Trump presence in Iowa will ‘absolutely’ boost GOP in midterms, Feenstra says
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A Republican gubernatorial candidate says President Donald Trump’s campaign to help Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections will bring him back to Iowa just months before the November races take place.
Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, was one of the House Republicans traveling with the president on his final stop in the Hawkeye State on Tuesday, where Trump capped his speech with a rally-style speech in Clive later in the afternoon. The conservative Republican is also the frontrunner in the Republican gubernatorial primary here and is expected to face Democratic state official Rob Sand in November.
“He’s coming back. So we have the 250th anniversary – it’s going to be at the state fair. That’s what he came for. We’re going to have a big party, it’s going to be exciting. It’s going to be a big deal,” Feenstra told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. “I hope he comes back a few more times.”
The Iowa State Fair will take place in Des Moines from August 13-23, according to the event’s website.
YOU TIM SCOTT: REPUBLICANS ARE JUST STARTING BUT NEED TIME TO STOP RADICAL LEFTISTS
Left: Then-candidate and former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally on Jan. 5, 2024, in Mason City, Iowa. Right: Iowa Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra, candidate for governor, speaks during Iowa’s Roast and Ride at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on Oct. 11, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Cody Scanlan/The Register/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
That’s nearly three months before what’s expected to be a tough midterm season for Republicans across the country. History shows that the president’s party normally faces political setbacks during the election cycle two years after power changes hands.
Meanwhile, Democrats across the country have returned to positioning Trump as a divisive political bogeyman. But Feenstra argued otherwise, saying Trump’s effort to remain active during the election cycle would “absolutely” benefit Republicans.
TRUMP SAYS DEMOCRATS ARE ‘WORSE’ THAN REPUBLICANS, WARNED OF impeachment IF GOP LOSES MIDTERM
President Donald Trump speaks to guests while visiting the Machine Shed restaurant in Urbandale, Iowa, on January 27, 2026. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“He carried Iowa by 13 points and he galvanized and incentivized the base — I mean, voters turned out to be like no other. There were 77 million Americans who voted for him in the last election when he was talking about making America great again. Now he’s talking about lowering prices, making things more affordable,” Feenstra said.
“It lowered the price of gas, it lowered the price of eggs, it lowered the price of a lot of drugs. It lowered the price of health care. I mean, people are going to get the biggest refund they’ve ever gotten through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. Those are all things that are really relatable to people, I think it’s going to help people get out.”
The other House Republicans traveling with Trump on Tuesday are Reps. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, and Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, who are running for the U.S. Senate.
President Donald Trump arrives to talk about the economy at a rally in Clive, Iowa, on January 27, 2026. (Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo)
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
Before the speech, they and Trump went to the Machine Shed, a restaurant near the rally site, where they meet with Iowa voters each day.
“They wanted their hats signed, they wanted their napkins signed, they wanted to talk to him about how things were and what he did last year really benefited them,” Feenstra said. “There was a gentleman who prayed with him, and I found that very interesting. He just said, ‘Hey Mr. President, can you pray with me?’ he said. And they prayed together. So it was just the Iowa way of life.”
