Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird faces a challenge from attorney Nate Willems as she runs for a second term in office.
Willems, a Democrat, is running against the Republican Bird to hold Iowa’s top law enforcement position. Bird, the former Guthrie County Attorney, was first elected in 2022, defeating longtime Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller.
Neither faces a contested primary June 2 for their party’s nomination.
To help voters, the Des Moines Register sent questions to all federal and Des Moines-area legislative candidates running for political office this year. Their answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Click below to learn more about the candidates and where they stand on key issues:
| Bios | Top issue | Battling fraud | Prosecution policy | Federal challenges |
Who is Brenna Bird?
Who is Nate Willems?
What would be your top issue if elected?
Willems (D): Iowa’s attorney general should have one focus: protecting Iowans. Brenna Bird has spent her time on a national political agenda while big corporations and political insiders take advantage of Iowans and make it tougher for them to succeed. As a labor attorney, I’ve spent 16 years holding corporations accountable in court and ensuring Iowa workers receive the pay and workplace protections they deserve. As attorney general, I’ll focus the office on working for Iowans, protecting public safety and increasing accountability for those who break our laws.
Bird (R): One of the main reasons I ran for attorney general was to do more to protect victims, which is why when I took office I did a complete audit of our Victim Assistance section. We now have a working protective order system, a Sexual Assault Forensic Nurse coordinator and a victim restitution payment portal, among many other important upgrades. I prioritize law enforcement so they have a true partner in the attorney general’s office. We have delivered on those promises. My other top priorities have been to uphold the rule of law and Constitution and get criminals off the streets to protect Iowans.
As attorney general, what actions would you take to protect Iowans from fraud, deception and unfair business practices?
Bird (R): Since taking office, we have made it a priority to protect Iowans from scams and fraud and build on the consumer protection efforts in the AG’s office. We fight to protect kids online. I have sued big tech companies like Roblox, Meta and TikTok because they say their platforms are safe for our children, but they aren’t. We stop the scammers and con artists who try everyday to trick Iowans out of their hard-earned money. I have fought for Iowa farmers by opposing radical environmental policies from states like California and Massachusetts that want to tell Iowa farmers how to farm.
Willems (D): Iowa’s Consumer Protection Division was once a nationwide leader. I’ll rebuild it and use every tool available to hold corporations accountable when they steal from Iowans. That means cracking down on corporations who steal wages, predatory lending and scams that target vulnerable Iowans. We have to make protecting workers a priority in this state, which is why I have spent my career fighting for them and taking on corporations and political insiders when they break the law.
What changes would you make to the way the Attorney General’s Office handles criminal prosecutions?
Willems (D): Public safety is the attorney general’s most fundamental responsibility because every Iowan deserves to live in a safe community. As attorney general, I’ll work with prosecutors and law enforcement to ensure criminals are being held accountable and that prosecutors have the resources they need to secure convictions. I’ll prioritize the testing of sexual assault kits and support victims of sexual assault and domestic violence by ensuring these crimes are taken seriously by the office.
Bird (R): It is extremely important to me that we get criminals off the street and protect Iowans. Since I have been the attorney general, we have secured more funding to hire more criminal prosecutors. These prosecutors help local county attorneys handle complex cases such as murder, rape and sex crimes against children for convictions. Iowa needed a Cold Case Unit — we have over 400 unsolved homicides and missing person cases. I ran on that promise, and I am grateful that we launched the Cold Case Unit to partner with local law enforcement to solve more cases. No one should get away with murder.
Under what circumstances do you believe the attorney general should challenge federal laws, rules or executive actions in court?
Bird (R): It is the role of the attorney general to protect the constitutional rights of Iowa and Iowans from federal overreach. I have filed lawsuits and briefs challenging unconstitutional and illegal policies on gun rights, the right to life, parent’s rights, women’s rights, immigration, the environment, farming practices and much more.
Willems (D): The attorney general should challenge federal actions when there is a genuine legal basis — a clear constitutional violation or direct harm to Iowans — not to score political points or advance a national partisan agenda. Brenna Bird filed or joined 24-plus multistate lawsuits against the federal government in two years, spending Iowa resources on ideological fights while neglecting Iowans’ actual problems. I’ll apply a straightforward test: Does this action genuinely protect Iowa’s interests and the law? If it does, I’ll take action.
Read more about the 2026 midterm candidates at: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/news/elections/.
William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Hear Iowa attorney general candidates on battling fraud, federal suits
Reporting by William Morris, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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