Iowa Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, D-West Des Moines, criticized U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, at a campaign event for her 3rd Congressional District run Sunday, for not holding public town halls.
Trone Garriott held a town hall event at Big Grove Brewery in Des Moines, where she answered questions from the crowd about issues like cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, made through the GOP-backed budget reconciliation bill. She also spoke about nitrate levels in Iowa waters, voting rights and immigration law enforcement.
Trone Garriott, who is running for the 3rd Congressional District in the 2026 election, said the district needs a representative who will listen to these concerns and engage constituents who have differing views.
“Our congressman, Zach Nunn, has not been showing up for people,” Trone Garriott said. “Since he started four years ago, he has not held a single open town hall. Responding to concerns that he wasn’t holding town halls, he said that it would be a waste of taxpayer money to do so — that it would be a ‘taxpayer-funded protest.’ Now, if people are showing up angry, it’s even more important that their voices are heard, because there’s a problem.”
Trone Garriott had referenced a Des Moines Register interview with Nunn in August, where the representative said he regularly holds public events, but that “we’re not going to do what the Democratic groups want us to do and just host a taxpayer-funded protest event.”
Holding public town halls has been a point of contention for Republicans as they face backlash from some constituents regarding controversial decisions made by Republicans in Congress, and the Trump administration, such as cuts to Medicaid, SNAP and to the U.S. Departments of Veteran Affairs and Education.
Nunn’s campaign manager, Brendan Duffy, said in a statement to the Iowa Capital Dispatch that the representative is “consistently accessible to Iowans, holding hundreds of events in all 21 counties and hosting real listening sessions that deliver real results.”
“Congressman Nunn isn’t going to take advice on meeting with his constituents from far-left activists who are out of touch with Iowa values,” Duffy said. “Zach Nunn has delivered $11,000 in tax cuts for Iowa families, $60 billion in direct assistance for farmers, and $50 billion for rural hospitals. While Democrat activists lie to Iowans, Congressman Nunn will continue delivering for them.”
The Iowa Republican’s congressional website states he has held 129 mobile office hours, 304 events with Iowans and provided 120,676 answers to Iowans.
Trone Garriott said that during her time as a state legislator, she has made an effort to reach out to voters of all backgrounds through public events and efforts to engage the community. She said “that’s why I am a Democratic senator representing a Republican district — because people appreciate someone who’s going to work hard for them, care about them, show up for them.”
The Democratic state senator was first elected in 2020, defeating Republican Scott Cirksena. In 2022, she won against then-Senate President Jake Chapman to represent Senate District 14 after redistricting, and won a close reelection race in 2024. Trone Garriott said she would bring her experience from these elections to the race against Nunn, and continue that work in Washington.
“We’re not getting the results we need, we’re not getting the decisions that we need, and we’re not getting our voices represented in Washington,” Trone Garriott said. “We need elected leaders who will show up. We need folks who aren’t afraid to come gather with the community and show up and listen and learn from what is on the minds and hearts of our members of the community, and so that’s why I’m running for Congress.”
Former Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst is also running to become the Democratic nominee for the seat.
In an interview with reporters following the event, Trone Garriott said if elected, she would have office hours or other time scheduled where constituents can come in to speak about their concerns with her or staff members.
“I think that’s incredibly important for any community leader to make sure getting your time in with your constituents — and not just the ones that you’re seeking out, but the ones who won’t come to you,” Trone Garriott said.