgender women from women’s sports and against a 2023 law on school restroom use, according to Iowa Capital Dispatch. Trone Garriott cosponsored a 2025 state stock trading bill that has not advanced, according to Iowa Public Radio. Trone Garriott has not served in Congress.

The U.S. Senate Race

What This Office Does

U.S. senators serve six-year terms and vote on every federal law and the federal budget. The Senate also confirms presidential nominees, including federal judges, and approves treaties. The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rate the race a Toss-up, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rates it Lean Republican, according to Ballotpedia’s Senate race overview.

Candidates In Brief

Democrat Josh Turek is a state representative (D-Council Bluffs) first elected in 2022. Turek is a four-time Paralympian in wheelchair basketball with two gold medals and directs the Ryan Martin Foundation, according to Turek’s legislative biography. Turek won the June 2 Democratic primary with 62.6% of the vote to 37.3% for Zach Wahls.

Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA), of Marion, has represented northeast Iowa in Congress since 2021. Hinson earlier served in the Iowa House and worked as a television journalist, according to Hinson’s Gazette questionnaire. Hinson won the June 2 Republican primary with 74.0% of the vote to 25.7% for Jim Carlin.

Libertarian Thomas Laehn, 44, of Jefferson, is the Greene County attorney and a former political science professor. Laehn holds a doctorate from Louisiana State University and a law degree from the University of Iowa, according to Laehn’s Gazette questionnaire. Laehn was first elected county attorney in 2018.

Where They Stand

Iran. Turek pledges to “fight to end this war in the U.S. Senate, day one” and wants a return to diplomacy, according to Iowa Public Radio’s Senate debate coverage. Hinson opposed a resolution to limit the president’s war powers but has called for the war to end. Laehn calls the war “immoral, unconstitutional, and contrary to our national interests” and would cut off funding for wars Congress has not authorized.

Immigration. Hinson opposed the 2024 Senate border bill, saying it “would have let uncapped numbers come across our southern border,” and calls Turek too liberal on the border. Turek broke with Democrats in 2024 to back a state bill letting police arrest people who reentered the country illegally. Turek also backs earned citizenship for people who came to the country legally.

Cost of living. Hinson backs these measures:

  • No tax on tips or overtime.
  • Permanently lower taxes on Social Security.
  • Reform of pharmacy benefit managers.
  • Year-round E15 fuel.
  • Child care cost relief.

Hinson says “We cannot tax our way out of Washington’s spending problem.” Laehn calls inflation “the most pressing issue facing Iowa families” and supports a balanced budget amendment.

Data centers and water. Hinson says communities should decide on data centers and that data centers should supply their own power and water. Hinson also backs voluntary, locally led conservation to improve water quality. Laehn says “Congress has no jurisdiction to regulate data centers.”

Abortion and education. Hinson calls Hinson “pro-life and pro-family,” with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. Hinson supports access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and over-the-counter birth control. Laehn is anti-abortion but says Congress lacks authority to pass personhood laws. Laehn would eliminate the U.S. Department of Education.

Ethics. Hinson accused Turek of taking a legislative per diem while missing work, and Turek accused Hinson of growing Hinson’s wealth in Congress. Hinson says the family sold its personal stocks in 2021 and that its added wealth came from the sale of a family business.

In Their Own Words

Ashley Hinson, at the Iowa PBS debate, Wednesday, Oct. 7:

“I’ll be President Trump’s ally when it is important for Iowa, but I will push back on him.”

Josh Turek, at the same debate:

“We need to have a pathway to earned citizenship for those that have come here legally.”

Thomas Laehn, in The Gazette’s candidate questionnaire, on campaign finance:

“Introduce major campaign finance reform legislation overturning Citizens United.”

Questionnaires And Debates

Turek and Hinson debated on Iowa PBS’s Iowa Press on Oct. 7, moderated by Kay Henderson, Stephen Gruber-Miller and Erin Murphy. The two met again on WHO-13 on Tuesday, Oct. 13, according to the Des Moines Register. Laehn was not included in either debate. Hinson and Laehn answered The Gazette’s candidate questionnaire.

Endorsements

Before the primary, Trump endorsed Hinson. Also before the primary, Gov. Kim Reynolds endorsed Hinson in January, according to the Gazette’s report on the Reynolds endorsement, which notes Senate Majority Leader John Thune also backs Hinson. After the primary, former President Barack Obama endorsed Turek on Thursday, July 30, in a video of the two playing basketball, saying “Now the ball’s in your court, Iowa,” according to Fox News.

Who Is Funding Them

These figures come from FEC reports for the 2026 cycle through Wednesday, Oct. 14, as compiled by Ballotpedia:

  • Turek reported raising $24,290,521 and spending $21,217,670, with $3,072,851 on hand.
  • Hinson reported raising $14,147,973 and spending $13,903,059, with $2,172,989 on hand.
  • Laehn reported raising $83,667 and spending $74,632, with $9,035 on hand.

AllCiv’s Iowa U.S. Senate race page shows $34.8 million in outside spending in the race.

The Incumbent’s Record

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), the incumbent, is not on the ballot. Ernst announced on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, that Ernst would not seek a third term.

Challengers’ Records

Hinson serves on the House Appropriations and Ethics committees and the House select committee on China. This Congress, Hinson has voted in 635 of 645 roll call votes and voted against most Republicans 8 times out of 597, according to AllCiv’s vote data. Hinson has cosponsored 238 bills, and the 33 bills Hinson sponsored drew 221 cosponsors.

A VoteVets ad says Hinson “voted to cut coverage for 100,000 Iowans” by supporting the 2025 tax and spending law. KCRG’s fact-check found that 100,000 is the top of KFF’s estimate of 60,000 to 100,000 Iowans. The ad also says 20 rural Iowa hospitals were pushed to the brink. KCRG found that claim relied on data from before the law, and that a July 2026 update listed eight Iowa rural hospitals at risk, citing low private insurance payments.

Turek is in a second term in the Iowa House and has not served in Congress. Laehn taught political science at McNeese State University for four years before law school and has not served in a legislature.

Scorecards Readers Can Check

All three of these groups grade the House votes of Nunn and Hinson:

The Lugar Center’s Bipartisan Index ranks House members by how often they work across party lines. Each group picks different measures, so their ratings measure different things.

Also On Your Ballot

Amendment 1: Two-Thirds Vote for Income Tax Increases. A Yes vote would require a two-thirds vote in both chambers, 67 of 100 House members and 34 of 50 senators, to do either of these:

  • Raise individual or corporate income tax rates.
  • Create a new state income tax.

A No vote keeps the simple-majority rule. Local option taxes are not covered, and lawsuits over a bill’s passage would have to be filed within a year, according to Iowa Public Radio’s Amendment 1 explainer. The Legislature approved the amendment in 2024 and again in 2026, when the House passed SJR 11 57 to 21 on Sunday, May 3, according to the House floor vote record.

Iowans for Tax Relief President Chris Hagenow says the amendment would protect taxpayers as political control shifts and calls warnings of cuts “scare tactics.” Common Good Iowa Executive Director Anne Discher says it could push lawmakers toward sales taxes, which weigh more heavily on lower-income Iowans. Discher warns, “When we run out of the surplus dollars, hard decisions are going to be made.” Your county auditor lists every city, school and county measure on your ballot.

Before You Go

Today

* Election Day is today, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
* Register at the polls: You can still register at your precinct today by showing proof of identity and residence.
* Mail ballots must reach your county auditor by 8 p.m. today, when polls close, according to the Secretary of State’s general election notice. Mail ballots cannot be dropped off at your polling place, but you may surrender an absentee ballot there and vote in person, according to Election Protection’s Iowa guide.
* ID: Bring any of these:
As of July 1, another voter can no longer vouch for your identity. A voter without ID may cast a provisional ballot and bring documents to the auditor by noon the Monday after the election.
* An Iowa driver license or nondriver ID.
* A U.S. passport.
* A military or veteran ID.
* A tribal ID.
* An Iowa Voter ID card.
* Questions: Call the Iowa Secretary of State at 1-888-SOS-VOTE, or call or text the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683).

Deadlines That Have Passed

  • Mailed absentee requests were due at 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19.
  • In-person early voting ran at county auditor offices from Wednesday, Oct. 14, through Monday, Nov. 2.

Sources

AllCiv Profiles and Race Pages

Official Records

Candidate Statements and Questionnaires

News

Ballot Measures

Endorsements

Scorecards

Voting Information

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