Two of Iowa’s Republican US Reps.—Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks—joined Democrats in voting Tuesday to end combat operations in the Iran war. This marked the first time either has done so, after both opposed every earlier attempt to do the same thing in the House this year.
The House passed the war powers resolution, 220-204, with seven Republicans breaking from their party to join Democrats in approving the measure. Nunn and Miller-Meeks had matching records on every prior Iran war vote in 2026, including two that failed, in March and April, and two that passed without them, in June and July.
Nunn has spent much of the year explicitly defending the war. In March, as gas prices climbed, he told Fox News that critics who wanted to “make this about politics” should “grow a stronger spine.” In May, he told Politico the price increases tied to the war were “overhyped, candidly, by the media.” Just a month ago, he campaigned with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at a fundraiser at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, where Hegseth praised him for being willing to “take the tough votes.”
Nunn and Miller-Meeks did not immediately respond to questions from Iowa Starting Line. In a press release, Nunn and Miller-Meeks framed Tuesday’s vote as principle, not politics.
“With the negotiating window closed, sustained combat operations now require congressional authorization,” Nunn said in a statement.
“I served 24 years in the Army. I said it in March: the mission had to stay focused and limited, because Americans do not want another forever war. I will not vote to keep our soldiers in an open-ended war, with Iowans paying too much at the pump,” Miller-Meeks wrote in a statement.
Both are running in what national outlets already rank among the most competitive House races in the country, and both switched their stance in the same week outlets have described the war as a growing political liability for Republicans heading into the midterms.
Nunn’s Democratic opponent, state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, said his record on the war speaks for itself.
“Nunn voted for the war five times, campaigned with Pete Hegseth, and called it ‘worth it.’ Now, just ahead of the midterms, he’s trying to back away. Zach Nunn is a career politician who will do or say anything to try to keep his job,” she wrote on X.
One Iowa Republican in a competitive statewide race hasn’t moved: US Rep. Ashley Hinson is the GOP nominee for Iowa’s open US Senate seat. Hinson voted against Tuesday’s resolution, as she has on every Iran war powers vote this year.
Hinson has known the war carried political risk for months. In June, days before her Senate primary, audio obtained by Politico caught her telling voters at a Webster County meet-and-greet that a drawn-out war would be “a political liability for us,” adding, “I’ve been to four funerals since December, it’s awful.” In August, on a local podcast, she described the war as “out of sight, out of mind” for most Americans.
Her opponent in November, Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek, criticized her continued support for the conflict.
“Iowans have already lost their lives in this war. And Iowans here at home are struggling under the weight of skyrocketing gas, diesel, and fertilizer costs as this war continues to drive prices higher,” Turek wrote on X. “It’s past time to end these forever wars and start putting Iowa — and America — first.”
The war has been costly. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found the six-month conflict has cost $38 billion so far, growing by roughly $3 billion a month, and is projected to push inflation up half a percentage point in early 2027. As of this month, gas prices in Iowa have soared above $4, up a whole dollar from a year ago. As of this week, diesel costs $6.12, according to AAA. Fertilizer prices farmers depend on for spring planting rose by double digits before the season started.
US Rep. Randy Feenstra, who is not running for reelection, also voted against the war powers resolution.
