Iowa — 2nd District

Republican Joe Mitchell and Democrat Linday James are facing off in an increasingly competitive midterm race for Iowa's 2nd Congressional District.

Mitchell, a former state representative and Trump administration housing official, and James, a state representative and Presbyterian pastor, are running to represent the district, which covers 22 counties in northeast Iowa and includes Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Dubuque and Mason City.

The seat is open as incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson runs for the U.S. Senate.

Independent candidate Dave Bushaw and Libertarian Rick Stewart are also running to represent the district. Stewart did not return the Register's survey.

Election Day is Nov. 3.

To help voters, the Des Moines Register sent questions to all federal and Des Moines area legislative candidates running for political office this year. Their answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Click below to learn more about the candidates and where they stand on key issues:

| Bios | Top issue | Cost of living | Immigration | Health care access | Tariffs | Iran |

Who is Dave Bushaw?

Age: 32.

Political party: No party (independent).

Town of residence: Hawkeye.

Occupation: Co-founder and organizer, Real Men's Circles.

Education: North Fayette High School.

Political experience: Co-founded Real Men's Circles, led Midwest operations for United Today, Stronger Tomorrow, rural field organizer for Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign in Iowa, Nevada and South Carolina.

Who is Lindsay James?

Age: 45.

Political party: Democrat.

Current town of residence: Dubuque.

Occupation: State representative.

Education: Master of divinity, Fuller Theological Seminary.

Political experience: State representative, District 71.

Who is Joe Mitchell?

Age: 29.

Political party: Republican.

Current town of residence: Clear Lake.

Occupation: Property developer.

Education: Bachelor's degree, Drake University.

Political experience: Served as a regional director for HUD under the Trump administration and as a chief of staff to FHFA. Previously served in the Iowa Legislature for two terms. Initially ran for office at 20 years old and was later sworn in at the age of 21 — the youngest state legislator in Iowa’s history.

What would be your top issue if elected?

Bushaw (I): I would work with the federal administration to declare a national emergency on water quality in the United States as a national security issue. Coupled this with a federal jobs guarantee program training and educating the next generation of industrial workers while building infrastructure to clean America's water sources, both recreational and potable drinking water. We have the technology, but most communities cannot afford the massive investment for these systems. We need to address the microplastic, PFAS, PFOS, forever chemical, lead, and nitrate crises immediately. Water is life, folks.

James (D): Iowans are making impossible economic choices due to the policy decisions coming out of Washington, D.C. It’s the mom making the impossible choice, do I pay my utility bill or buy my child a winter coat? The dad, do I put food on the table for my family, or pay the rent? The daughter, do I care for my aging parent or go to work and earn a paycheck? No one should have to make these kinds of choices. D.C. politicians are turning a blind eye to challenges that hard working families face in our state. Instead of fighting for us, they are more concerned with their billionaire donors. That is wrong.

Mitchell (R): If elected, fighting Washington’s culture of corruption would be my top priority. I’ll fight to ban congressional insider trading, shut down the lawmaker to lobbyist pipeline, and impose term limits so public servants focus on public service. I also want to make life more affordable, and that includes housing. Hardworking Iowans are priced out of the American Dream. Having built hundreds of homes in Northeast Iowa, I understand how to build a house from foundation to finish. There isn’t a single developer or homebuilder in Congress to promote common-sense legislation and that needs to change.

How can Congress help Iowans struggling with high costs?

James (D): This will be the number one priority for the next Congress. We must immediately end the war with Iran driving up gas prices and take back the power on tariffs that have hurt our farmers, manufacturers and all Iowans just trying to survive. Then we need to be proactive on housing, groceries, energy and healthcare. We should pass permitting reform to cut red tape on housing and energy projects. The more housing we can build, the lower the price. We should invest in new energy projects and hold companies accountable for price gouging. Finally, we need to get local food from farmers to the table.

Mitchell (R): Congress has to stop its excessive spending, politically driven subsidizing, and over-regulating that drive up the cost of everything from gas to groceries and housing. My background is in housing. I own and operate a real estate development company and served as a regional director for HUD. The cost of housing and the lack of supply aren’t just government-driven, they’re Congress-driven. We also need to pass a budget and stop playing politics with government shutdowns — that will bring certainty back to our economy, which will lower costs.

Bushaw (I): We need to name enemies and take the fight to them together as a unified Working Class. Private equity firms like Blackstone and the Carlyle Group are monopolizing our housing inventory and manipulating costs. We need to ban further monopolization. JBS, Cargill, Tyson Foods and National Beef control 85% of beef and 70% of pork processing markets. We need to break them up and pass Rep. Thomas Massie's PRIME Act to encourage small-scale local production. We need a 21st century Glass-Steegal to reseparate commercial and investment banking to stop Wall Street from gambling with Working Class equity.

How do you rate President Trump’s handling of immigration, and what should Congress’ role be in setting immigration policy?

Mitchell (R): Under President Biden, our border was wide open and our nation suffered. President Trump took office and immediately secured the border, took on a broken immigration system, and is once and for all addressing problems politicians in both parties have ignored. Congress needs to continue funding the border and supporting the enforcement of our immigration laws. That’s why I oppose amnesty of any kind and believe we need to remove criminals from our country. We need to always put law-abiding American citizens first.

Bushaw (I): If we want to continue being a nation, we need strong and established borders. That said, as someone who grew up on Dukes of Hazzard and Smokey & the Bandit, something doesn’t sit right with me about federal agents running around Iowa scooping up nonviolent, undocumented farmworkers and their families. As your representative, I will advocate to expand legal naturalization programs and work with immigrant-dense communities to move non-criminal undocumented workers through legal pathways to citizenship. This also means deeper investment and support for English-learning community programs.

James (D): We can all see that our immigration system is broken. Both parties have gotten it wrong. I’m a mom. I want my kids and our communities to be safe. My faith teaches me to love my neighbor. These values — safety and my Christian faith — are what I bring to this issue. Congress must pass immigration reform. Here’s what I support: Secure borders, safe communities, offering a pathway to citizenship for the law-abiding people who are paying their taxes, investing in more immigration judges to clear the backlog of cases, and making sure we fill our workforce needs here in Iowa.

What steps should Congress take to make health care more affordable and accessible?

Bushaw (I): When the Obamacare subsidies stopped, they said insurance premiums would double, triple, quadruple in cost. Why? Without massive taxpayer-funded subsidies, WHY will insurance companies hike premium costs on their consumers? The answer is corporate greed and a broken for-profit healthcare system that exploits the American worker to make their shareholders wealthier. I believe that in the richest nation on earth, we can do what every other developed nation does for their citizens and provide universal healthcare as an American guarantee — and we can do it better, because we're America.

James (D): As a mom and chaplain, I believe everyone should have access to affordable healthcare. Iowans are making impossible choices on this. No one in Iowa should have to face bankruptcy because of a healthcare emergency. No one in Iowa should have to ration life saving medication because of high costs, or travel hundreds of miles to receive quality care. I’m hearing from providers too who are telling me the system is broken. We need to reverse the ACA cuts that put 25,000 Iowans at risk of losing their coverage, expand Medicare's power to negotiate drug prices, and pass a public option.

Mitchell (R): Since Obamacare passed in 2010, PBMs and insurance companies have become increasingly consolidated while hardworking Iowans face a system that is neither affordable nor accessible. Congress should repeal Obamacare and replace it with patient-centered reforms that lower premiums and expand choice while protecting people with preexisting conditions. We should codify most-favored-nation drug pricing, crack down on PBM-insurer consolidation, require negotiated savings to reach patients, and increase price transparency.

Have President Trump’s tariffs helped or hurt Iowans? What changes would you push for in Congress to shape the White House tariff and agriculture policy?

James (D): Folks are making impossible choices because of the cost of living crisis we’re facing. Tariffs have driven up costs for all Iowans, especially our farmers, and damaged our manufacturing industry. Iowans are paying $600 more a year because of these tariffs. I have stood with workers at Whirlpool and John Deere who have lost their jobs due to these tariffs. It's heartbreaking. Congress must take back the power to tariff immediately and end the chaos. We need a trade policy that puts people first, and prioritizes jobs here at home without raising costs on working families.

Mitchell (R): Under Joe Biden, America was getting ripped off. So were our farmers. President Trump is using tariffs as a short-term negotiating tool to secure better deals and implement his foreign policy. Overall, the president’s focus on reshoring jobs and investment here in Iowa will be a long-term gain. Congress shouldn’t punish producers through one-size-fits-all environmental regulations that drive up the cost of everything. Congress should focus on creating consistency in governance: passing a regular farm bill and budget, and giving the executive branch real tools to negotiate better trade deals.

Bushaw (I): I'm pro-tariff, generally; if we can make it in America, we should. Unfortunately, the elite ruling class surrendered our means of production and manufacturing capacities to China a long time ago to enrich a small handful of billionaires. Meanwhile, factories closed, towns dried up and dependable lifelong, good-paying blue-collar careers became more sparse. I believe that, in tandem with tariffs, we need direct federal investment to rebuild national manufacturing and production capacities domestically. Tariffs on necessities that can't be produced here is just a tax on working Americans.

Do you agree or disagree with the Trump administration’s approach to the Iran war? What oversight role should Congress play?

Mitchell (R): I agree with the administration that Iran cannot be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, but this conflict comes with real costs for Iowa families who were already stretched thin after four years of Bidenflation. My approach to any conflict is as follows: Protect the American people and bring the Iowans serving overseas home without delay. I believe that Congress should play a larger role in overseeing all war and military engagements than it currently does. This has been a problem under the last several presidents. We should return to the constitutional balance set up by the Founding Fathers.

Bushaw (I): The illegal war in Iran is a continuation of the two-party war machine that's taken one too many American lives; because in an illegal war — one life is too many. Director Tulsi Gabbard said in March 2025 that our intelligence "continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003." We must refuse to fall for the same playbook from the Afghanistan/Iraq war that took the lives of more than 7,000 Americans and hundreds of thousands more civilian casualties. Leave Iran now.