Candidate · November 3, 2026
Michael Bridgford
On the ballot for U.S. House · Iowa's 1st District
- raised through Oct 14, 2026
- $338K
- cash on hand
- $77K
- issues with public statements
- 20
- outside spending for or against
- $159K
§1On the ballot
Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.
| Office | U.S. House · Iowa's 1st District1 |
|---|---|
| Party on the ballot | No Party1 |
| Status | Challenger |
| Also on the ballot |
|
§2Who they are
Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
His campaign website says he grew up on a farm just outside the Quad Cities.2 It says he worked his way through college on scholarships, student loans and an internship at John Deere, and earned an MBA at Northwestern.2 It says he has worked as an employee and as a small business owner.2
Why they say they're running
His campaign website says he is running to represent what it calls the exhausted majority of voters, and argues that, with Congress closely divided, an independent can be the deciding vote.3 It says he wants to represent the people of the district rather than party leaders and special interests.4
Websites and accounts
- Campaign websitebridgfordforiowa.com4
- Facebookfacebook.com/bridgfordforiowa4
- Instagraminstagram.com/bridgfordforiowa4
- YouTubeyoutube.com/@bridgfordforiowa4
- X (Twitter)x.com/Bridgford4Iowa4
- TikToktiktok.com/@bridgfordforiowa4
§3What they've said on the issues
Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.
Economy, Jobs and Trade
His campaign website says he will fight for stable, long-term and transparent trade policy, and criticizes frequent shifts in tariffs.4
His campaign website says he will push for transparent, rules-based trade agreements that give Iowa farmers and small businesses long-term certainty.4
Taxes and Budget
His campaign website says he will support bipartisan legislation that sets a legal target to reduce the federal deficit to 3% of GDP or less.4
His campaign website says he will push the House to reinstate and enforce pay-as-you-go rules so that any new spending is fully offset by spending cuts elsewhere.4
His campaign website says he will vote to expand federal tax credits for Southeast Iowa small businesses that hire and train apprentices, and will support stripping federal subsidies and tax deductions from multinational corporations that close local plants to outsource production.4
Elections and Government Reform
His campaign website says he will vote for a constitutional amendment limiting U.S. Representatives to four terms (eight years) and U.S. Senators to two terms (twelve years).4
His campaign website says he will support legislation banning Members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children from trading individual stocks, commodities or futures while in office.4
- Ban members and their spouses and dependent children from owning or trading individual stocks
- Ban members themselves from trading individual stocks
- No ban; keep the reporting rules, with stronger penalties for late reports
His campaign website says he will vote for a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision and, until then, will champion legislation requiring 24-hour public disclosure of political donations over $10,000.4
- Limit spending by outside groups, including by amending the Constitution to overturn Citizens United
- Keep spending unlimited but require groups to name their major donors
- Keep current rules
- Raise or remove limits on donations to candidates and parties
His campaign website says he will refuse to vote for legislation that relies on executive branch interpretation, so that Congress debates and votes on the exact text of the rules that affect Iowans.4
Social Security and Medicare
His campaign website lists lifting the Social Security payroll tax cap among his proposals, and says he will work for compromise solutions that make gradual changes to push back the insolvency date.4
His campaign website says he pledges to vote against any changes to the retirement age or benefits for current retirees and for workers within 10 years of retirement.4
His campaign website says he will support a compromise that slows the growth of future benefit formulas only for the top 5% of future retirees, whom it describes as ultra-wealthy, while fully protecting benefits for everyone else.4
- Increase benefits, for example with larger yearly cost-of-living raises
- Keep the current benefit formula
- Slow benefit growth for higher earners or future retirees
His campaign website says he will fight to correct what it describes as overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans compared with traditional Medicare.4
- Expand Medicare Advantage and encourage more private plan options
- Keep current rules
- Tighten rules on what these plans are paid and when they can require approval for care
Agriculture and Rural Life
His campaign website says he will co-sponsor federal legislation banning foreign adversaries, including state-backed corporations from China and Russia, from buying American agricultural land.4
- Ban farmland purchases by all foreign buyers
- Ban purchases by buyers tied to China, Russia, Iran or North Korea
- Require more reporting and national security reviews of purchases, but no outright bans
- Keep current reporting rules, with no new limits on foreign buyers
His campaign website says he will support legislation to permanently allow year-round, nationwide sales of E15 ethanol.4
- Expand biofuel use, such as by allowing E15 sales all year
- Keep the current requirements
- Lower the requirements or end the Renewable Fuel Standard
His campaign website says he will vote to safeguard crop insurance programs and raise loan limits for beginning farmers in a Farm Bill that protects independent family operations.4
Energy and Climate
His campaign website says he will support legislation that strips federal incentives from technology companies unless they let local communities decide where and how data centers are built, and says the companies must pay all upfront costs of the local improvements, water main expansions and electrical grid upgrades their data centers require.4
- Encourage new data centers with tax breaks and faster approvals
- Require data centers to pay the full cost of the power plants and lines they need
- Pause or limit new data centers
Technology, Privacy and AI
His campaign website says he will vote for federal rules requiring tech platforms to label and fact-check AI-generated media, will push to prosecute malicious use of deepfakes, and will support requiring advance notice before companies deploy automation to replace staff.4
- Require government testing or licenses for the most powerful AI systems before they are released
- Set rules for specific risks and uses, such as deepfakes, hiring decisions and safety disclosures
- Rely mainly on existing laws, without new rules written for AI
His campaign website says he will champion comprehensive data privacy laws that give individuals ownership of their digital footprints and a right to opt out of data collection.4
His campaign website says he will champion a legal ban on algorithmic tracking targeted at minors.4
§4Money
Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left. Outside groups that spend on their own, without coordinating with the campaign, report that too.
Reported to the Federal Election Commission for the 2025–2026 election cycle, through October 14, 2026.5
| Raised | $338,285 |
|---|---|
| Spent | $261,555 |
| Cash on hand | $76,730 |
| Debts owed by the campaign | $150,000 |
Where the money came from
Outside spending
Groups spending independently reported $158,561 supporting and $0 opposing Michael Bridgford this cycle, primary and general combined, in the 24- and 48-hour reports the law requires for larger expenditures, filed through September 3, 2026.6
| Group | Supporting | Opposing |
|---|---|---|
| INDEPENDENT PAC | $158,561 | — |
Smaller expenditures that appear only on a group's regular monthly or quarterly report aren't in these totals, so the full amounts can be somewhat higher. When a group amends a report, only its latest version is counted.
§5Financial disclosures
Why this matters: Federal candidates and members of Congress must report their assets, income, debts and outside jobs, and members must report stock trades. These filings show possible conflicts of interest.
- Candidate financial disclosure report7filed Aug 13, 2026