President Donald Trump has endorsed Congressman Randy Feenstra bid for governor.
Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social platform. Trump said Feenstra is “MAGA all the way” and “has delivered strong results” for Iowa. Feenstra said he’s “honored and humbled to have earned” Trump’s backing in the Primary. Feenstra called Trump “the greatest president in my lifetime” and Feenstra said he’d work to implement Trump’s America First agenda in Iowa if he’s elected governor.
Feenstra often talks about working in congress to craft and pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Trump signed into law last July and Feenstra emphasized that during a campaign event this week. “I worked with President Trump and he understands how important it is to not only grow our nation and he’s told me this. I was on Air Force One and he goes: ‘Randy, if you become governor, this is what you’ve got to do — you’ve got to think like me.’ And I said: ‘O.K., what does that mean?'” and the crowd laughed. “He wants to be the greatest nation in the world.”
A person in the crowd replied: “Do it.”
Feenstra continued: “Absolutely. We’ve got to be the greatest state in the country. That’s got to be our focus, that’s got to be our thought every single day.”
Trump has endorsed candidates in this year’s primaries who faced people Trump considered adversaries, but the other four Republicans running for governor — Zach Lahn, Adam Steen, Brad Sherman and Eddie Andrews — have all expressed support for Trump.
Lahn, in a social media post, did not directly respond to Trump’s endorsement, but announced he’s been endorsed by Turning Point USA, the group led by Charlie Kirk until Kirk was assassinated in Utah last fall. “I have never been more fired up to win this race than I am right now,” Lahn wrote on X. “It is time for a grassroots uprising. LFG — Let’s win this.”
The winner of the GOP Primary for governor will face Democrat Rob Sand in the General Election. Sand has no opponent in the June 2 Primary.
Sam Newton, a spokesman for the Democratic Governors Association, issued a written statement after Trump’s endorsement was issued. “Rapidly declining in the polls and facing backlash from grassroots voters, it’s not surprising Randy Feenstra begged Washington to bail out his weak, no-show campaign for governor in the final days of this chaotic GOP primary,” Newton said.
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart called Feenstra a “Washington sellout” who “has spent years putting the swamp ahead of hardworking Iowans, all to score political points with Donald Trump.”
(Check back for updates on this developing story)