Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn fended off Democratic Challenger Lanon Baccam to retain Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District seat on Tuesday night, according to unofficial results. Nunn earned 51.21 percent of the total vote in the 3rd district, while Baccam trailed behind with 48.6 percent of the vote.
The Associated Press called the race at 11:18 p.m. with 96 percent of the vote reporting.
“Iowa, it is an honor to serve you. We are humbled and privileged to earn your trust to continue to bring Iowa common sense to Washington, D.C. Thank you,” Nunn wrote in a press release on Tuesday night.
The race was close leading up to the election with an October Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll, participants favored a generic Democrat by 7 percentage points, and the race was rated a toss-up by national election forecasters. A September edition of the Iowa poll showed that generic Republicans were favored by 8 points in the district.
On Nov. 4, Sabato’s Crystal Ball held the 3rd congressional district at “leans Republican,” although it shifted Iowa’s 1st Congressional District to “leans Democrat.”
Some of Nunn’s top issues throughout his campaign have been lowering taxes and inflation and securing the U.S.-Mexico border.
“When it comes to strengthening the economy, we must cut taxes for Iowans,” Nunn’s campaign website said. “The more money that stays in our pocketbooks, the more direct investments that are made into our communities, small businesses, and economy.”
In 2022, Nunn unseated the then-incumbent Democrat Cindy Axne in a tight race, winning the election for his first term by barely 2,000 votes.
Nunn has established a presence in Congress — currently serving on the Agriculture and Financial Services committees in the U.S. Congress.
“Our mission is not finished yet and with this win, Iowans have spoken,” Nunn wrote in the release. “We must fix our economy, secure our border, and get our country back on track. As I continue to fight for our community, I promise to work with anyone, Democrat or Republican, to deliver the results Iowans deserve.”
Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District encompasses 21 counties and includes Des Moines and other cities in central and southern Iowa.
Nunn’s campaign outraised Baccam’s campaign in overall fundraising, but Baccam leads in individual campaign contributions. Nunn raised $5.2 million, according to a recent campaign finance report, and Baccam raised $4.8 million.
However, Baccam raised $3.7 million in individual contributions, compared to Nunn’s $2.4 million. Nunn raised over $1.9 million from PACs, whereas Baccam raised just over $392,000 from PACS. Nunn has a cash-on-hand advantage over Baccam with over $1 million cash-on-hand, compared to Baccam’s just over $277,000.
Ashley Hinson, Randy Feenstra retain seats
Incumbent Republican U.S. Reps. Ashley Hinson and Randy Feenstra, representing Iowa’s 2nd and 4th Congressional Districts respectively, handily won reelection on Tuesday.
Hinson, who faced a challenge from Cedar Falls Democrat Sarah Corkery, won reelection leading Corkery by 16.1 percentage points. Hinson earned 57.4 percent of the vote, with Corkery trailing behind at 41.3 percent.
Hinson posted a thank you to her voters on X, formerly known as Twitter, at 10:05 p.m.
The Associated Press called the race for Hinson at 10:07 p.m.
Feenstra handily won reelection in the heavily red 4th district. Feenstra, who faced a challenge from Webster City Democrat Ryan Melton, led Melton by 42.6 percentage points. Feenstra earned 71.3 percent of the vote, with Melton trailing behind at 28.7 percent of the vote.
The Associated Press called the race for Feenstra at 9:45 p.m.
Both districts were designated “Safe Republican” by national election forecasters.