The 2026 race in IA-01 is rated a toss-up—one of the most competitive in the country. For the first time in years, it includes a non-partisan voice on the ballot. Here's what's actually in front of you.
The Cook Political Report rates Iowa's 1st District a toss-up. In 2024, the seat was decided by fewer than 800 votes—narrower than the population of most IA-01 small towns. The 2026 election will be settled in margins that small again. But the number most people miss is this: 205,683 IA-01 voters belong to no political party. That's the largest single bloc of voters in the district—bigger than the registered Democratic base, bigger than any organized group. It's also the bloc that's been ignored the longest.
For decades, IA-01 elections have given voters a binary choice. In 2026, that's changing.
We track every candidate who has declared for Iowa's 1st Congressional District in the 2026 cycle. We provide this information so independent voters can make an informed choice. Independent Center Voice does not endorse candidates. Information below is sourced from each candidate's public statements and campaign materials.
Law professor at the University of Iowa; former state representative
Previously ran: 2022, 2024
Bettendorf small business owner; grew up on a multi-generational farm
First-time candidate, 2026
Two-term U.S. Representative for IA-01; physician; former state senator
Previously elected: 2022, 2024
Based on voter file data and our 2026 Tuned In polling, here are the issues independent voters in IA-01 say will shape their vote. We don't tell you what to think about them. We do tell you they matter.
From K-12 funding pressures to the cost of attending an Iowa university, education shows up in every focus group we run with IA-01 voters.
IA-01 is among the most agriculture-dependent districts in the country. Farm income, input costs, trade policy, and the next Farm Bill all run through this seat.
Forty-two percent of NPP voters in IA-01 cite immigration as a priority issue. Practical solutions—not slogans—are what voters tell us they want.
Term limits, a ban on congressional stock trading, and age limits poll at record highs across every demographic. Some candidates have made this central to their campaign. Some haven't.
Iowa's rural hospitals operate on razor-thin margins. Medicaid changes hit IA-01 harder than most districts. The next member of Congress will help write the rules.
Groceries, fuel, healthcare, rent—the cost of an Iowa life is the top concern voters bring up first. Where each candidate stands on tax policy, energy, and inflation will decide a lot of votes.
45% of Americans now identify as independent. In IA-01, more than 200,000 voters have chosen no party at all.
That's not a fringe. That's the largest political coalition in America—and the one with the least organized voice in Washington. The system wasn't built for you. Closed primaries shut you out of half the candidate selection process. Two-party debates pretend you don't exist. Every two years, the same two names come back to the ballot—and the same machinery decides who they'll be. Independent Center Voice exists to change that. We poll independent voters so their views actually get counted. We educate independent voters about their options. We push for the reforms—open primaries, transparent campaign finance, congressional accountability—that put NPP voters back at the center of American democracy.
Get our IA-01 election updates, 2026 polling, and reform news—by email and (optionally) by text.