Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra won an endorsement from President Donald Trump in his bid to be Iowa governor, just days before the June 2 primary.
“Randy Feenstra has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Governor of Iowa — RANDY WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Trump said in a social media post Friday afternoon. “Randy is MAGA all the way!”
The House Agriculture Committee member is seen as the likely Republican gubernatorial nominee, but a victory for him on Tuesday isn’t considered a slam dunk by some election forecasters.
“He’s had to spend valuable resources on TV to secure his lead over four other rivals and introduce himself outside of his home base in northwest Iowa,” the nonpartisan Cook Political Report said in a race analysis earlier this month.
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Trump’s backing in various primaries has led to multiple high-profile political upsets so far this campaign season. The most recent came last week, when four-term Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, lost his his bid for re-election to Trump-supported GOP rival Ken Paxton.
If victorious in next Tuesday’s nominating contest, Feenstra is expected to face a tough race against Democratic Iowa auditor Rob Sand. Internal polls from both parties show Feenstra trailing Sand, according to Cook, which rates the open Iowa governor race a “toss-up.”
Sand isn’t facing primary competition on Tuesday, while Feenstra is among five Republican contenders, including Iowa state Rep. Eddie Andrews.
Feenstra is among a large number of members of Congress running for state or local offices this year, including several on both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees.
Iowa voted for Trump in the last three presidential elections. In 2024, he carried the nation's top corn state by 13 percentage points.
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