The first Democrat to announce a bid for Iowa’s U.S. senate seat has ended his campaign, leaving two other candidates in the Democratic Primary race.
Nathan Sage of Indianola posted a video on social media Sunday. “As a true grassroots campaign, we simply were unable to raise the financial resources necessary to keep this campaign viable,” Sage said. “In today’s political environment it takes extraordinary sums of money to compete, to communicate, to travel the state, and to ensure our message reaches voters.”
Sage, a native of Mason City, served in the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, worked in radio and resigned as director of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce last spring to campaign full time. “This has been one of the hardest decisions of my life. I didn’t step into this race lightly and I don’t step away lightly,” Sage said. “…I’m not done speaking truth to power and holding Republicans and even Democrats accountable.”
Both Democrats who remain in the race issued statements praising Sage’s perspective. State Representative Josh Turek of Council Bluffs saod Sage ran a campaign with “grit and determination” that “put working people first.” State Senator Zach Wahls of Coralville said Sage highlighted the need to “challenge the status quo” and make the race “about real life for real people.”
Two other Democrats — J.D. Scholten of Sioux City and Jackie Lewis of Des Moines — entered and exited the race last year.
In September, Republican Senator Joni Ernst announced she was not seeking re-election and Congresswoman Ashley Hinson announced a few hours later that she’d seek the Iowa GOP’s 2026 nomination for U.S. Senate. Republican Jim Carlin, a former state legislator from Sergeant Bluff, announced he was running for the U.S. Senate last June.