Iowa
‘This is the grassroots.’ Iowans gather to caucus ahead of midterms
Watch US Rep. Randy Feenstra make his case to be Iowa’s next governor
Fourth District Congressman Randy Feenstra talked to Iowa Caucusgoers Monday, Feb. 2, as he campaigned for governor.
U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra rallied Republicans at a West Des Moines caucus site Monday, Feb. 2, as both parties work to get organized ahead of a competitive midterm election year.
His stop at the Stilwell Junior High caucus site was Feenstra’s first of several planned visits across Polk and Dallas counties, and he touted his work in the state Legislature and in Congress as he appealed to some of his party’s most active members.
“This last year has just been amazing working with President Trump and making sure that we take America first,” he told the group. “I was on Air Force One last week. We were talking about this — making sure that we continue lowering taxes, to make sure that we lower prices at the gas pump and our groceries and all this other stuff.”
Republicans and Democrats held their Iowa Caucuses Feb. 2 at locations across the state.
For Feenstra and other candidates facing a June 2 primary election, this year’s caucuses presented a chance to elevate their name recognition among key party activists, gather signatures to get on the ballot and recruit supporters as they look to break away from the pack.
Especially in years when there is no presidential nomination, the caucuses are about getting the parties organized, submitting planks to be included in their platforms, persuading people to sign up as delegates and getting them to commit to being involved with their local party apparatus.
Feenstra is one of five candidates running for the Republican Party’s gubernatorial nomination. The others include state Rep. Eddie Andrews, businessman Zach Lahn, former state Rep. Brad Sherman and former Department of Administrative Services director Adam Steen.
At Stilwell Junior High, each of the remaining four gubernatorial candidates had a supporter designated to speak on their behalf.
Representatives also spoke in favor of Republican U.S. Reps. Zach Nunn, who is seeking reelection to the 3rd District, and Ashley Hinson, who is running to replace Joni Ernst in the U.S. Senate.
For candidates, Iowa Caucuses are a chance to engage with the grassroots
Feenstra told reporters that he was excited to engage with the grassroots of his party.
“This is the time where the Republican Party gets together, talks about policy, and talks about how we’re going to make sure that we keep this state red, making sure that we don’t get extreme liberals running this great state,” he said. “So that’s what’s happening today, and I’m so excited. This is the grassroots. These are the people that door knock. They put out the signs and everything like that. So it’s fun to be a part of it.”
Laura Ridgway, a 65-year-old West Des Moines resident who caucused Monday, said she feels a responsibility to come.
“How can you complain about your government if you’re not willing to participate and create change or at least listen?” she said.
She said she likes what she knows about Feenstra, but she’s also interested in Steen. She knows Steen has been endorsed by conservative media personality Steve Deace and respects his recommendation.
Mostly, she said, she wants a governor who can keep the state “in line with Christian values.”
Dale Helling spoke in favor of Steen at the Stilwell caucus site Monday after meeting him at a recent fundraiser and coming away “super impressed.”
He likes that Steen has experience in both the private and government sectors, and he thinks Steen would stack up against Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand “very well” in a potential debate.
“I think he’s our best candidate, quite honestly,” Helling said.
He said he’ll vote for whoever ends up winning the primary, but now he’s disappointed that Feenstra isn’t engaging more with the GOP primary field.
“I think Randy might be a little awkward at times,” Helling said. “And quite honestly, I’m not happy — I can see why he’s doing it — but he’s ducking everybody right now. He’s refusing to debate. He probably has the lead right now because of name recognition, and he has more money. So he’s choosing really not to engage. And I don’t like that. You should be out there debating with everybody else, and he’s not doing it.”
Feenstra has increasingly come under fire from party activists for opting out of forums and events that feature his primary opponents, including a Jan. 27 debate in Des Moines.
That debate was the same day Trump visited Iowa, and Feenstra said he was flying to and from Des Moines on Air Force One with Trump and couldn’t attend the event.
Feenstra told reporters he asked Trump for his endorsement on that flight, and he hopes to earn the president’s support this primary cycle. So far, the president has not waded into Iowa’s gubernatorial race, although he has made endorsements in three of the state’s four congressional districts.
Some underdog candidates organize with an eye to possible contested convention
In Iowa, if a candidate in a primary race can’t clear 35% of the vote, the nominee is selected by a group of delegates at the party’s convention.
The selection of those delegates begins on caucus night, with volunteers offering to serve first at the county level, then the district and ultimately the state level.
It’s a possibility for which some groups and campaigns were actively preparing as they went into caucus night.
Chuck Hurley, vice president of Christian conservative organization The Family Leader, has encouraged his group’s supporters to attend their caucuses by reminding them in a series of emails that they could play an outsized role in selecting the party’s nominee for governor if a convention becomes a reality.
“For me, it’s just simple math,” he told the Des Moines Register. “If you have four, five, you know, six candidates in a race, you start dividing up the vote, because they each have people that support them.”
The Steen campaign said they were also preparing for the possibility by making connections with key activists and encouraging them to caucus and become delegates.
“We want to be very active at caucus, because we know if this thing does go to convention, we want people represented at state convention who will support Adam Steen,” said Rob Peters, Steen’s campaign manager.
The selection of a nominee at convention is relatively rare, but the process is far different than an open election and can give way to unpredictable results based on the preferences of those delegates who happen to be serving.
In 2014, David Young won the Republican nomination in the 3rd District congressional race after finishing in fifth place in the primary election and after five rounds of voting at the convention. He later went on to win the general election.
Currently, Feenstra is viewed as the race’s frontrunner. He is a sitting congressman with a large war chest, high name recognition among potential voters and a network of high-profile supporters.
It would be a significant upset if he were unable to hit the 35% benchmark. But so far, Feenstra has been unable to clear the primary field.
Billy Fuerst, a spokesperson for Feenstra, said the campaign is not worried about the possibility of a contested convention.
He noted the campaign’s most recent fundraising report, which showed Feenstra easily leading the GOP field with $4.3 million in fundraising — more than the rest of the Republican field combined.
“We have the resources to win. We have the message to win. And our polling also confirms Congressman Feenstra is the commanding frontrunner in this primary election,” Fuerst said. “And again, he will be nominated in June to be the Republican nominee for governor of Iowa, and he will defeat extreme liberal Rob Sand with his common-sense conservative message.
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. She writes about campaigns, elections and the Iowa Caucuses. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on X at @brianneDMR.
The late boxing great George Foreman lies buried in a cemetery in the northwestern corner of Iowa – a place he has no connection to outside of a lone visit to the region nearly 40 years ago.
Foreman died March 21, 2025, at the age of 76 in Houston and was buried in Logan Park Cemetery at Sioux City, Iowa, a month later, city officials confirmed. Foreman’s family returned Thursday to his burial site, holding a news conference with Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott to reveal Foreman’s burial place, marked by a large monument that bears an image of him as a teen following his Olympic gold medal boxing win.
The family explained in a statement released by Sioux City officials that he had visited the Iowa city in 1988, and often recalled the sense of peace he experienced there.
After traveling to the city on April 17 last year to bury Foreman, his family said they immediately understood the region’s appeal.
“Our father lived a life of purpose, faith and gratitude,” the family said in a statement released by Sioux City officials. “To see him laid to rest in a place that brought him peace means everything to us.”
Scott joined the family at Foreman’s monument that lies just a few miles north of the Missouri River in an upper Midwest city of nearly 87,000 people. The cemetery overlooks the scenic Loess Hills, created by windblown silt deposits that reach up to 200 feet high (about 61 meters) and line the river along the Iowa border for 200 miles (322 kilometers).
“Their story is a reminder of how one place can stay with someone for a lifetime,” Scott said.
A native Texan, Foreman rose to fame when he made the 1968 U.S. Olympic boxing team, winning gold in Mexico City. He became the heavyweight champion of the world in 1973 by defeating the great Joe Frazier, only to lose the title a year later to Muhammad Ali in the famous “Rumble in the Jungle.”
A full 20 years later in 1994, Foreman became the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship at 45, defeating Michael Moorer in an epic upset.
Foreman retired in 1997 with a 76-5 career record.
He then moved on to the next chapter in his life as a businessman, pitchman and occasional actor, becoming known to a new generation as the face of the George Foreman Grill. The simple cooking machine sold more than 100 million units and brought him more wealth than boxing.
A biographical movie based on Foreman’s life was released in 2023.
Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) — About 50 Iowans braved the threat of severe storms to hear from Republican candidate for governor Zach Lahn at his town hall in Dubuque Friday night.
Lahn, a farmer and businessman, said his campaign is about solving the long-term systemic issues facing Iowans.
One priority is addressing what Lahn calls a cancer crisis in Iowa, as the state has the second-highest cancer rate in the country. Solving the crisis means ensuring Iowans have access to clean, nitrate-free drinking water, working with farmers to reduce agricultural runoff.
“Iowans are just ready for something that they should be able to count on, like clean drinking water,” Lahn said. “We have ways to clean up the drinking water in Iowa that isn’t on the backs of farmers, but is working alongside with them because they’re drinking the water too, and they want to do what’s right.”
Lahn also wants to stop Iowa’s “brain drain,” as more of Iowa’s college graduates left the state for opportunities elsewhere.
“Don’t leave! Give me some time! I’m going to fight to keep you here,” Lahn said. “I was one of these kids. I thought I had to leave the state to find something better. We have to prioritize Iowa’s incentive dollars to make sure they’re going to grow Iowa businesses that are going to be here for the long haul, so our kids have places to work.”
Running a distinct campaign feels challenging this election, as Lahn is one of five GOP candidates who want to be Iowa’s next governor, facing U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, former Department of Administrative Services Director Adam Steen, state Rep. Eddie Andrews and former state Rep. Brad Sherman.
Iowa Auditor Rob Sand is the only Democrat running for the state’s top office.
Lahn said he stands out by promising Iowa will be for Iowans, pledging to ban the use of eminent domain for private gain and tax out-of-state landowners and data centers at higher rates to lower property taxes.
“It always goes back to follow the money, so when it comes to not being a weak-kneed Republican today, I believe the paramount piece of that is answering only to the citizens of Iowa, not to special interests to pad their bottom line, but what’s best for the people of Iowa,” Lahn said.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa State announced Thursday the addition of women’s wrestling as its 18th varsity sport, with the program scheduled to begin competition during the 2027-28 academic year. The team is the first varsity sport added at the university since soccer in 1996. Iowa State will be the 12th school in the state of Iowa to have an NCAA women’s wrestling program.
The Cyclones will be only the second Power Four institution to feature a varsity women’s wrestling program, joining the University of Iowa.
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The university appointed Alli St. John, a two-time World Wrestling Championships silver medalist, as the program’s first head coach. St. John, who has spent the last three years with the Cyclone Regional Training Center, was a two-time women’s college national champion at King University.
“I am incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to be the first head coach of women’s wrestling at Iowa State University,” St. John said. “This is a historic moment not only for Iowa State University, but for the sport of wrestling, too. Iowa State has a rich wrestling tradition, and I’m excited to expand that legacy on the women’s side as we work to build a premier program in Ames that produces not only NCAA champions, but World and Olympic champions as well.”
The program will support a roster of 30 student-athletes with 10 scholarship equivalents, matching the scholarship limit of the men’s team. Official competitions will be held in Hilton Coliseum, with practice facilities in Beyer Hall.
The university also announced a major restructuring of its wrestling leadership, naming long-time men’s head coach Kevin Dresser as the Director of Wrestling. In this new capacity, Dresser will oversee both programs, assisting with fundraising and mentoring the coaching staff, which includes newly promoted men’s head coach Brent Metcalf.
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“The addition of women’s wrestling is an exciting opportunity for Iowa State Athletics,” Dresser said. “The fact that it is one of the fastest growing sports at the high school level coupled with the overall love of wrestling in the state of Iowa makes this a very good decision. I can envision the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk dual already and the excitement it will bring to the sport. I am excited to roll up my sleeves and help start another wrestling program.”
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