Rep. Matt Windschitl, former Iowa House majority leader, was the latest candidate to announce his congressional campaign suspension Friday.
Fields are narrowing in races for federal offices in Iowa, as fundraising reports show some candidates pulling ahead of primary challengers.
Windschitl, who began his bid for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District in July 2025, announced Friday he was suspending his campaign. The announcement comes two days after President Donald Trump endorsed Republican candidate Chris McGowan, Siouxland Chamber of Commerce president.
The announcement also comes as the most recent Federal Election Commission reports show Windschitl raising no money in the final quarter of 2025, while spending $19,664. He raised a total of $67,425 since beginning his campaign, according to the filing, and ended the year with $46,811 cash on hand.
In comparison, McGowan reported raising $136,275 and ending the most recent reporting period with $354,164. Other Republican candidates in the field also reported higher fundraising amounts, with Iowa Tea Party founder Ryan Rhodes raising $131,612, while Christian Schlaefer, a 29-year-old software consultant from Lakota, raised $7,710.
Windschitl said he was grateful to supporters of the campaign, and said he plans to continue to engage in public service.
“This was not an easy decision,” Windschitl said in a statement. “I entered this race to offer strong conservative leadership rooted in service, honesty, and hard work. With recent developments in the race, it became clear that continuing would not best serve our shared goals or the people of the 4th Congressional District.”
He endorsed McGowan for the position, calling him an “honorable man.”
Open seats drew crowded primary fields
Windschitl was not the only candidate to leave the race early in 2026 and FEC reports show candidates in several contested races pulling ahead of their primary opponents across the state.
The 4th District, a longtime conservative stronghold, has many hopefuls aiming to become the Republican nominee in the upcoming midterms as U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra runs for Iowa governor. His shift came after Gov. Kim Reynolds’ announcement that she will not run for reelection.
The elections for Iowa governor and 4th Congressional District are not the only races with no incumbent in the 2026 election. Among the state’s federal elected offices, U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst announced in 2025 she will not seek another term, leaving the U.S. Senate seat open, and U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson launched a campaign shortly after to become the Senate GOP candidate — leaving the 2nd Congressional District race open as well.
The campaign shake-ups heading into the midterms led to larger primary fields in many races than the state has seen in recent years, as state lawmakers, community leaders and others see a better opportunity for their campaigns to gain traction than in previous recent election cycles.
Though the June 2 primary is still several months away, the FEC reports from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025, show certain candidates emerging as top fundraisers in comparison to their primary opponents in several races — while additionally showing Republicans holding fundraising advantages in the congressional and U.S. Senate races.
When Trump came to Iowa in late January, he told a crowd of supporters that making sure Iowa continues to send Republicans to Washington, D.C., is vital for keeping GOP control of the Congress. He said policies that have positively impacted Iowans will be reversed if Democrats win majorities in the U.S. House or Senate.
“If we lose the midterms, you’ll lose so many of the things that we’re talking about, so many of the assets that we’re talking about, so many of the tax cuts that we’re talking about, and it would lead to very bad things,” Trump said.
Bohannan edges ahead of Miller-Meeks in fourth quarter
One of the most-watched races in Iowa is in the 1st Congressional District, where U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks seeks reelection. The race, rated a “toss-up” by political forecasters, has been highlighted by national Democrats as a potential pick-up in the U.S. House.
The Democrat leading campaign fundraising in the 1st District is Christina Bohannan, the University of Iowa law professor who ran against Miller-Meeks and lost by a narrow margin in 2024. Bohannan reported raising $1.14 million in the final quarter of 2025, and ended the period with $2.3 million cash on hand.
These totals pushed her significantly ahead of other Democrats running for the nomination in the most recent filing period. While Travis Terrell, a University of Iowa Health Care employee, did not file an FEC report, Taylor Wettach, a former attorney who entered the race in July, announced he raised $254,236 in the final reporting period.
Wettach has since ended his congressional campaign, announcing Jan. 26 he will instead run for Iowa auditor. Iowa Auditor Rob Sand, the only Democrat to currently hold statewide elected office in Iowa, is running for governor in 2026.
Bohannan also led in fundraising by a narrow margin compared to Miller-Meeks, who raised just under $1.10 million in the most recent period. However, Miller-Meeks maintained a large lead in campaign cash, ending the period with $3.35 million on hand.
Bohannan said her campaign fundraising lead shows her campaign “isn’t about Republicans versus Democrats.”
“It’s Iowans against the billionaires and corporate interests that Rep. Miller-Meeks allows to bankroll her campaigns and control her votes in Congress,” Bohannan said. “Miller-Meeks is bought and paid for by her party bosses and Washington DC special interests, and she votes their way every time. I answer only to the people of Iowa’s 1st District, and it’s time someone started putting us first.”
But Miller-Meeks wrote in a social media post Monday Bohannan accepted money from “Wall Street,” insurance and “Big Pharma,” with fundraising coming from outside the state.
“With an average donation 3X higher than mine, it’s Main Street versus the Coastal Elites,” Miller-Meeks wrote in a post on X. “The math is simple: I’m fighting to keep hedge funds out of our neighborhoods, while she took money from Soros and the ‘Big Short’ investors who got rich off the 2008 housing crash.”
Bohannan responded with a post including a screenshot of an Iowa Starting Line article titled “Miller-Meeks took money from insulin maker, then voted against insulin caps.”
Nunn leads Democratic candidates in fundraising
The 3rd Congressional District is also expected to be close.
U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, the GOP incumbent, led in fundraising against Democratic candidates at $535,480 in the final 2025 quarter, ending the period with $1.98 million cash on hand. Additionally, his campaign reported raising more than $250,000 through his campaign joint fundraising committee and leadership PAC.
“As Iowa’s Third District emerges as a top national target, Zach Nunn’s fundraising success reflects a campaign with the foundation to win in 2026,” Brendan Duffy, Nunn’s campaign manager said in a statement. “Iowans trust Zach Nunn because he listens, works across party lines, and delivers real results that help keep families safe and economically secure.”
State Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, D-West Des Moines, who is running against Nunn, reported raising $429,972 and ending the year with $846,925 in campaign funds. It’s another race where the Democratic primary field is beginning to narrow — Iowa Rep. Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, suspended her campaign the same day as Wettach and endorsed Trone Garriott to become the nominee.
Konfrst reported raising $166,092 between October and December 2025, ending the year with $212,709. She also raised less than Trone Garriott in the October and July FEC reporting periods.
Trone Garriott thanked Konfrst for her endorsement following the announcement, saying she was “ready to work alongside her to unify Democrats, earn the trust of voters across IA-03, and defeat Zach Nunn so we can lower costs and restore balance and accountability in Washington.”
2nd Congressional District reports show still-competitive Democratic primary field
The field of Democratic hopefuls has not yet consolidated in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. There, state Rep. Lindsay James, D-Dubuque, raised $180,679 and Clint Twedt-Ball, the founder of the nonprofit Matthew 25, raised $114,284 during the reporting period. The two candidates significantly outpaced other Democrats in the primary field, including Kathy Dolter, former dean of nursing at Kirkwood Community College, who raised $13,231 and Guy Morgan, a Boone Democrat, who raised $2,422.
But Republican Joe Mitchell, founder of Run Gen Z and a former state lawmaker, remained the top fundraiser in the 2nd District field across both parties. He raised $301,508 in the final 2025 reporting period, leaving him with $576,477 cash on hand. Trump endorsed Mitchell for the nomination in late January.
State Rep. Shannon Lundgren, R-Peosta, who ended her campaign for the seat in late January, raised $83,475 according to the most recent report. The other Republican in the race, state Sen. Charlie McClintock, R-Alburnett, raised $806 in the final quarter and retains $13,990 cash on hand.
Hinson takes large lead in U.S. Senate fundraising
In the race for U.S. Senate, Hinson reported raising roughly $1.68 million, bringing her fundraising total for 2025 to $5.17 million.
“Ashley and our team are raising the resources necessary to secure Republican victories up and down the ballot this year,” Addie Lavis, Hinson’s deputy campaign manager said in a news release on the fundraising report. “Chuck Schumer and his Leftist allies will continue to flood the state with outside money, but Ashley will put in the work and visit every corner of Iowa to earn every single vote this election. Iowans will soundly reject Zach Wahls and his radical agenda at the ballot box this November.”
The statement references state Sen. Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, who raised the most of the Democratic candidates running to become the party’s Senate nominee. Wahls raised $742,294 during the period and ended the period with $733,481. A memo from the Wahls’ campaign this week stated the FEC report shows Wahls as “the strongest fundraiser, entering 2026 with a significant cash-on-hand edge, he’s organizing across the state and showing up in communities where Democrats have lost ground, and he’s earning the support of working-class Iowans through growing labor endorsements.”
Rep. Josh Turek, D-Council Bluffs, reported raising $677,806 and ended the quarter with $398,474 cash on hand. In a January news release on fundraising, Turek’s campaign stated his fundraising totals are high considering he was the most recent candidate to enter the Democratic primary in addition to saying working class Iowans are supporting his campaign.
“Josh Turek has shown he has the widespread support needed to win this primary and take on Ashley Hinson in November,” Turek’s campaign manager Brendan Koch said in a statement. “Donations came in from the working class Iowans that Josh is committed to representing: machinists in Madrid, firefighters in Coralville, students in Sioux City, waitresses in Anamosa, pipefitters in Davenport, line cooks in Charles City, teachers, truck drivers, and nurses from across the state. They know as the only one in this primary who has even run against a Republican, Josh is the best shot we have at keeping Ashley Hinson out of the U.S. Senate.”
Former Knoxville Chamber of Commerce Director Nathan Sage raised $229,929 according to the most recent report.
Republicans said Wahls’ fundraising lead shows that Iowa Democrats are not interested in candidates supported by Democratic leaders in Washington, D.C., referencing potential support for Turek’s campaign coming from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“It’s more clear than ever before: Iowa Democrats are fed up with Schumer-backed establishment candidates like Josh Turek and are gravitating toward far-left progressives like Zach Wahls,” Iowa GOP Spokesperson Jade Cichy said in a statement. “No matter who limps across the finish line, they’re headed for a loss in November. Make no mistake, this seat stays red.”
