Independent candidate Michael Bridgford has jumped into Iowa’s 1st Congressional District race.
Bridgford, an independent financial advisor from Bettendorf, announced his campaign to challenge both Republican incumbent Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and the two-party system.
He’s the only independent running in the race for the 1st District, and he believes there is room for an independent movement as more voters disengage with the two major parties. The Cook Political Report has rated the 1st District as a "toss up."
“I think we’re at a moment in time when this district could become the most important district in the country,” Bridgford said. “When we send an independent to Congress in a race that’s closely watched around the country, that is going to send a national shockwave to both parties that they’ve just gone too far and it’s time to start addressing problems.”
Bridgford said he plans to earn the support of an exhausted majority of Iowans who are tired of divisive politics in Washington. The number of "no party" registered voters in the 1st District has climbed since the start of the year, according to the latest data from the Iowa Secretary of State.
“In the House, there’s a margin of just one or two votes to really make a difference,” Bridgford said. “I think 2026 is a big year for an independent movement across the country and here in Iowa, where there could actually be real change.”
Bridgford said if he wins, he plans to focus on popular, nonpartisan issues, such as passing legislation on term limits for elected officials and banning Congressional stock trading.
“Washington is stuck,” he said. “The last few Congresses have been the least effective in history, and we’ve reached a point where we’ve got to do something different. I don’t see the parties moderating or being incentivized to actually get solutions done in many ways.”
Bridgford said that on broader issues where there is a deep divide between Republicans and Democrats, like immigration and health care, an independent candidate could help enable compromise and force the parties to work together to find solutions.
“Under the Biden administration, there really wasn’t a lot of attention to the border. The fentanyl crisis was exploding, and that was obviously a key issue in 2024 that led to Trump being elected,” he said. “Now we see the pendulum swing all the way to the other side, where we have the issues in Minneapolis, we have community members that have been here a long time, contributing, being rounded up. The answer is in the middle.”
On health care, Bridgford blamed the closing of rural clinics and high costs on both parties.
“Health care is a very complicated issue,” he said. “I mean, it now makes up 20% of our GDP, and there’s been a lot of cost creep there. So that’s, again, where we need to be working together to find practical solutions to actually impact people.”
Turning to Iran war, Bridgford said his thoughts are with the members of the U.S. military who are serving in the Middle East. He said the situation has led to massive impacts in Iowa, including higher fuel and fertilizer costs, and he hopes for a diplomatic solution.
“I do think we are at a point that if we are going to escalate, that’s where Congress needs to be involved,” he said. “Congress has abdicated their duty over several administrations. Now, Congress needs to have a voice.”
On artificial intelligence, Bridgford stressed the need for federal policy.
“We need to be the leader. We need to be ahead of China and Russia and some of our adversaries,” he said. “But at the same time, we need to be looking at protecting our society. Our young folks are already being impacted tremendously. College graduate unemployment is higher than it was during the financial crisis."
Bridgford said Republican and Democratic voters have become jaded with their parties and are looking for another option.
“We need to be protecting our farmers, and I think there’s going to be a potential appetite for them to look outside the Republican Party, given what they’ve gone through,” he said. “On the Democratic side, there’s a lot of frustration. I mean the national party has pulled the caucus away from the state, which was a big deal.”
Bridgford said his campaign is gathering signatures to submit by June 2 to qualify for the November ballot. He also plans to do a 20-county tour starting in May.
Bridgford will face off against the winners of the party primaries in June. Miller-Meeks and David Pautsch are running in the GOP primary, and Christina Bohannan and Travis Terrell are competing for the Democratic nomination.
