Republicans in Iowa defied Donald Trump and challenged his grip on the party by refusing to vote for a candidate for governor the president had personally endorsed.
Trump’s pick, Rep. Randy Feenstra, lost to farmer and businessman Zach Lahn in the state’s Republican gubernatorial primary on Tuesday. Lahn was initially seen as an outsider in the showdown between five GOP candidates.
The loss means Feenstra has earned the dubious honor of being the first Trump-backed candidate for governor to lose a primary before November’s midterm elections.
Trump endorsed Feenstra in a gushing Truth Social post on Friday afternoon, a few days before voting in the primary election ended.
“Randy is MAGA all the way!” Trump wrote in the post, claiming the Republican “has delivered strong results for the Hawkeye State.”
“Randy Feenstra has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Governor of Iowa–RANDY WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN,” Trump wrote. He shared the exact same post a few days later.
But Trump’s belated endorsement meant Feenstra was unable to include it in his campaign TV ads in the crucial last days.
“President Trump is the greatest president of my lifetime and he has kept every promise he made to Iowans and the American people,” Feenstra said in a statement before the election.
“As governor, I will work closely with President Trump to put Iowa and America First and deliver real results for our state. I will continue to be the strongest supporter of President Trump and work to implement his America First agenda in Iowa.”
A spokesperson for Feenstra confirmed he had conceded to Lahn on Tuesday night, according to NBC. Lahn received 37.8 percent of the vote, to 37 percent for Feenstra, after 99 percent of the expected vote was counted.
A Trump strategist was quick to jump ship after the embarrassing loss.
“Clearly a Randy problem. Barely won his own district,” the Trump strategist told NBC via text. “But, it is what it is. So we go with Lahn. That’s fine. He did well.”
Lahn was endorsed by supporters of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement, while former Iowa Rep. Steve King campaigned for him around the state. King lost to Feenstra in a 2020 primary while Lahn promised to support family farms and fight against special interests.
An outside group supporting him also painted Feenstra as soft on immigration, while Feenstra went after Lahn for investing in a company that sells sex toys.
Feenstra’s loss could possibly give Democrats a shot at flipping the governorship after the Republican incumbent, Kim Reynolds, decided not to see a third term in office. The Dem candidate, Rob Sand, has been the state auditor of Iowa since 2019, and ran unopposed in his primary.
Sand is campaigning with a bipartisan pitch, attempting to woo over Democrats, independent voters, and moderate Republicans.
