Here’s who is running, so far, for Congress in Iowa in 2024

Iowa’s 2024 congressional races are starting to take shape as all four Republican officeholders have at least one Democratic challenger and, in one instance, a primary challenger.

So who’s running for what office and where? Here’s a simple overview of Iowa’s four congressional districts, the incumbents who represent those districts, and the candidates who want to fill those seats:

Iowa’s 1st Congressional District

This 20-county district primarily covers southeast Iowa. Major cities in the district include Burlington, Davenport, Iowa City, Indianola, Newton, and Pella. 

Candidates:

Name: Mariannette Miller-Meeks (incumbent)

Political Party: Republican

Residence: Ottumwa

Age: 68

Background: A former eye doctor, US Army veteran, and state senator, Miller-Meeks won her seat by six votes in 2020 after three previous attempts saw her defeated by former Congressman Dave Loebsack. Miller-Meeks successfully defended the seat in 2022 against former state Rep. Christina Bohannan, who is once again vying to be Miller-Meek’s Democratic opponent.

Name: Christina Bohannan

Political Party: Democrat

Residence: Iowa City

Age: 52

Background: Bohannan is a law professor and former engineer who served a term in the Iowa House after defeating a 20-year incumbent in the Democratic primary of a solid blue district. Bohannan challenged Miller-Meeks for her seat in 2022 and fell short.

Name: David Pautsch

Political Party: Republican

Residence: Davenport

Age: 69

Background: Pautsch is running to the right of Miller-Meeks because he doesn’t think she is conservative enough, according to a Quad City Times report. Pautsch organizes several Christian events in the Davenport area and two years ago he hosted a 9/11 tribute event that featured election denier and pillow entrepreneur Mike Lindell as a guest speaker.

Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District

This 22-county district primarily covers northeast Iowa. Major cities include Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Grinnell, and Waterloo. 

Candidates:

Name: Ashley Hinson (incumbent)

Party: Republican

Residence: Marion

Age: 40

Background: A former TV anchor and member of the Iowa House, Hinson has served as the congressional representative for northeast Iowa since 2021 and is considered a rising star in the Republican Party. She gained her seat after defeating former congresswoman Abby Finkenauer (D).

Name: Sarah Corkery

Political Party: Democrat

Residence: Cedar Falls

Age: 48

Background: Corkery owns a small marketing firm with her husband and has more than 20 years of experience in the field. A self-described moderate Democrat, she’s a community activist and helped raise $1 million to build an inclusive playground in Cedar Falls. Corkery is also a two-time breast cancer survivor and fundraises and lobbies for causes related to the disease.

Name: Jacob Wieland 

Political Party: Democrat

Residence: Independence

Age: 29

Background: A graduate student at the University of Iowa, Wieland has worked as a field organizer for the Iowa and New Jersey Democratic parties, and on campaigns for former congresswoman Cindy Axne and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  

Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District

This 21-county district covers most of southwest and south central Iowa, including the Des Moines metro.

Candidates:

Name: Zach Nunn (incumbent)

Political Party: Republican

Residence: Bondurant

Age: 44

Background: Nunn is a 20-year military veteran who previously served in the Iowa House and Iowa Senate. He narrowly defeated former congresswoman Cindy Axne in 2022 to capture his seat.

Name: Lanon Baccam

Political Party: Democrat

Residence: Des Moines

Age: 42

Background: Baccam is a military veteran, a former Biden campaign staffer, and worked under former Iowa Gov. Tim Vilsack in his capacity as US Secretary of Agriculture. Baccam was born and raised in Mt. Pleasant and is the son of Tai Dam refugees.

Name: Melissa Vine

Political Party: Democrat

Residence: Des Moines

Age: 42

Background: Vine is a current Drake University Law School student and the executive director of The Beacon, a nonprofit that provides housing and programming for women who have experienced significant trauma and have a physical or mental disability.

Name: Tracy Limon

Political Party: Democrat

Residence: Des Moines.

Age: 41

Background: A mental health therapist and the owner of Remedy Me Therapy and Coaching. Limon has filed paperwork but has not formally announced her candidacy.

Iowa’s 4th Congressional District

This 36-country district primarily covers northwest Iowa, parts of southwest Iowa, and parts of north central Iowa. Major cities include Ames, Carroll, Council Bluffs, Fort Dodge, Marshalltown, Spencer Storm Lake, and Sioux City.

Candidates:

Name: Randy Feenstra

Political Party: Republican

Residence: Hull

Age: 54

Background: Feenstra is an adjunct college professor, and a former state senator, former city administrator, and former county treasurer who defeated longtime seatholder Steve King in the 2020 GOP primary. Feenstra defeated Democrat JD Scholten in the 2020 general election and won reelection in 2022 by defeating Democrat Ryan Melton.

Name: Ryan Melton

Political Party: Democrat

Residence: Nevada

Age: 39

Background: Melton works in insurance and challenged Feenstra in 2022 after no other Democrat stepped up in the ruby-red congressional district. 

Name: Jay Brown

Political Party: Democrat

Residence: Ames

Age: 61

Background: Brown is a longtime medical professional in Ames. He was the founder of the Ames Free Medical Clinic and serves as the president of the McFarland Clinic Foundation. In 2019, Brown donated 52 acres of land to YSS so that the nonprofit organization could build a recovery campus for Iowa youth.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story listed the incorrect age for Ryan Melton. We regret the error.