Meet the candidates running for Iowa's 3rd Congressional District
Iowa's third congressional district is currently represented by Democrat Congresswoman Cindy Axne.
Three Republicans are hoping to secure the GOP nomination during the June 7 primary.
vlog's Amanda Rooker sat down with all four candidates to see why they got into the race.
Axne is currently the only Iowan in Congress who is a Democrat.
"I was named the National Republican Party's number one target last fall, so when I say they're gunning for me, they're gunning for me," Axne said.
Axne held Iowa's 3rd Congressional District for two terms, even though the district went to Trump in 2016 and 2020.
vlog political analyst Dennis Goldford said it's support in Polk County that's kept Axne afloat.
"Both of Axne's races in 2018 and 2020. There were 16 counties in the district. At that point, she won Polk County with enough of a margin to overcome her deficit in the remaining 15 counties."
But Axne's bid for a third term looks different because of redistricting. The third district now has nine more counties that went to Donald Trump in 2020.
"Three time's a charm. This is absolutely going to be the toughest," Axne said.
Three Republicans are squaring off for the chance to take her seat.
State senator Zach Nunn, Gary Leffler, and Nicole Hasso.
"It doesn't have to be republican versus Democrat. It has to be who can work hard to deliver," Nunn said.
Zach Nunn has spent the past seven years in the Iowa state House. He's a combat veteran and small business owner who's now fighting to flip Iowa's only blue seat on Capitol Hill.
He says his mission is to strengthen the economy and national defense.
"I'm not going to be your standard politician," Leffler said.
Leffler said he's pro-law enforcement, anti-abortion, pro-military and pro-agriculture. He argues it's his out-of-the-box thinking that makes him right for the job.
“I think too many times we have congressmen or people that go off to Washington, D.C., they get lost in the swamp, they get disconnected from the people back home. I'm not going out there to be part of the establishment. I'm going out there to represent the people of Iowa's 3rd Congressional District. And whatever it takes to accomplish that, that's what we're going to do,” Leffler said.
"I'm not a career politician. I am a grassroots conservative," Hasso said.
“Nothing is more important to me than helping people secure their financial future,” Hasso said. “That is what I'm going to bring to Washington, D.C., just some common sense, some business principles that have worked in the past.”
She says her top priorities are tackling inflation and securing the border.
The winning Republican will take on Axne in November.
Goldford said it's all eyes on Polk County.
"For Axne, the Polk County is absolutely central for her if she can improve her margins from last time, or at least hold them from last time, she's got a chance of winning reelection. If a Republican challenger can tap into those margins, then she may have a problem," Goldford said.
