Republican Adam Steen, former Iowa Department of Administrative Services director, submitted paperwork Wednesday to qualify his gubernatorial campaign for the 2026 primary ballot.
Steen, joined by his family and campaign staff, volunteers and supporters, submitted 9,602 signatures to the Iowa Secretary of State’s office Wednesday afternoon. To qualify for the primary ballot June 2, gubernatorial candidates are required submit signatures from at least 3,500 Iowans supporting their campaign, which must include 100 signatures from at least 19 different counties.
The GOP candidate told reporters the signatures, coming from all 99 counties, shows the enthusiasm and support for his campaign across the state.
“This is a grassroots movement all the way through,” Steen said. “We’ve got a ton of momentum. We started with nothing. We started from zero, August 19, but now we have over 9,500 signatures from all across the state. We’re ready to win this thing.”
Steen is one of multiple Republicans vying to become the party’s nominee in 2026. He is the third Republican to file in the race. Brad Sherman, a former state lawmaker, submitted his campaign paperwork March 2, according to the Secretary of State’s office. U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, running for the GOP nomination, as well as Iowa Auditor Rob Sand, who is competing to become the Democratic nominee, both submitted their petition signatures Monday.
Other Republican candidates include Iowa Rep. Eddie Andrews and Zach Lahn, a businessman who has worked for Americans for Prosperity. Andrews and Lahn did not respond to questions about their plans to file campaign petitions before the Friday deadline.
Steen said as the June 2 primary draws closer, his campaign plans to “put the pedal in the metal.”
In comparison to Feenstra, who ended 2025 with $3.2 million in cash on hand and Lahn, who ended the year with $2.1 million, which included a $2 million loan from himself, Steen ended the year with $336,073. When asked how campaign funding will impact the primary race moving forward, as Feenstra recently released a seven-figure ad buy, Steen said his campaign also has plans to release TV ads and has more “momentum” than other campaigns.
“I don’t care who has what money, I know what we’ve got, I know what we represent, and I’m excited to continue to do that for Iowans,” Steen said.
Steen has pointed to support received at unofficial straw polls held at some Republican caucuses in February as a sign of his campaign’s strength. He has also received endorsements from some well-known conservative figures in the state, like Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of the Family Leader, and Steve Deace, a conservative talk show host.
For a candidate to win in the primary, they must receive at least 35% of votes, or the nomination will go to a convention. When asked what his path to victory in a five-person primary looks like, Steen said his campaign appeals to a variety of GOP voters.
“We feel extremely comfortable that our lane is the evangelical Christian conservative lane, we feel very comfortable the business community is our lane. We feel very comfortable with the young people are in our lane, from a college perspective, from a young business owner perspective,” Steen said. “We have a very wide lane, we’ve got a very deep lane, and I think we’re going to win the primary outright.”
