Republican Rep. Zach Nunn has been reelected to a second term representing Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, which covers the Des Moines metro and parts of southern Iowa.
Unofficial results from Election Day show Nunn winning nearly 52% of the vote over Democratic challenger Lanon Baccam, who landed about 48% of the vote.
At a watch party in downtown Des Moines, Nunn told supporters he’ll push for stronger national security and border security in his next term.
“We’ve been fighting for families, for farmers, for main street America. For the real things we can take not only to Washington, but that we’ve proven time and time work here in Iowa can be a playbook for the entire country.”
While Lanon Baccam built a large lead with Democrats in Polk County, Nunn was able to overcome it with support in Dallas County and more rural parts of the 3rd District. Nunn said he salutes Lanon Baccam, a fellow military veteran, for his campaign.
The race was expected to be a close contest. The Cook Political Report, which provides nonpartisan election analysis, ranked the 3rd District as a "toss-up."
Election Results
U.S. House Balance of Power
3rd Congressional District
The 3rd Congressional District covers 21 counties in south-central and central Iowa, including Des Moines and the surrounding suburbs as well as Ottumwa, Centerville and Atlantic.
3rd Congressional District candidates
Lanon Baccam
Democrat Lanon Baccam has served in the U.S. Department of Agriculture and has also served in the Iowa Army National Guard. He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2004 with a combat engineering unit tasked with disposing of unexploded munitions.
Rep. Zach Nunn
Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn currently represents the 3rd Congressional District. He has represented the 3rd District since 2023, after he defeated two-term incumbent Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne by 2,145 votes in the 2022 election. He served as a state senator for the 15th District from 2019 - 2023 and as a state representative for the 30th District from 2015 to 2019. Nunn is a veteran of the Air Force and Iowa National Guard.
Information about the candidates' stance on abortion, immigration and health care and social security is available here.
The state of the race
The Cook Political Report, which provides non-partisan election analysis, has ranked Nunn's seat in the 3rd District as a "toss-up." It’s one of only about 25 races that has a good chance of going either way, along with Iowa’s 1st Congressional District.
The U.S. House is currently GOP-led, with 220 Republicans to the Democrats' 212 seats. There are currently three unfilled vacancies. With nationwide redistricting largely solidifying many Republican and Democratic seats, the balance of power in the chamber comes down to a handful of competitive races — including the two in Iowa.
The competitive nature of the 3rd Congressional District is evidenced by the large amount of spending in the district. Outside spending groups have spent over $4.8 million in opposition to Nunn, while Baccam has been the target of $5.1 million in opposition spending. Both candidates have received more campaign donations from out-of-state donors than in-state donors, with roughly 70% of their donations coming from out of state.
