Campaign Almanac: Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt to headline Hinson’s “BBQ Bash” fundraiser

Missouri Republican U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt will join national conservative commentator and Republican political strategist Scott Jennings as a featured guest at Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson’s fifth annual “BBQ Bash” campaign fundraiser Aug. 23 at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids, Hinson’s campaign announced Thursday.

It will be Schmitt’s second stop to the state in a month. He’s also scheduled to appear alongside 2016 Iowa Republican presidential caucus winner and Texas GOP U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz at Republican Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird’s third annual "Big Barn Bash" fundraiser Saturday at the Dallas County Fairgrounds in Adel.

Schmitt, who previously served as the Missouri Attorney General, praised Hinson in a statement from her campaign as “a fierce conservative” who has “supported the President's agenda each step of the way, and I’m excited to get to Iowa to support her.”

Hinson called Schmitt a “no nonsense” attorney general who has been “a true fighter for the America First agenda, standing strong against the Left’s insanities to deliver results for hardworking people.”

Tickets can be reserved at AshleyHinson.com/BBQ.

U.S. Senate candidate Nathan Sage to visit Iowa’s 99 counties in 99 days

Iowa Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Nathan Sage will be visiting all of Iowa’s 99 counties in 99 days.

Sage, a veteran from Indianola and former executive director of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce who is running for his party's nomination to challenge Republican U.S. Senator Joni Ernst in the 2026 midterm election, announced his “99% tour across Iowa” on Thursday.

The tour, which Sage says will allow him to listen to Iowans about their “hopes, dreams, and struggles,” kicks off in Warren County on Friday and will wrap up on Nov. 4 in Polk County.

“There are a lot of people out there grinding away trying to survive in this state, trying to survive in this country," Sage said in a press release. "If I can't go to 99 counties in 99 days while they work three jobs in one day to support their family, then what am I doing? We’re going to win this race by being out there working just as hard as everyone across Iowa."

Sage’s announcement kicks off a few weeks after Iowa Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand launched his own 100 stop tour where he is also visiting all of Iowa's continues over the next few months.

Other Democrats in the Senate race include state Sen. Zach Wahls of Coralville and state Rep. J.D. Scholten of Sioux City. Republican Jim Carlin, a former state lawmaker from Sergeant Bluffs, also launched a campaign against Ernst in June.

Ernst has not formally announced a reelection campaign, however she hired a campaign manager and has a campaign war chest of more than $3.4 million as of the end of June.

Find all of the tour stops here.

National group endorses Trone Garriott for Congress

A national group is backing Iowa 3rd Congressional District candidate and Democratic state lawmaker Sarah Trone Garriott as she runs for election in 2026.

New Politics, a group that supports candidates across the country who have served in the military or other national service organizations like AmeriCorps or the Peace Corps, announced their endorsement of Trone Garriott.

Trone Garriott, a Lutheran minister from West Des Moines, served in AmeriCorps after graduating college.

"Sarah Trone Garriott represents exactly the kind of servant leader our democracy needs. Her journey from AmeriCorps VISTA member to hospital chaplain to state senator shows a consistent commitment to serving others,” Founder and Executive Director of New Politics Emily Cherniack said in a statement. “Sarah's recent bipartisan work to lower prescription drug costs shows she can find common ground to deliver results and help Iowa families when it matters most."

Trone Garriott and former Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights are running to challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn next year.