State Rep. Shannon Lundgren announces run for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District

PEOSTA — State Rep. Shannon Lundgren, a Republican from Peosta, on Tuesday announced she is running for Congress in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, pledging to align closely with President Donald Trump and bring her conservative record from the Statehouse to Congress.

Lundgren, 53, becomes the latest Republican to enter the race for the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, who is running for U.S. Senate in 2026 to succeed retiring Iowa GOP U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, who is not seeking re-election.

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In a campaign announcement, Lundgren emphasized her early support for Trump, noting she and her husband, Charlie, were among his first Iowa endorsements during the 2016 campaign.

“I proudly supported President Trump in August of 2015 because I knew our country needed his strong leadership to get us back on track after decades of establishment politicians forgetting about working families and rural America,” Lundgren said in a statement. “In the 2024 caucuses, I proudly stood with him early again. Now, I’m stepping up to serve Iowans in Congress because President Trump needs that type of unwavering, loyal conservative fighters in Congress to deport illegal immigrants and make America safe, support our small businesses and working families, help Iowans afford housing and health care, protect Social Security and Medicare, and end the woke gender ideology that endangers our daughters.”

Lundgren has served in the Iowa House since 2017 and chairs the House Commerce Committee — the first woman to hold the position — which focuses on state commerce issues, including energy independence, consumer protections and regulatory reform.

A small-business owner who owns a restaurant and a travel agency, Lundgren floor managed and shepherded passage of a strict abortion bill in 2023 that bans the procedure after cardiac activity is detectable in an embryo, which can occur as early as six weeks of pregnancy.

While serving in the Iowa Legislature, Lundgren also supported “Back the Blue” legislation that increased penalties for rioting and other crimes and bolstered support for law enforcement. She also supported a state law, currently blocked by a federal court, that would allow the arrest and deportation of immigrants in Iowa if they had previously been denied entry into the country. The was challenged by the federal government and immigrant rights groups, who argued it infringes on the federal government's exclusive authority over immigration enforcement.

Lundgren also supported legislation that expanded resources for expecting mothers, worked to expand parental leave options for Iowa parents, led efforts to reduce regulations on businesses, and supported measures to restrict transgender participation in girls’ sports and to limit access to bathrooms and locker rooms based on gender assigned at birth.

She and her husband own and operate Trackside Bar & Grill in Peosta. Lundgren said her experience as an small business owner gives her a firsthand understanding of the challenges facing Main Street businesses.

“In Congress, I’ll be the strongest advocate for Iowa’s workers and small businesses who are the backbone of our American economy,” she said. “And I will continue my work to cut waste, fraud and abuse to ensure working Iowans keep more of their hard-earned paycheck.”

A competitive primary ahead

Lundgren’s entry adds another well-known name to an already crowded Republican primary in Iowa’s 2nd District, where former Iowa U.S. Rep. Rod Blum of Dubuque, State Sen. Charlie McClintock of Alburnett and former state lawmaker Joe Mitchell of Clear Lake are also competing for the GOP nomination.

Several Democrats also are running for the seat, including state Rep. Lindsay James of Dubuque, longtime Cedar Rapids nonprofit leader Clint Twedt-Ball, retired Army nurse and former community college nursing dean Kathy Dolter of Dubuque, and former state park manager Don Primus of Steamboat Rock.

The Cook Political Report recently shifted its rating of Iowa’s 2nd District from “Solid Republican” to “Likely Republican,” citing increased Democratic opportunities in the open-seat contest following Hinson’s decision to run for U.S. Senate in 2026.

Still, the district has trended Republican in recent cycles, giving Trump a comfortable margin in 2024 and reelecting Hinson with relative ease.

Lundgren said she is ready for the fight.

“Charlie and I are excited to earn support across Northeast Iowa,” she said. “We will keep this seat red and fight, fight, fight alongside President Trump to put Iowa and America first.”

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