Democrat Stephanie Steiner has launched a campaign for Congress in Iowa’s 4th District, saying she was spurred to act after the passage of Republicans’ “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
She noted that thousands of Iowans are expected to lose their access to Medicaid as a result of the law, and experts say they expect the changes to have a disproportionately negative effect on rural hospitals.
“It is going to devastate our state,” Steiner said. “Broadly, that was what pushed me into saying, ‘OK, well if somebody needs to do it, I will.'”
Current 4th District U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, a Republican, is expected to vacate the seat as he eyes a run for governor in 2026.
A trio of Republicans have announced campaigns to try to replace him: farmer Kyle Larsen, Siouxland Chamber of Commerce President Chris McGowan and state Rep. Matt Windschitl.
And another Democrat, Ashley WolfTornabane, has also announced a campaign.
Democrat Ryan Melton previously said he would seek his party’s nomination, but he ended his campaign for personal reasons earlier this year.
Steiner, 43, lives on an acreage outside of Sutherland with her husband and three youngest children.
She said she worked as a labor and delivery nurse and as a traveling nurse before becoming a stay-at-home mom.
Steiner said her younger children’s father passed away suddenly in 2019 after losing access to medications. That, paired with her experience in the health care field, drives her passion for protecting access to health care, she said.
“I never want another mother or another father, another set of children to go through that because it’s awful,” she said. “It’s awful.”
Steiner said she also wants to focus on protecting civil rights for LGBTQ+ Iowans and other marginalized communities.
The 4th District is the most conservative of Iowa’s four congressional districts, spanning much of northwest Iowa and the full western edge of the state. Nonpartisan analysts at Cook Political Report rate it as a “solid Republican” district.
Steiner said she understands the odds are stacked against Democrats, but she felt compelled to run anyway.
“We will lose 100% of the races we never run,” she said. “So, if I don’t do it, somebody else doesn’t do it, then I can tell you this, we won’t win it. But what I hope is to connect with the people in our district.”
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on X at @brianneDMR.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Democrat Stephanie Steiner to run Iowa’s 4th Congressional District seat in 2026
Reporting by Brianne Pfannenstiel, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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