Race · November 3, 2026

U.S. House · Iowa's 2nd District

4 candidates on the ballot — an open seat, with no incumbent running.1

§1Candidates

Why this matters: Every candidate the state lists for this race on the November ballot, in the state's own order.

Joe Mitchell
Republican · Open seat
Lindsay James
Democratic · Open seat
Rick Stewart
Libertarian · Open seat
Dave Bushaw
No Party · Open seat

§2Side by side

Why this matters: The same facts for every candidate, in the same order. Where we found nothing for a candidate, the cell says so — that means we didn't find it in public sources, not that it doesn't exist.

Scroll sideways on small screens. Select a name for the full page.
Joe MitchellLindsay JamesRick StewartDave Bushaw
Party on the ballotRepublican1Democratic1Libertarian1No Party1
StatusOpen seatOpen seatOpen seatOpen seat
Raised$2,916,069 through October 14, 20262$3,917,994 through October 14, 20263Not found in the public sources we checked$38,292 through October 14, 20264
Cash on hand$545,5342$265,9533Not found in the public sources we checked$11,3184
Outside spending$570,622 for · $6,655,853 against5$2,249,980 for · $4,036,317 against6Not found in the public sources we checkedNot found in the public sources we checked
Abortion lawHis campaign website's home page says he will protect the right to life.7
Legal until about 24 weeks, as under Roe v. Wade, and later to protect the woman's life or health
Her campaign website says she wants to restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land and defend a woman's right to make her own medical decisions.8		Not found in the public sources we checkedNot found in the public sources we checked
Campaign finance rulesNot found in the public sources we checked
Limit spending by outside groups, including by amending the Constitution to overturn Citizens United
Her campaign website says she will work to pass a constitutional amendment overturning the Citizens United v. FEC decision and will not take corporate PAC money.9		Not found in the public sources we checked
Limit spending by outside groups, including by amending the Constitution to overturn Citizens United
His platform page says he supports the Democracy is for the People Amendment to the Constitution, which would limit making contributions and expenditures to influence elections to natural persons.10
Stock trading by members of Congress
Ban members themselves from trading individual stocks
His campaign website says he supports a full ban on stock and prediction market trading for members of Congress.11
Ban members and their spouses and dependent children from owning or trading individual stocks
Her campaign website says she will fight to ban members of Congress, the executive branch, the Supreme Court and their families from trading individual stocks, and that she supports the Restore Trust in Congress Act.9		Not found in the public sources we checked
Ban members themselves from trading individual stocks
His platform page says he supports banning stock trading for Members of Congress.10
Term limits for Congress
Longer limits, such as 12 to 18 years in each chamber
His campaign website says he supports limiting service to twelve years in the House and twelve years in the Senate.11
Longer limits, such as 12 to 18 years in each chamber
Her campaign website says she supports a six-term, twelve-year limit in the U.S. House.9		Not found in the public sources we checkedNot found in the public sources we checked
Child care costsNot found in the public sources we checked
Make child care free, or cap what families pay at a set share of income (such as 7%), paid for with new public funding
Her campaign website says child care costs should be capped based on a percentage of family income.12		Not found in the public sources we checkedHis platform page says he will support expanding early learning and Head Start programs for working families and passing the Head Start for America's Children Act.10
Health insurance systemHis campaign website says he wants to lower health care costs, increase transparency and expand consumer choice while preserving key protections from the ACA, and that reform should require price transparency and send subsidies directly to patients to remove hidden costs in the drug supply chain.11Her campaign website says she will work to lower the Medicare buy-in age to 55.8Not found in the public sources we checked
One government plan for everyone (Medicare for All)
His platform page says he supports universal healthcare through Medicare for All, replacing premiums, copayments and deductibles with a payroll tax, and says he endorses Senator Bernie Sanders' Medicare for All Act.10
Immigration enforcement inside the countryHis campaign website says he supports securing the borders, deporting people in the country illegally who are criminals, and reforming immigration laws.11Her campaign website says ICE needs new leadership and new training methods and should get back to the basics of targeting the worst of the worst.13Not found in the public sources we checkedHis platform page says he opposes funding for indiscriminate immigrant roundups, which it says put Iowa's agricultural and manufacturing industries at risk.10
Legal status for immigrants here without permission, including DreamersNot found in the public sources we checked
A path to citizenship for most who meet requirements such as background checks
Her campaign website says she supports immigration reform that includes border security investments, more immigration judges, and a path to citizenship for hard-working, taxpaying people in the country.13		Not found in the public sources we checked
A path to citizenship for most who meet requirements such as background checks
His platform page says he believes strong borders are necessary and that, as a representative, he will advocate expanding naturalization programs and moving non-criminal undocumented workers through a legal pathway to citizenship.10

Issues only one candidate has addressed

By candidate, in ballot order. We found nothing public from the other candidates in this race on these issues.

Joe Mitchell — 8 issues
  • Transgender students in school sports
    Require teams based on sex at birth
    His campaign website says he believes there are two genders, male and female, and that women and girls deserve a level playing field in sports without competitors who were born male.11
  • Voter ID
    His campaign website says he supports voter ID laws, says identification is widely accessible, and says registration should be as easy as possible for eligible citizens.11
  • Nuclear power
    His campaign website says the nation should use every energy tool, listing natural gas, oil, nuclear, clean coal, hydro, solar and wind power.11
  • Drug prices compared with other countries
    His campaign website says prescription drug and insulin prices for Americans should be comparable to those of other developed countries.11
  • Medical transition for minors
    His campaign website says he opposes gender-transition surgeries for minors and will fight to ban the use of federal tax dollars for these procedures.11
  • Zoning and new housing
    His campaign website says deregulating the homebuilding industry would allow more builders to build more homes at a much lower cost.11
  • Legal immigration levels
    His campaign website says he supports a temporary ban on H-1B visas and a long-term plan that prioritizes Americans in the U.S. and in the global labor market.11
  • Federal income tax rates
    His campaign website says he will cut taxes for middle-class families and job creators and simplify the tax code.11
Lindsay James — 20 issues
  • Who sets abortion law
    A national law making abortion legal in every state, at least until viability, as under Roe v. Wade
    Her campaign website says she wants to restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land and defend a woman's right to make her own medical decisions.8
  • Ethics rules for Supreme Court justices
    Her campaign website says she will fight for Supreme Court ethics reform, including banning justices from accepting expensive gifts, requiring them to disclose gifts received, and establishing an investigative body within the Court.9
  • Social media content rules
    Make platforms more legally responsible for harmful content, such as posts their algorithms promote
    Her campaign website says online platforms and chatbots should be held accountable when they promote damaging content to young people.14
  • Police funding
    Her campaign website says law enforcement should be fully funded and well paid, with their benefits protected.13
  • Tariffs
    Lower or remove most tariffs
    Her campaign website says tariffs on building materials should be rolled back and that the tariffs which it says have damaged foreign markets for Iowa farmers should be ended.12,15
  • Who sets tariffs
    Her campaign website says Congress has to take back control of the tariff power to combat rising costs.12
  • US Department of Education
    Keep the department and its programs, or expand it
    Her campaign website says she wants to protect the Department of Education and calls its dismantling by President Trump wrong.16
  • Vouchers and education savings accounts
    Her campaign website criticizes Iowa's private school voucher program, saying it is designed to benefit those who are already fortunate.17
  • Child tax credit
    Make it larger and give the full amount to families with little or no earnings
    Her campaign website says the child tax credit should be increased and made fully refundable, with the cost covered by having the very wealthy and large corporations pay more.12
  • Paid family and medical leave
    Create a national paid leave program for all workers
    Her campaign website says Congress must pass a comprehensive paid family and medical leave policy.12,18
  • AR-15-style rifles
    Ban the sale of these rifles
    Her campaign website says she supports banning assault weapons.13
  • Background checks for gun sales
    Her campaign website says she supports closing loopholes and mandating violent history checks for gun purchases.13
  • Red flag laws
    Adopt more red flag laws, including a national one
    Her campaign website says she supports passing red flag laws.13
  • Federal Medicaid funding
    Reverse the 2025 changes or increase federal funding
    Her campaign website says the cuts to Medicaid should be reversed immediately.8
  • Help for first-time homebuyers
    Her campaign website says first-time home buyers should receive down payment assistance, and that red tape should be cut and tariffs on building materials rolled back so more homes can be built.12
  • Medicare drug price negotiation
    Expand it to more drugs and to people with private insurance
    Her campaign website says she will work to expand Medicare's ability to negotiate all drug prices.8
  • Children and social media
    Require safer designs and settings for minors, and parental consent for younger users
    Her campaign website says she wants a duty of care and safety standards for social media and AI companies, parental notification and consent for what children can see or do in apps, automatic exclusion of children from targeted advertising, and an end to infinite scroll and other addictive features.14
  • Rules for artificial intelligence
    Set rules for specific risks and uses, such as deepfakes, hiring decisions and safety disclosures
    Her campaign website says AI companies should be held to safety standards and that online platforms and chatbots should be prohibited from impersonating licensed professionals.14
  • VA staffing
    Hire more VA staff, including to replace jobs lost in 2025
    Her campaign website says Congress should reverse the cuts to VA staff.19
  • Veterans' disability and survivor benefits
    Expand benefits for some groups, such as combat-injured retirees with under 20 years of service and surviving spouses who remarry
    Her campaign website says she wants to pass the Major Richard Star Act so that medically retired, combat-injured veterans receive their full benefits without an offset.19
Dave Bushaw — 9 issues
  • Marijuana laws
    His platform page says he will work to decriminalize marijuana nationwide, advocate full record expungement of nonviolent marijuana convictions, and create a plan to support communities hit hardest by criminalization.10
  • Banking and investment rules
    Strengthen rules and consumer protections, such as limits on overdraft fees and tougher oversight of large banks
    His platform page says he will work to pass legislation reinstating a Glass-Steagall framework that separates commercial and investment banking.10
  • Union fees and right-to-work laws
    Allow union contracts that require fees in every state, overriding state right-to-work laws
    His platform page says he will fight to end right-to-work laws, which it says let workers who do not pay union dues receive the benefits of union contracts.10
  • Union organizing rules
    Make it easier to form a union (for example, the PRO Act)
    His platform page says he will fight for penalties on employers that violate workers' rights and for amending the National Labor Relations Act to give farm workers and other excluded workers federal protections to unionize.10
  • Data centers and electricity costs
    His platform page says data centers' use of water and electricity, and the utility cost increases from grid upgrades, concern him, and says he will work with Iowa communities and other members of Congress on a federal and local regulatory framework for data centers.10
  • Military aid to Israel
    His platform page criticizes military funding for Israel in the annual defense authorization law, saying he does not see the logic in giving American taxpayer dollars to a country that guarantees health care to its citizens.10
  • Military spending
    Cut military spending
    His platform page says he will critically evaluate current military budgets, demand transparency in spending, and work to cut the military budget so that it prioritizes domestic defense.10
  • Large investors buying single-family homes
    His platform page says he will work to equip the Federal Trade Commission to investigate private equity firms' monopolization of housing and rental markets, including nursing homes and trailer parks.10
  • State AI laws
    Let states keep writing their own AI laws
    His platform page raises concerns about a federal executive order that it says blocks states from responding to the effects of AI development and data centers, and says he will defend state and local rights to regulate the expansion of private data centers.10

Issue statements are drafted by AI from the public sources cited, and only cover what each candidate has said publicly.