One Republican and three Democrats are running for their party’s nomination in northwest Iowa’s 4th Congressional District.
The 4th District is the largest in the state geographically, covering 36 counties across north-central and northwestern Iowa. It includes Ames, Sioux City and Council Bluffs.
The seat is open as incumbent U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra runs for governor.
Although the Republican primary initially attracted multiple candidates, Siouxland Chamber of Commerce President Chris McGowan is the only Republican who filed the necessary paperwork to appear on the primary ballot.
Former state legislator and attorney Dave Dawson; Stephanie Steiner and Ashley WolfTornabane are running for the Democratic 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.
McGowan did not return the Register’s survey. The three Democratic candidates’ answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Iowa’s primary election is June 2.
Click below to learn more about the candidates and where they stand on key issues:
| Bios | Top issue | Cost of living | Immigration | Health care access | Tariffs |
Who is Dave Dawson?
Who is Stephanie Steiner?
Who is Ashley WolfTornabane?
What would be your top issue if elected?
Dawson (D): My top issue is to expand health care options and research to make health care more accessible and affordable and ensure funding to address the increasing cancer crisis in Iowa. In 2025, Congress cut nearly a trillion dollars in funding, which makes it more likely people cannot access health care close to home and puts rural hospitals, nursing homes and clinics at risk of closing or cutting staff. I support restoring health care funding, so farmers, small business owners and workers can again afford health care coverage and so Medicaid funding is available to Iowa’s most vulnerable citizens.
Steiner (D): We’ve moved past the luxury of focusing on one issue. My priority is lowering costs for working families in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District. Families are being squeezed by rising prices while wages fall behind. I support moving toward universal healthcare, strengthening rural care, and fixing water quality issues linked to cancer. I’ll fight for strong schools, support our farmers and small businesses and ensure equal protection under the Constitution, while bringing communities back together as neighbors, not parties.
WolfTornabane (D): There are many issues that are worrying voters right now, including protecting our democracy, stopping executive overreach, water quality, affordability and much more. All are important, but those first two are the most urgent issues with the most widespread consequences. These will be my main focus immediately if I’m elected. The instability of this administration is negatively impacting our standing with the rest of the world. The Iran war, just one of many executive abuses, has lost us 13 servicemembers so far and is already causing us financial pain that will only grow.
How can Congress help Iowans struggling with high costs?
Steiner (D): Congress can lower costs for Iowans by reasserting its authority over tariffs and bringing stability to trade policy. Unchecked tariffs raise prices on farm inputs, trigger retaliation that hurts exports and increase costs for families. Congress should require approval and impact reviews for major tariffs, while also tackling monopolies in agriculture and lowering everyday costs like prescription drugs and housing.
WolfTornabane (D): Congress can stop the illegal tariffs that have raised costs for farmers, small businesses, and all of us. Congress can stop the Iran war, which is causing families on tight budgets, like mine, financial pain at the gas pump and grocery store. Once we have a Democratic president, Congress can implement publicly funded, universal healthcare, like the happiest countries on earth benefit from, and also raise the federal minimum wage, using a formula that’s applied state by state and is indexed to the cost of living, so that it’s sustainable. If elected, I would work for all of this to get done!
Dawson (D): Inflation and tariffs drove up costs, and competition to lower prices has stagnated over the last decade. In Congress, I’d support raising incomes and increasing competition. We need policies that support working families and crack down on monopolies and illegal tariffs that hurt farmers, small businesses and consumers. I believe in an economy where hard work pays off, so I support raising the federal minimum wage, which has been stuck at $7.25 since 2009. I also support enforcing anti-monopoly laws, so corporations cannot engage in price fixing and consolidation that eliminates competition.
How do you rate President Trump’s handling of immigration, and what should Congress’ role be in setting immigration policy?
WolfTornabane (D): This administration has used immigrants as scapegoats to distract from the real drain to our economy: the billionaire class. The cruelty with which this administration has treated not just immigrants, but anyone who has darker skin, has rightfully shocked our collective conscience. In addition to humanitarian considerations, experts agree that immigrants are necessary to our economy, give more than they take, and are on average more law-abiding than citizens. Congress must implement comprehensive immigration reform that makes it more feasible to attain legal work status and citizenship.
Dawson (D): As a prosecutor for 19 years, I support the rule of law. No one should enter the U.S. without authorization, so we need immigration enforcement against criminals who break the law. The executive branch has not followed the law by unilaterally revoking persons with lawful status, including refugees, asylum seekers, students with visas and persons with temporary work permits, and ICE actions have resulted in deaths of citizens. The executive branch needs to follow the Constitution to ensure due process and equal protection. Congress needs to reform immigration laws to ensure adequate workforce.
Steiner (D): I strongly disapprove of President Trump’s handling of immigration. We are a nation of immigrants, and no one’s race, ethnicity, religion or language should justify violating basic human rights or our Constitution. Congress must lead on sensible reform that ensures humane policies, due process and accountability. ICE should be abolished in its current form and rebuilt from the ground up. While we must deport dangerous individuals, it must always be done constitutionally and with respect for human dignity.
What steps should Congress take to make health care more affordable and accessible?
Dawson (D): Congress needs to take actions to lower prescription drug costs, expand rural health care access and invest in cancer research that saves lives. Congress needs to fund rural hospitals and nursing homes, ensure adequate funding for veterans’ health benefits and work to ensure quality mental health services are available close to home. I support a strong publicly funded health care option, which would compete with private insurance, which would be available regardless of your income, your job status, or where you live, and which would be funded based upon your income level like Medicare.
Steiner (D): Congress should move toward a single-payer, universal health care system that treats health care as a human right, not a privilege. In the meantime, we must strengthen existing policies, invest in rural health care and lower costs so no one avoids care or is crushed by medical debt. No family should have to put a price tag on a loved one’s life. Making care affordable and accessible must be a national priority.
WolfTornabane (D): Universal health care is the only way to ensure health care for everyone. With this health care model, we would be able to pay every bill, which would allow us to keep health care facilities open and guarantee health care for farmers and others without employer health insurance. That would positively impact most Americans, from people who have lost out on raises because of rising health insurance premiums to small businesses that currently have a harder time attracting employees due to lack of health benefits. Until we can achieve this, we must expand and protect the ACA, Medicaid and Medicare.
Have President Trump’s tariffs helped or hurt Iowans? What changes would you push for in Congress to shape the White House tariff and agriculture policy?
Steiner (D): President Trump’s tariffs have hurt Iowa farmers by triggering trade wars, raising input costs and cutting off key export markets. Congress must reassert its authority over tariffs and pass a new Farm Bill shaped by farmers, not corporations, working with groups like the Iowa Farmers Union. We must enforce antitrust laws, invest in research and sustainable practices, lower energy costs, support young farmers, protect the right to repair, promote crop diversity, and offer immediate support to farmers at risk of bankruptcy while helping those who’ve lost farms recover them.
WolfTornabane: When used strategically, tariffs can help protect domestic industries, but these illegal tariffs have hurt many Iowans, especially farmers. Congress alone is given the power of the purse in the U.S. Constitution and must end the senseless tariffs. Additionally, Congress must pass a farm bill that is good for small and midsized family farmers, our soil, water, wildlife, and all of us, rather than corporate farmers and out-of-state landowners. I’m a member of Iowa Farmers Union and Practical Farmers of Iowa, and am dedicated to implementing solutions to our current farm and water crises.
Dawson (D): The illegal tariffs imposed this past year hurt Iowa farmers by driving away seed markets, lowering commodity prices, reducing incomes, and raising prices of farm inputs like fertilizer. These policies have impacted all of Iowa’s economy by driving up food prices. I grew up in a small town in a family with a farm background, and I still live in a small town. We need Congress to invest in rural communities by expanding broadband, funding repairs to roads and bridges, and strengthening family farms. Congress must pass a long-term farm bill to stabilize the ag economy and support year-round E15.
Read much more about all the midterm candidates at: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/news/elections/.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Hear Iowa’s 4th Congressional District candidates on tariffs, costs
Reporting by Brianne Pfannenstiel, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
