Republican U.S. Representative Zach Nunn and Democratic challenger Sarah Trone Garriott have agreed to participate in a televised debate in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District race.
The debate is scheduled for 9 p.m. Tuesday, October 27, on KCCI, one week before Election Day on November 3.
The agreement follows several weeks of negotiations between the campaigns over scheduling. Both candidates confirmed their participation Thursday, while continuing to disagree over the circumstances that delayed the debate.
Trone Garriott, a state senator from West Des Moines, said she was pleased the debate would take place. She highlighted concerns about the cost of groceries, health care and child care, saying she plans to discuss her priorities and approach to representing Iowans.
Nunn, the incumbent Republican, said the debate would give voters an opportunity to compare his record with Trone Garriott’s policy positions. He criticized her proposals on taxes and argued that voters should have had the opportunity to hear from both candidates earlier in the early voting period.
The campaigns have offered different accounts of the scheduling negotiations. Nunn’s campaign said it accepted debate dates offered before or during the first week of early voting, which began October 14. Trone Garriott’s campaign said she had agreed to the October 27 date weeks earlier and cited scheduling conflicts as the reason for preferring dates later in October.
The disagreement continued after Nunn held a news conference Wednesday while casting his early ballot. He said he had again agreed to the October 27 date. Trone Garriott’s campaign disputed his characterization of the negotiations.
Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District is considered a competitive race by political forecasters. The outcome could help determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives following the 2026 election.
The October 27 debate will give voters an opportunity to hear directly from both candidates before Election Day, although early voting will already be underway.
