Iowa — 2nd District

State Rep. Shannon Lundgren is launching a campaign for Congress in Iowa's 2nd District, joining a crowded Republican primary.

In a news release announcing her candidacy, Lundgren, a Republican from Peosta, emphasized her early support for President Donald Trump in August 2015 and again during the 2024 Republican caucuses.

"Now, I’m stepping up to serve Iowans in Congress because President Trump needs that type of unwavering, loyal conservative fighters in Congress to deport illegal immigrants and make America safe, support our small businesses and working families, help Iowans afford housing and health care, protect Social Security and Medicare and end the woke gender ideology that endangers our daughters," she said in a statement.

Lundgren is the fourth Republican to declare her candidacy for the 2nd District after U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson announced she would run for U.S. Senate with the retirement of U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst.

The 2nd Congressional District covers 22 counties in northeast Iowa, including the cities of Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Waterloo and Mason City.

Lundgren was elected to the Iowa House in 2016 and is serving her fifth term. She chairs the House Commerce Committee and sits on the Health and Human Services, State Government and Ways and Means committees, and the Health and Human Services Appropriations subcommittee.

She is the owner and operator of Trackside Bar & Grill in Peosta, with her husband, Charlie. They have two daughters.

"As a small business owner, I know the challenges facing Iowa’s Main Streets," Lundgren said. "As a lifelong resident of Northeast Iowa, I know the struggles, the hopes and dreams of our neighbors. In Congress, I’ll be the strongest advocate for Iowa’s workers and small businesses who are the backbone of our American economy. And I will continue my work to cut waste, fraud and abuse to ensure working Iowans keep more of their hard-earned paycheck."

In her announcement, Lundgren emphasized her support for law enforcement; strengthening immigration enforcement; passing Iowa's More Options for Maternal Support (MOMS) program, which provides money for pregnancy centers that counsel against abortion; banning transgender women and girls from participating in girls' sports; prohibiting people from using a school bathroom that does not align with their sex at birth; and decreasing government regulation.

Former U.S. Rep. Rod Blum of Dubuque, state Sen. Charlie McClintock, R-Alburnett, and former state Rep. Joe Mitchell of Clear Lake are also running in the Republican primary. All three have emphasized their support for Trump.

Three Democrats are seeking their party's nomination in the 2nd District: Kathy Dolter, a U.S. Army veteran and former dean of nursing at Kirkwood Community College; Lindsay James, a state representative and an ordained Presbyterian pastor; and Clint Twedt-Ball, a Cedar Rapids resident and former nonprofit executive.

"Shannon Lundgren is just the latest out-of-touch Republican gearing up for a crowded, messy primary fight over who can best cater to Washington special interests and rubber stamp health care cuts and price-spiking tariffs," Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Katie Smith said in a statement. "Iowans deserve change, not more of the same corrupt Washington politics. Democrats will flip this seat because voters are ready for someone who actually fights to lower their costs and puts them first."