A lot of Iowans have given up on Washington. And it’s not hard to see why.
Members of Congress get rich off stock trades the rest of us could never make. Politicians spend decades in the same seat, cashing checks from the very corporations they’re supposed to keep an eye on. The President, members of Congress, and even Supreme Court justices play by a different set of rules than everyone else. It’s wrong. And I’m frustrated about it, same as you.
I’m running because public service is supposed to mean serving the public, not yourself, not your donors, not your party. Somewhere along the way, too many politicians forgot that. They forgot who sent them to Washington, and who they work for.
So here’s my promise: I’ll work to hold everyone who runs our government, members of Congress, the President, and federal judges alike, to the same higher standard. No exceptions, no carve-outs, no special treatment. Because the government will never work for the rest of us until the people running it answer to us.
Ban Politicians from Trading Stocks
The fastest way to start rebuilding trust is to stop letting the people who write the laws make money on the outcome. We’ve watched members of Congress, the President, cabinet members, and well-connected insiders turn hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, of dollars in stock trades or prediction markets while sitting on information the rest of us will never see. Some of them are trading on the very decisions they’re making in office. That’s not investing. That’s cheating, and it should be a crime. I support a full ban on stock trading by any member of Congress, the White House, and their staff, so no one in government can pad their own bank account on the public’s dime. And if fines won’t get the job done, we should throw the offenders in jail.
Term Limits
Elected office is not a lifetime appointment. When someone holds the same seat for 20 or 30 years, they stop listening to the people back home and start listening to the lobbyists down the hall. I’ve already written term-limit legislation in Iowa, and I’ll do it again in Congress: a 12-year cap: six House terms or two Senate terms.
A Real Code of Ethics for the Supreme Court
Every federal judge, every Congressperson, and the President is bound by a code of conduct. The most powerful court in the country is not. Supreme Court justices answer to no one but themselves, and it shows. We need a clear, enforceable ethics code: justices step aside when they have a financial stake in a case, full disclosure of every gift and free trip, and an independent body with the power to actually enforce the rules. The Court needs to be accountable to the American people, and we deserve a Court they can trust again.
End Partisan Gerrymandering
Gerrymandering lets politicians pick their voters instead of voters picking their politicians. It’s one of the biggest reasons Washington stopped listening. Iowa figured out a better way decades ago. A nonpartisan agency draws our maps based on population and geography — not party, not incumbents, not who won last time. Politicians can vote a map up or down, but they can’t rig it. I’ll push to ban partisan gerrymandering nationwide and put voters back in charge of their own elections.
Ban Corporate PAC Money
Too many members of Congress spend more time answering to their donors than the people who elected them. Zach Nunn is a perfect example. He’s taken millions from corporate PACs. When that much of your money comes from corporate interests, Iowans have every right to ask who you’re really working for. I haven’t taken a dime from corporate PACs in this race, and I’ll work to ban them outright. The only people your representative should answer to are the ones who sent them there.
Get Rid of Super PACs and Overturn Citizens United
Super PACs are another way corporations and billionaires buy their way around the rules. They pour unlimited, often secret money into our elections. You don’t have to look far to see it. Elon Musk’s America PAC spent $817,700 to get Zach Nunn elected in 2024. Then Nunn turned around and voted to cut Musk’s taxes. That’s the whole game, right there in front of our eyes. I’ll work to ban super PACs and overturn Citizens United, because our democracy should belong to the people, not to whoever writes the biggest check.
A Lifetime Ban on Members of Congress Becoming Lobbyists
Right now, a member of Congress can walk out of office on Friday and start lobbying their old colleagues on Monday, selling the access and connections they built on the taxpayer’s dime to the highest corporate bidder. The moment you start auditioning for your next job, you stop doing the one you have. I’ll push for a lifetime ban on members of Congress becoming lobbyists. Serving the public should never be a steppingstone to cashing in on it.
Required Annual Public Town Halls
The only way to represent people is to actually show up and listen to them, even the ones who didn’t vote for you. Here in Iowa, I’ve held open town halls and knocked on thousands of doors to do exactly that. Zach Nunn hasn’t held a single public town hall during his tenure in Congress. He’s too afraid to stand in a room with the people he represents and answer for his votes. It’s cowardly, and it’s wrong. I’ll push to require every member of Congress to hold open, public town halls every year. If you can’t face the people you serve, you shouldn’t have the job. If members of Congress don’t hold town halls, they shouldn’t get paid.
Put Your Schedule Out in the Open
Iowans deserve to know who has their representative’s ear. Too often, the people getting face time in Washington are lobbyists and big donors, while regular folks can’t even get a call back. I’ll push to require members of Congress to publish a regular public schedule, including their meetings. If a meeting can’t stand the light of day, it probably shouldn’t be happening.
Audit How Washington Spends Your Money
Every dollar the federal government spends is a dollar that comes out of someone’s paycheck. People have a right to know it’s being spent wisely and honestly. I’ll push for regular, independent audits of how federal agencies spend taxpayer dollars, with the results made public for everyone to see. We work hard for that money. The least Washington can do is account for every penny of it.