Barack Obama won Iowa twice during his presidency. It’s a state Trump has won every time until now. Was it the tariffs? We need to reexamine everything because last night was an epic a**-kicking.
Probably not one seen in 60+ years. And it leached into Iowa, where, if it was tariffs, like Indiana and North Carolina, who ran out of patience with Bush and protecting manufacturing, they opted to vote Democrat. In Iowa’s third district, Democrat Sarah Trone Garriott beat Republican Rep. Zach Nunn (via WSJ):
Decision Desk HQ projects Sarah Garriott wins the IA US House 3 General Election #DecisionMade: 11:22 PM EST Follow live results here: https://t.co/Oifql857Fa https://t.co/WhYYKtyEcw
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) November 4, 2026
Republican Rep. Zach Nunn lost his reelection bid in Iowa’s Third District, the Associated Press said, falling to Democratic state Senator Sarah Trone Garriott in a closely watched race as the GOP gave up yet another House seat.
With 91% of the vote reported, Trone Garriott had 54.6% to 45.4% for Nunn.
Trone Garriott, the daughter of a nurse and an auto mechanic, grew up in Cloquet, Minn. The 48-year-old attended Harvard Divinity School before becoming a Lutheran minister. She is one of more than a dozen Democratic Christian ministers who decided to run for state and federal office this election cycle.
Nunn, a 47-year-old U.S. Air Force combat veteran, was defending a closely contested seat that party leaders considered crucial to winning control of the House. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Iowa in August to campaign on Nunn’s behalf, part of a wider push among Trump administration officials to back vulnerable lawmakers in the state.
It caps off an all-around ugly night for the GOP.