Campaign Almanac: Council Bluffs mayor-elect endorses Wahls for U.S. Senate

Council Bluffs Mayor-elect Jill Shudak is endorsing Democratic Iowa state Sen. Zach Wahls, in his run for Iowa U.S. Senate seat in 2026.

During a call with reporters Tuesday morning, Shudak, a Democrat who beat a three-term Republican incumbent in November to serve as Council Bluffs mayor, said Wahls has what it takes to win over voters across all parties in the predominantly conservative southwest Iowa.

“I know what it takes to win southwest Iowa, and I know what it takes to win over Republican voters, and that means not looking at people as D's, R's or I’s, but looking at them as our neighbors,” Shudak told reporters. “We need a senator who's willing to sit down with folks, no matter what their party is, no matter how they vote, and have real conversations. And that's what Zach Wahls has done.”

Wahls said Shudak’s endorsement shows his campaign is “bringing together people from all corners of our state,” as he campaigns for a seat currently held by outgoing Republican Iowa U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst.

“I'm proud of earning Jill's endorsement, because it not only shows that our campaign is bringing together people from all corners of our state, but that we also have fighters, prudent winners and community leaders like Jill who are willing to challenge the establishment,” Wahls told reporters. “She (Shudak) won that campaign by connecting with Iowans, addressing their needs on the twin crises of rising costs and the need to challenge the establishment, and she did it by challenging the status quo, standing toe to toe against a political machine that had had a lot of success in her community.”

Shudak said her endorsement of Wahls is not one against another Democratic candidate, state Rep. Josh Turek of Council Bluffs, who represents the city in the Iowa Legislature. She added that she knows and likes both candidates, but said Wahls’ willingness to answer tough questions and speak with people from across the political spectrum solidified her endorsement of him.

“If Josh ends up being our nominee, I am happy to get behind him as well,” Shudak said. “We have two great candidates here in Iowa, and it's amazing to see, and it's amazing that I have an opportunity to be friends with both of them. So it is a tough situation for me.”

Former chamber of commerce leader Nathan Sage, who lives in Indianola, and veterans advocate and former state legislator Bob Krause of Burlington are also seeking the Democratic nomination.

Iowa U.S. Rep Ashley Hinson of Marion and former state lawmaker Jim Carlin of Sioux City are the Republican candidates in the race.

Former lieutenant governor endorses Turek

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Former Iowa Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson is among a batch of new endorsements for Josh Turek, a Democratic candidate in Iowa’s 2026 U.S. Senate election.

Also among the 14 new endorsements are Crawford County Supervisor and former U.S. Senate candidate Dave Muhlbauer, and abortion access advocate Mary Riche, according to Turek’s campaign.

“I know that we can win this seat back, and I believe Josh is the one to do it,” Pederson said in a press release from the Turek campaign. “Iowa has not ‘gone red’ — we are still the same state that elected Tom Vilsack and Tom Harkin. 2026 will be the year we take back our state, and I’m proud to support Josh as the candidate to do it.”

The new endorsements also include state legislators, local government, party and union leaders.

“(Turek is) wicked smart, down-to-earth, and leads with common sense,” Muhlbauer said in the campaign press release. “With what Josh brings to the table, I know he can win a statewide race and really help lift Iowa out of some of our challenges.”

Turek, a state legislator from Council Bluffs, is one of four Democrats campaigning for the party’s nomination; the others are Coralville state legislator Zach Wahls, former chamber of commerce leader Nathan Sage of Indianola, and former state legislator and veterans advocate Bob Krause of Burlington.

Defend The Vote backs Bohannan in Iowa-1

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Defend The Vote on Tuesday endorsed a dozen Democratic U.S. House challengers for 2026 — including University of Iowa law professor Christina Bohannan in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District — saying they are committed to “cracking down on corruption” and advancing policies aimed at lowering costs for families.

“Americans are fed up with rising costs and a broken government that ignores them,” Executive Director Brian Lemek said in a statement announcing the slate. He said the candidates support anti-corruption reforms, expanded voting rights, and legislation such as the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

Defend The Vote and its affiliated action fund launched a $14 million program earlier this year to boost pro-democracy candidates through donations, strategic guidance and on-the-ground support. The group says it helped elect 108 candidates last cycle.

Bohannan, a University of Iowa law professor and former state lawmaker, is running for the Democratic nomination to challenge three-term Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks for the third time after losing to the congresswoman by fewer than 800 votes in 2024 in a race national forecasters rate as a toss-up. Other candidates seeking the Democratic nomination are lawyer Taylor Wettach of Muscatine and Travis Terrell, a health care worker from Tiffin.

House Speaker Mike Johnson last week endorsed Miller-Meeks — following an earlier backing from President Donald Trump.

Iowa’s primary election is June 2, 2026, and the general election is Nov. 3, 2026.

Group launches $1M campaign targeting Nunn, Miller-Meeks

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The Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy on Tuesday launched Affordable Iowa, a million-dollar effort aimed at pressuring Republican Iowa U.S. Reps. Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks to support policies the group says would reduce costs for working families.

The campaign will feature paid field organizing, digital ads and billboards with stories from Iowans describing how rising prices for groceries, health care and child care are affecting their households. Organizers say the stories — shared by parents, small-business owners and others — are intended to highlight “the sacrifices families are making to get by.”

The group criticized Nunn and Miller-Meeks for voting for a GOP budget plan it argues would cut Medicaid and Medicare, and let expire Affordable Care Act premium tax credits that lower health care costs for working families. It also pointed to votes that it says would reduce access to food assistance, threaten Social Security for hundreds of thousands of Iowans, and allow the Trump administration to unilaterally impose new tariffs — raising prices on consumer goods.

During a town hall last week in Keosauqua, Miller-Meeks defended the role tariffs can play in trade negotiations, saying she believes tariffs “can be a negotiating tool,” and argued that many challenges facing farmers stem from high input costs that she said “occurred when we had record-high inflation under the Biden administration.”

The U.S. Senate voted last month, 51-47, to pass a resolution that would undo many of President Trump’s tariffs, with four Republicans joining Democrats in support. The move — one of several votes this week to nullify Trump-era tariff actions — underscored GOP divisions over Trump’s use of presidential emergency powers to impose import taxes. The resolutions are expected to stall in the House and face a likely Trump veto.

Tuesday’s launch comes as both Nunn (IA-03) and Miller-Meeks (IA-01) prepare for competitive 2026 re-election campaigns. National election forecasters rate Iowa’s 1st Congressional District — where Miller-Meeks is seeking a fourth term — as a toss-up.

U.S. House Majority Whip endorses McGowan in Iowa-4

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U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota is backing Siouxland Chamber of Commerce President Chris McGowan in the crowded Republican primary for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District.

In a statement released Tuesday, Emmer said McGowan will be a “strong voice for the America First agenda” who will “deliver real results for Iowa.”

“Chris McGowan is exactly the kind of battle-tested conservative we need in Congress,” Emmer said in a statement. “As a veteran, business leader, and devoted family man, he embodies the values of faith, family, and freedom that define Iowa’s 4th District.”

Emmer, the former chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, personally met with McGowan and has “closely followed the trajectory of the race,” according to a press release from McGowan’s campaign.

“He (Emmer) understands what it takes to win tough races and to govern with strength,” McGowan said in a statement. "I look forward to bringing Iowa values of faith, family, freedom, and grit to Washington to fight for the America First agenda and deliver for the people of Iowa’s 4th District.”

Other candidates seeking the Republican nomination in Iowa’s reddest congressional district include former Iowa House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl of Missouri Valley, Iowa Tea Party founder Ryan Rhodes of Ames, Christian Schlaefer of Kossuth County and Air Force combat veteran Douglas Jensen of Silver City

Former Democratic State Rep. Dave Dawson of Lawton, Storm Lake stay-at-home mom and former education assistant Ashley WolfTornabane, and Sutherland nurse Stephanie Steiner are running as Democrats.

Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau

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