Vice President JD Vance made a stop in Des Moines Tuesday to rally support for Republican Rep. Zach Nunn ahead of a competitive race this fall.
Speaking to a crowd of hundreds inside a manufacturing plant, the vice president portrayed Republican candidates as champions of working-class priorities.
“This is not a normal election. This is not a normal political environment,” Vance said. “This is a contest between a party that wants to take all of your money and give it to illegal aliens, and a contest between gentlemen, like Zach Nunn, who fight every single day for you.”
Vance’s visit comes as Iowa heads into contentious election season. Iowa’s 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts are both categorized as “toss ups” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Iowans will also choose a new governor and U.S. senator in November.
Nunn is running against state Sen. Sarah Trone-Garriott, D-West Des Moines, a Lutheran pastor and former nonprofit leader.
Vance told attendees that GOP lawmakers were “fighting for you instead of fighting against you.” He also touted the president’s tariffs and trade policies as favorable to American manufacturing and workers.
“If you're trying to steal the jobs from Iowa farmers and Iowa manufacturers, you know what you're going to do,” he said. “You're going to pay a big fat tariff before you bring anything into our country, because we're protecting the jobs of our workers and our people for a change.”
In December, the Trump administration announced $12 billion in bailout money to farmers impacted by tariffs. And, according to NPR, while tariffs raise billions in revenue for the federal government, most of the costs are shouldered by American businesses.
The vice president also repeated the Trump administration’s claims of widespread fraud within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. He also criticized the Democratic Party on immigration and accused Democrats of straying from working-class ideals.
“It's heartbreaking for a kid who came from a union Democrat family to realize that Democrats these days, they seem to care more about gender transition than they do about you keeping more of your hard-earned money,” Vance said.
Iowa's 3rd District: A competitive race
Ahead of Vance’s speech, Nunn said voters can break the mold this year, including in the 3rd District, which hasn’t been held by any incumbent for more than two terms since 2010.
“A lot of people are going to tell you, this is a bellwether year, that Iowa 3rd is the most vulnerable in the country," Nunn said. "But I know this much is true: We've taken on harder races. We won in districts that were blue, and we've won them by double digits.”
Both Vance and Nunn criticized Trone Garriott in their speeches, with Vance attacking the Democrat for voting against legislation banning transgender women and girls from sports aligning with their gender identity. He also criticized her for purportedly not focusing on economic issues.
Trone Garriott’s congressional platform has focused on reversing cuts to Medicaid and on affordability.
In a statement after the event, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Katie Smith criticized Vance’s visit.
“JD Vance’s visit to Iowa’s 3rd District today is a reminder that Zach Nunn has become just another D.C. politician who prioritizes rolling out the red carpet for his fellow D.C. politicians over working for Iowa families,” Smith said.
Vance acknowledges high fertilizer prices caused by Iran war
Vance’s visit comes as gas and fertilizer prices have spiked in the two months since the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran began, with gas prices rising by 50% in that time. Last week, when gas averaged $4.30 nationally, the American Automobile Association announced gas prices were the highest they’ve been since July 2022. Currently, the national average is $4.54 per gallon.
Fertilizer prices have also increased by about $300 per ton between last August and April.
Vance acknowledged the higher fertilizer costs.
“I'm aware of that [fertilizer prices], as the president of the United States has said, we got a little, a little blip in the Middle East,” Vance said. “We got to take care of some business on the foreign policy side.”
Mary Doyle, a retired data analytics professional from Des Moines, attended Tuesday’s rally and said she’s focused on affordability issues in the midterm races. Doyle she lives off of Social Security, an IRA account and a pension. She said her budget is pinched.
“When I look at gas prices and when I look at prices in the grocery store, it means more to me today than it did six months ago, because there's no more money that's going to come in, and it's kind of depressing in a way,” she said.
Doyle added that she’s concerned about the war in Iran, but supports U.S. actions in the region. She said paying more at the gas pump now is “worth it” to her if it leads to peace for the Iranian people.
“I think we made the right move, but there's always consequences,” Doyle said. “Regardless if it's right or wrong, there's always consequences. I pray that the consequences have been thought about and addressed, so if they do pop up, that we're ready to push back.”
A potential presidential bid
Vance’s visit also comes as he’s being eyed as a top potential presidential candidate for the GOP in 2028.
Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said he believes high profile visits will help build momentum for the party ahead of competitive midterm races. And given the state’s first-in-the-nation caucus status for the GOP, he said Iowans are constantly gauging national figures as potential presidential candidates.
“If people that are coming in to help with this midterm, walk away from this midterm, and we're successful, and people see them as a team player, I think that helps a case if they choose later to run for president,” Kaufmann said. “But we're always looking for that. It's part of the fabric of who we are as a state.”
The vice president is the latest national figure to come through Des Moines to boost support for candidates. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas attended a conservative evangelical event last week, and last month, Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan came to Des Moines to rally support for Trone Garriott.
Next week, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is scheduled to appear at a campaign rally to support Democratic senate candidate Zach Wahls.
Vance’s event with Nunn was originally planned for last Thursday, but was postponed due to Nunn staying in Washington to vote on the Farm Bill.
