State Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott is launching her campaign for the Democratic nomination in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District as she seeks to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn in 2026.
Trone Garriott, 46, is the first candidate to jump into the race in what is expected to be one of the country’s most competitive congressional contests next year. She shared her plans in an exclusive interview with the Des Moines Register.
“I see public service as a calling,” she said. “And what I’m hearing from the people in my district, from the people in Iowa, is that life is getting really challenging. Folks are struggling with rising costs. They’re not able to make ends meet for their families. And they need someone who is speaking out on behalf of their interests and their concerns and making sure that their priorities are being heard in Washington. And that’s what I do.”
Trone Garriott is a Lutheran pastor and the coordinator of interfaith engagement for the Des Moines Area Religious Council Food Pantry Network. She and her husband, Will, live in West Des Moines with their two sons.
She was first elected to the Iowa Senate in 2020, flipping a Republican-held district to Democratic control. In 2022, Trone Garriott defeated then-Senate President Jake Chapman following redistricting. And last fall, she defeated Republican Dallas County Supervisor Mark Hanson by 29 votes as Republicans racked up victories elsewhere around the state.
“I took on the state Senate president. He bullied teachers, and I stood up to him and I beat him,” she said. “I held onto my district in a really tough year for Democrats in 2024 because of how hard I’ve worked for my constituents and how I show up for the people and how I speak on their behalf in state government. And that is what I’ll be bringing to this race for Congress.”
Nunn, 46, was elected to Congress in 2022, defeating incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne to flip the seat to Republican control. He held off a challenge from Democrat Lanon Baccam in 2024 to win a second term by about 4 percentage points.
Nunn is expected to seek reelection for a third term in Congress, but he has not formally announced a campaign.
After speculation that he could run for governor in 2026, Nunn ruled out the possibility in a May 1 radio interview, saying “we have a mission” in Washington, D.C., to secure the border, move toward energy independence and cut taxes.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Emily Tuttle criticized Trone Garriott in a statement.
“Out of touch Democrat Sarah Trone Garriott is another activist attempting to radicalize Iowa — pushing a dangerous, extreme agenda that would raise costs, allow men in girls’ sports and weaken public safety,” she said. “Iowans want leaders who deliver common sense results, and that’s exactly why they’ll send Zach Nunn back to Congress.”
Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District spans 20 counties in central and southern Iowa, including the cities of Des Moines, West Des Moines, Winterset and Ottumwa.
National Democrats have placed the 3rd District on their list of targeted seats as they seek to retake the U.S. House majority in 2026. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the seat as one that “leans Republican” while Sabato’s Crystal Ball calls it a “toss-up.”
Trone Garriott said the cost of living is the biggest challenge she’s hearing about from Iowans, saying families are having a harder time buying healthy food, seeking out higher education and job training and affording health care, mental health services and housing.
She said she knows what that’s like after working her way through college and struggling to pay for child care for her two sons.
“We need somebody in D.C. who’s truly connected with those concerns and understands that the chaos in Washington right now is only making things worse,” she said. “Zach Nunn isn’t standing up. He’s not speaking out against it. He seems to be applauding some of these erratic policies that are making life so unstable and so much harder for Iowans.”
Trone Garriott also pointed to legislation she’s filed at the state level to require term limits for lawmakers, allow ranked-choice voting and ban insider trading by legislators. She said those are policies she’d like to pursue in Congress as well.
“I am committed to making reforms to the election process, looking at money in campaigns and government, talking about term limits,” she said. “I do feel we need to hold ourselves accountable to the people, and these are some important ways to do that.”
The 3rd District is likely to see a contested Democratic primary next year, with at least two other potential candidates who have expressed interest in running for the seat.
House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, has said she is considering a run for Congress next year, as is state Rep. Austin Baeth, D-Des Moines.