Campaign Almanac: Taylor Wettach unveils ‘Rural Revival’ plan in bid for Iowa 1st District Democratic nomination

Democrat Taylor Wettach on Thursday rolled out a wide-ranging “Rural Revival” plan that he says would strengthen small towns, support family farmers and rebuild rural infrastructure across southeast Iowa.

Wettach, a Muscatine attorney and one of three Democrats running to challenge three-term Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, framed the proposal as a response to what he called corporate consolidation, “Big Ag dominance” and federal policies that have “strained Iowa’s farming families and rural communities.”

Wettach criticized President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans for supporting “chaotic” tariffs that have “jacked up prices and wiped out export markets,” along with reductions to federal SNAP food assistance and Medicaid funding and cuts to conservation programs and research funding at Iowa’s public universities — measures he said have contributed to rising farm bankruptcies and forced rural hospitals, grocery stores and families into crisis.

“For too long, rural communities across Iowa have been treated as places to extract from, not places to invest in. Corporate greed has squeezed farmers into bankruptcy, pushing their families to the brink, hollowing out our towns and forcing young people to leave in search of opportunity,” Wettach said in a statement. “ … Families are being crushed, and communities are being left behind. We must choose a different future.”

Wettach’s proposal, among other provisions, calls for:

Download: Taylor Wettach for Congress - Rural Revival Plan.pdf

He also highlights goals to fully fund Medicaid, protect the Affordable Care Act, expand access to reproductive and maternal health care, modernize rural water systems and broadband, repair roads and bridges, and increase affordable housing and child care options.

“A Rural Revival means putting local communities first — by restoring competitive markets, expanding value-added agriculture, investing in renewable energy, strengthening local and regional food systems, and ensuring farmers have the tools to lead on conservation and climate-smart practices,” Wettach added. “ … Rural Iowa deserves leaders who will fight for its future, not leave it behind.”

Other Democrats running for the southeast Iowa U.S. House seat are Christina Bohannan, a University of Iowa law professor and former state lawmaker, and Travis Terrell, a health care worker from Tiffin.

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

Former state senator, union endorse Wahls in U.S. Senate race

Former state senator Jackie Smith has endorsed Democratic state Sen. Zach Wahls in his bid for the U.S. Senate, calling him the strongest candidate to champion working families in Siouxland and across Iowa.

Smith, a Sioux City Democrat who represented the area in the Iowa Senate from 2019 to 2023, said Wahls has shown independence and a willingness to stand up to both political parties when necessary.

“As a former state senator from Sioux City, I’ve worked with a lot of politicians who talk a big game but disappear when it’s time to do the hard work. That’s not Zach Wahls,” Smith said in a statement. “Zach shows up, listens, and isn’t afraid to stand up to his own party or the special interests when they’re wrong.”

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Wahls, of Coralville, previously led the Iowa Senate Democratic caucus before Senate Democrats in 2023 voted to remove him as their leader and install Sen. Pam Jochum of Dubuque, who has since retired. At the time, Wahls said he was voted out after he fired two longtime caucus staffers who, he argued, did not share his vision for the caucus.

The endorsement from Smith comes as Wahls adds backing from organized labor. Plumbers & Steamfitters Local Union 33 announced its endorsement Thursday, praising Wahls’ record on issues affecting working families and the middle class.

He is one of four Democrats campaigning for the party’s nomination in Iowa’s open-seat U.S. Senate election. The others are state Rep. Josh Turek, of Council Bluffs; former chamber of commerce leader Nathan Sage, of Indianola; and former state legislator Bob Krause, of Burlington.

Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst is not seeking re-election. Two Republicans — U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson and former state legislator Jim Carlin — are campaigning for the GOP nomination.

“I’m honored to have Jackie Smith’s support,” Wahls said in a statement. “Jackie is trusted in Siouxland because she always fights for working people, and that’s exactly what I’ll do in the Senate: take on the powerful interests driving up costs and deliver for communities like Sioux City that Washington has ignored for too long.”

MAHA Action endorses GOP candidate Zach Lahn for Iowa governor

MAHA Action, a national health advocacy group aligned with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement, has endorsed Republican Zach Lahn in the 2026 Iowa governor’s race.

Lahn, a Belle Plaine businessman and farmer who launched his campaign for governor in November, said in a statement he is committed to making Iowa a national leader in medical freedom and advancing policies for healthy kids and families.

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MAHA Action praised Lahn for his focus on “health freedom,” a term often associated with opposition to vaccine and medical mandates, and said his views reflect the organization’s stance against corporate and government influence over personal medical decisions. Lahn has said he would prioritize independent farmers, challenge agricultural consolidation and strengthen restrictions on foreign ownership of Iowa farmland.

Lahn also has called for breaking up monopolies in agriculture, reducing regulations he argues burden farmers, and imposing stricter penalties for drug traffickers. He said Iowa must “bring food production back home,” reduce reliance on multinational corporations and promote nutrient-rich food production that supports both public health and long-term environmental resilience.

“For too long, Big Ag and Big Pharma have put profits ahead of Iowa families — and too many politicians have let them get away with it,” Lahn said in a statement, citing Iowa’s rising cancer rates and loss of family farms. “It’s time to clean up our water, our food, and our government so we can make Iowa healthy again.

“ … Iowa has the best farmland in the world, and yet somehow, we’re importing over 90% of our food,” he added. “It is far past time to break the stranglehold of Big Ag, empower local farmers, bring food production back home, and revive our rural communities.”

MAHA Action, led by president Tony Lyons, said Lahn aligns with its mission to reverse chronic disease trends and expand access to whole-food nutrition in schools and communities.

Lahn is one of five Republicans seeking their party’s nomination in Iowa’s open gubernatorial race. Gov. Kim Reynolds announced this spring that she will not to seek re-election. The others are western Iowa U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, of Hull; state legislator Eddie Andrews, of Johnston; former state agency director Adam Steen, of Runnells; and pastor and former state legislator Brad Sherman, of Williamsburg.

Two Democratic candidates are running for governor: state auditor Rob Sand and West Des Moines political consultant Julie Stauch.

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