Trone Garriott hosts Sunday town hall, presses for public events in Iowa’s 3rd District
State Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott hosted a campaign town hall Sunday at Big Grove Brewery, underscoring Democrats’ push for lawmakers to host public events as she challenges U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District.
Trone Garriott, who hopes to represent the district that includes Des Moines, took public questions and outlined priorities including access to health care, combating food insecurity and reforming the immigration system on Sunday at Big Grove Brewery on Ingersoll Avenue. She also criticized Nunn’s approach to public town hall meetings, and promised availability to voters, should she take the congressional seat.
“When I am in town, making sure there are community meeting times and public events that folks can attend is incredibly important,” Trone Garriott said.
Several Democratic candidates in the 3rd District race have made open forums central to their campaigns amid months of criticism that Nunn avoids traditional town halls.
"We're continuing to see dissatisfaction with Rep. Nunn and his lack of showing up," former House Minority Leader and democratic candidate for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional district Jennifer Konfrst told vlog Sunday.
"He's never ever here, he's never ever talking to his constituents, he's never available he's never at town halls," candidate for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional district Xavier Carrigan said in a TikTok video posted by his campaign.
Nunn’s campaign pushed back on the accusations Sunday. His campaign manager,
Brendan Duffy, provided vlog the following statement:
“Zach Nunn is consistently accessible to Iowans, holding hundreds of events in all 21 counties and hosting real listening sessions that deliver real results. Congressman Nunn isn’t going to take advice on meeting with his constituents from far-left activists who are out of touch with Iowa values.”
vlog asked whether those events are open to the public; the campaign did not respond before the publication deadline.
Trone Garriott also promised action about a controversy during her 2024 election to the state senate, when more than 2,000 ballots were challenged statewide over voters’ citizenship status, including 25 in Trone Garriott's race, Senate District 14. She won that race by 29 votes.
“That’s unconscionable,” Trone Garriott said on Sunday. “In Congress I want to make sure our federal government stands up for voting rights and make sure that things like that can’t happen.”
She said she favors enforcing existing laws over new legislation to address such situations.
Carrigan, Konfrst and Trone Garriott will compete in the Democratic primary on June 2, 2026. Voters will choose between the winner of that race and Nunn the following November.
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