Randy Feenstra will not fly the Republican flag in the 2026 midterms in Iowa. This is the first taste of defeat for President Trump in the 2026 midterm election cycle, whose endorsements have hitherto been viewed as golden.
Feenstra was seen as Trump’s favorite and the most likely frontrunner of the party in the state’s gubernatorial race. But he has lost today in the heat of the primary despite POTUS’s endorsement.
Randy Feenstra is a three-term congressman in Iowa. He has conceded the race after Trump’s late endorsement failed to change his performance trajectory.
The winner is farmer and entrepreneur Zach Lahn. He staked his campaign on Trump-like ideologies like “Make Iowa Healthy Again” and “Iowa First”. Lahn wants to limit foreign influence in the state and reverse the rising trend of Iowa land ownership by non-residents.
Turning Point USA was Lahn’s main republican backer. The group was founded by the late Charlie Kirk. He appealed to a wide grassroots base weary of Washington’s pressure for ideological purity.
In his concession call, Feenstra stressed the importance of keeping Iowa red. “You’ve got to carry this torch. We got to make sure you beat Rob Sand.” He promised to give Lahn his full support in the coming elections.
Trump has not been seen or heard from in the past week except for prerecorded interviews and Truth Social posts. He has shared updates on the Iran negotiations, which also appear to be going nowhere as fresh attacks continue in the Middle East.
As POTUS struggles to end a war that he may have been unwisely pulled into by Netanyahu, domestically, his problems are not going away. He has lost his $1.8 bn anti-weaponization fund even as the primaries are shaping up to what could be a surprise twist come November.
In the past several weeks, getting a Trump endorsement appeared to be a rewarding strategy for many republicans in the primaries. Trump-backed contestants won in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Texas. Ken Paxton’s case in Texas is special. He was seen as the strongest contender and could have clinched the Senate nomination with or without Trump’s endorsement.
Be that as it may, the Iowa results prove that Trump’s political influence is waning in the grassroots, which matters significantly in 2026 and 2028. Iowa has never failed to support Trump since he entered politics.
But that’s not surprising. Iowa farmers have borne the brunt of POTUS’s wide-ranging tariffs and China’s retaliations. The ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran adds salt to injury by raising farm input costs.
Because of these and other reasons, Trump’s approval rate in Iowa has dropped to -20%.
Across the states, Democrats aim to take advantage of the low ratings to flip voters. In Iowa, they are hopeful that State Auditor Rob Sand can win against Lahn.
Democrats are similarly going after Joni Ernst’s seat in the Senate. Recent polls show that Paralympian Josh Turek, fronted by the democrats has a fair chance of winning against Republican Ashly Hinson.
As the national attention shifts to Texas, Democrats may find that their success is more guaranteed in the cornfields of Iowa, which was once, upon a time, blue for many years.
