Greetings all. Excited to introduce you today to another one of our compelling House candidates on the front lines of the 2026 elections - Sarah Trone Garriott, Iowa State Senator, Lutheran Minister, community leader, and a proven winner who is well-positioned, with our help, to flip IA-03 blue this November. Our conversation can be found above, and her detailed bio is below.
Senator Trone Garriott is one of the twelve candidates in our Winning The House campaign, a collection of candidates most likely to flip red House seats blue this year and retake the House for Democrats next January. You can support Senator Trone Garriott by giving to all twelve candidates with one contribution that’s split evenly among them, or by giving to her campaign directly. You can learn more or volunteer for Sarah’s campaign here.
A few key moments in our discussion:
“So it’s my life’s calling to serve my neighbor, and I’ve lived that out in a lot of different ways. I was a hospital chaplain. I was a parish minister. I worked for a food pantry network. And since 2020, I’ve been an Iowa State Senator…..
In ‘24 I ran again, and that was a really tough year for Iowa Democrats. Trump won my district, but so did I. And I got through all of that and realized that we were going into a tough time for our nation, for our state. And I needed to step up and do more. Running for Congress is the thing. It’s a way to really help my neighbors. It’s to make a difference for everyone in the country. An important time to step up.”
And…..
“Iowa is experiencing some pretty deep harm from the policies of this administration. And my opponent — our congressman — has supported all of it. He voted for the Medicaid cuts that are already closing rural clinics in my district. The small town of Ottumwa lost their clinic, and now people have to drive 45 minutes to find primary care. He voted repeatedly to allow the president to impose these chaotic tariffs, and those are harming our farm economy. Just destroying the markets for soybean farmers especially, but they're raising costs on everything that people buy in our state.
And this war in Iran has been very costly for Iowans. It's at the gas pump. Fertilizer prices are skyrocketing right before spring planting, but [it’s] also very deeply, personally costly. We lost two Iowa service members in the first week, and they were folks from my district. Literally just down the street from each other. It's been a really difficult time for us. And this administration is making things worse.
I'm going to Washington so that I can make things better for my neighbors. I want to lower the cost of living. I want to increase healthcare access. I want to bring an end to this costly war.”
In 2024, Trump won IA-03 by 4 points (Downballot) as did the Republican incumbent, Rep. Zach Nunn, 52%-48%, The Cook Partisan Vote Index has IA-03 a +2 GOP district. So given how much things have moved nationally, and given our repeated overperformances in Iowa this cycle, this district is one of our very best pick-up opportunities this year.
It is why, as the Senator discusses, JD Vance is scheduled to campaign later this week for her opponent, Rep. Zach Nunn - they know this seat is in danger, and that we have a very strong candidate this year. Defending IA-03 is clearly of the GOP’s highest priorities, or put another way, one of the districts they are most worried about.
As we discussed recently with Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart, and Christina Bohannan running in Iowa’s 1st District, this is a year of significant opportunity for us in Iowa. Our top of the ticket is very strong; Governor Kim Reynolds is the most unpopular governor in the country; US Senator Joni Ernst felt that the landscape was so tough this cycle that she retired rather than facing Iowa voters again; Trump’s policies are hitting farm country very, very hard; we have great candidates like State Senator Trone Garriott; and Democrats in the state are fired up and working hard.
Thanks to the remarkable, proud, and committed patriots in this community we’ve already raised over $585,000 for these twelve candidates this cycle, and over $3,000,000 for battleground House candidates over the past two years. Our goal is to get to $1 million raised for these House candidates by June 30th - please do your part today……
So enjoy getting to know Senator Trone Garriott, support her if you can, and keep working hard all. We have a country to save, and an election to win, together! - Simon
Bio - Iowa State Senator Sarah Trone Garriott, US House Candidate Running in IA-03
Sarah Trone Garriott has always been called to serve her community, as a minister, a mom, and nonprofit leader.
In 2020, frustrated that her elected leaders weren’t listening to the concerns of her community, Sarah ran for public office. That year, she successfully flipped a Republican-held seat in the Iowa State Senate. In 2022, as a result of redistricting, Sarah moved her family to take on then-Senate President Jake Chapman. She won that seat by 3 points while Gov. Kim Reynolds carried it by 7 points. In 2024, she defended her district even though President Trump won it. She is the only Democrat in Iowa to flip multiple districts while representing a district won by Donald Trump.
Throughout her service in the State Senate, Sarah has defined herself as an advocate for working families: championing accessible and affordable healthcare, mental health programs, support for public schools, paid family leave, quality childcare, and reproductive rights. Recognized for her pragmatic leadership, Sarah has continuously demonstrated her ability to unite Iowans across party lines. Her commitment extends beyond policy to genuine community engagement, constantly showing up to listen, support, and act on behalf of her constituents.
Learn more about Sarah here.
