Iowa is hosting several of the nation’s closest elections in November, according to political forecasters like Cook Political Report and Inside Elections. One of these is the District 3 House race between Republican incumbent Zach Nunn and Democrat challenger Sarah Trone Garriott.

Sunday, Trone Garriott visited Creston, speaking at a picnic hosted by the Union County Democrats at McKinley Lake.

Before the event, Trone Garriott was invited to preach at Salem Lutheran Church in Creston.

“It is really wonderful for me to preach in communities all over central Iowa because when I show up in these different congregations, I get to see all of the good things that are happening all over,” she said. “We have a lot of wonderful neighbors who care deeply about one another, who are working hard to make life better and who just really want to see something better for our state and for our country. So I have faith in Iowa to come together to do the hard things, to meet the challenges that are facing us.”

People from both sides of the political aisle use faith to guide them in their political convictions. Trone Garriott said the heart of her faith is helping people.

“Jesus says that there are two commandments on which all the law hangs, love God and love your neighbor,” she explained. “And then in the gospel of Luke, of course, someone has to ask, ‘Well, who’s my neighbor?’ Because they want to figure out where they can draw that line. And he tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. Nobody is not your neighbor. Everyone is your neighbor. Who’s your neighbor? The one who needs help. The one that other people are overlooking and passing by. And how do you love your neighbor? You help them, you care for them. And I see that value in the Democratic party, but I know it’s not exclusive to one political party, and it’s not exclusive to one faith. I think that’s common ground that we can all come together around.”

Trone Garriott brought up a number of issues she said Nunn is dropping the ball on, including healthcare, the war in Iran, cost of living and being available for his constituents.

“Iowa’s challenge is keeping, recruiting and retaining physicians and nurses, mental healthcare providers,” she said. “And our congressman voted to cut Medicaid. And so we’ve had three clinics close in this district. Thousands of our neighbors have lost their primary care providers. They’re having to drive 45 minutes to an hour just to get the basic care that they need. And in a state where we’re number two in the nation for new cancer diagnoses, that’s really troubling because more and more of our neighbors now will not get the diagnosis they need in time.”

The issue is personal for Trone Garriott, who said her mother just finished breast cancer treatment. She cited Nunn’s opposition to the Affordable Care Act, a law that prevents patients from being denied healthcare due to pre-existing conditions.

“Our neighbors need to know that when they need their healthcare, it will be there for them, that it will be affordable, that they will be able to pay their bills, that they won’t have to go into debt to keep their lives,” she said. “Unfortunately, our congressman is not working to make that possible for our neighbors.”

Trone Garriott cited a Tax Foundation study finding that tariffs have cost the average Iowa family $1,300 per year, saying so many are struggling to make ends meet. Another issue she called costly to Iowa families is the war in Iran.

“We know it’s been incredibly costly to the state of Iowa because we have had service members killed in the first weeks of that conflict. And he says it’s worth it,” she said. “I don’t know if he’s listening to the pain that we’re experiencing. In fact, I know he’s not. My congressman has never held an open town hall. He is not showing up because he is terrified of facing the people in his district because his votes are hurting you.”

As a current Iowa Senator for the 14th district, Trone Garriott just wrapped up a 21-county tour, hosting a town hall in each district in the county in under 30 days.

“We were going to do it in 21 days, but there was a tornado warning,” she said. “You know Iowa, I mean, most of us were fine to stand out there in the field and watch the tornado, but we decided to put it off for a week to make sure everyone was safe, and I’m glad we did that.”

Through discussions with constituents, Trone Garriott said she’s hearing frustration, anger and hurt at actions taking place in Washington, D.C. As a legislator, she said part of the job is to hear people out.

“I was a hospital chaplain walking into the worst moments of people’s lives every single day, but I needed to be there for whoever walked in the door, whatever they needed,” she said. “That was the job. I was a parish pastor. I took the church directory and I went and visited everybody where they lived because that’s how you build trust with the community, by showing up for them where they’re at. That is the job. As a state legislator, I held open town halls and I knocked thousands of doors, not just the people in my own political party, but Republicans and Independents. And I show up wherever I get invited because it is important to be there for the people because that’s how you learn what they need. That’s how you build the trust to serve and that’s how you do a good job.”

Approximately 40 people attended Sunday’s event. Union County Democrats Co-Chair Deb Peterson said it was nice to see so many Democrats at the picnic.

Original story written by Cheyenne Roche and published in the Creston News Advertiser.