Outside the Cobblestone Event Center in Holstein on Monday, the enticing aroma of sizzling steaks floated along Highway 20, as the Ida County Cattleman grilled dinner for about 150 attendees at the event hosted by the Ida County GOP.
The crowd then feasted on speeches delivered by nine men competing in next year's primaries.
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate was the emcee at the event, which featured most of the candidates in two significant races for governor and the U.S. House. Each candidate was given 10 minutes to present their backgrounds and priorities.
“We’ve got great news tonight — we out-register the Democrats, and we out-register the no-parties," Pate said. "We, Republicans, are rocking it, and you’re the ones that got it done."
Pate emphasized the importance of unity among Republicans as many candidates started hitting the campaign trail.
“We always count on western Iowa to carry us over the line,” he added.
The 4th Congressional District, which encompasses 36 counties and includes the cities of Council Bluffs, Sioux City, Ames, Fort Dodge and Marshalltown, is recognized as the reddest district in the state.
Iowa's GOP candidates for governor share priorities
The gubernatorial candidates took the stage first. Adam Steen addressed Feenstra’s absence.
“It’s good to see all five gubernatorial candidates here — just kidding, where's Randy Feenstra? He talks about how tall he is. I'm tall too, and nobody cares,” Steen remarked. “What we care about are the issues — showing up, answering questions and making sure what we say resonates with what you need.”
Organizers of the event said they were told Feenstra had another commitment. He appeared at a campaign event in Mason City that same evening. He is scheduled to visit a Pizza Ranch in Sioux City Tuesday.
Steen is a pastor and former baseball player who previously served as the director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services. He claimed his experience would allow him to step into the governor's role on day one, focusing on cutting property taxes, boosting skilled trades, protecting property rights and prioritizing family values.
“Far too often we're letting devices, TVs and other people raise our children. We need our children sitting down with us. We need to talk to them about mental health issues,” Steen said. “It starts at the dinner table, and we need to be aware of that.”
Brad Sherman expressed confidence in his ability to prevail in the primary, despite facing four other candidates.
“I won my House race in a six-way primary with 55.5%, and I’m planning on a repeat,” he said.
Referencing Feenstra's absence, he noted, “Adam [Steen] mentioned Randy Feenstra not being here; that’s sort of becoming a pattern, you know.”
A businessman and long-time pastor from Williamsburg, Sherman served Iowa House District 91 from 2023 to 2025. He believes that schools should display the Ten Commandments.
“We need to get God back into our schools because this nation was founded on Christian principles, and I'm tired of this First Amendment baloney that says we can't mention God in public places or government, folks.”
State Rep. Eddie Andrews of Johnston, who is currently serving as member of the Iowa House, is a tech entrepreneur and a pastor. He touted his strong work ethic.
“I'm the only Republican who works my butt off big enough and loud enough and hard enough to win in a blue district,” Andrews stated. He highlighted his achievements, saying, “I passed more legislation in the first two months than most Representatives passed in the first two years.”
Andrews' top priorities include property rights, taxes, improving mental health services, health care and restoring Iowa's education leadership.
“We willingly abandoned the Iowa model and adopted national models like No Child Left Behind, the worst is Common Core and ESSA [Every Student Succeeds Act]. We need to reverse those and take them out by the gut,” he said.
Zach Lahn, who calls himself a non-politician, spoke out about his love of Iowa and the importance of an agricultural economy.
“I believe elections are about the future, about the next generation, what we're gonna do for our kids,” Lahn stated.
The businessman and farmer from Belle Plaine advocated for banning the sale of single-family homes to Wall Street hedge funds and restricting out-of-state investors from purchasing land.
Commenting on eminent domain, he also mentioned Feenstra.
“There's one person who isn't here. The last time I heard him talk about this, he said, 'We shouldn't use eminent domain.' I'm sorry, that's not strong enough," Lahn said. "You are disqualified from this based on that answer alone.”
Iowa's 4th District GOP candidates speak at the forum
The forum also featured five candidates vying for Feenstra’s seat, including Iowa House leader and veteran Matt Windschitl of Missouri Valley, Iowa Tea Party founder Ryan Rhodes of Ames, farmer and volunteer firefighter Christian Schlaefer of Kossuth County, veteran Douglas Jensen of Silver City and Siouxland Chamber of Commerce President and veteran Chris McGowan.
The primary election is scheduled for June 2, 2026.
