The two candidates running to replace Iowa’s Fourth District Congressman Randy Feenstra in the U.S. House have taken a photo together, holding up the American flag.
It happened at the Woodbury County Fair. Chris McGowan was in the Republican Party’s booth in Moville and Dave Dawson was nearby in the Democratic Party’s booth. McGowan said they saw one another and wound up having a conversation. “Exchanged a handshake and some pleasantries,” McGowan said, “and my commitment at that time was to make sure remains rooted in civil discourse.”
McGowan posted a photo of himself with Dawson on his Facebook page, calling Dawson “personable and professional.” Dawson brought up the encounter during his speech on the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the State Fair. Dawson said it’s the first time the two had seen one another on the campaign trail. “We agreed that we might disagree on policy, but we don’t need to be disagreeable with one another,” Dawson said. “…We thought it was important to come together and say that we are going to respect one another despite our differences.”
McGowan, who spoke with reporters after his own speech on the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox, said he and Dawson will settle on a date to debate, but McGowan indicated it’ll be scheduled after he learns more about his daughter’s upcoming deployment. All five of McGowan’s adult children are in the military. “I know that my opponent and I are going to disagree on the issues and that’s o.k., but we need to do that without being disagreeable,” McGowan said. “We need to elevate the conversation and be an example and role model to others and I think Dave is a person of the caliber and character to do that and I will join him in that committment.”
McGowan is president of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce. Dawson is an assistant Woodbury County Attorney and Dawson said while they both work in Sioux City, they haven’t crossed paths much, “but being respectful to one another and not speaking bad about one another I think is an important priority to put forward so that other leaders start moving in that direction — so we’re not always just name-calling and saying negative things about one another.”
Voter registration data as of August 1, 2026, shows there are about 94,000 registered Democrats in the fourth congressional district, around 122,000 independents and over 212,000 Republicans.