US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth travelled to Iowa on Monday to deliver remarks, address veterans and campaign for Republican candidates, according to sources who spoke to CBS News, as the party works to defend several competitive congressional seats ahead of the midterms.
A parade of top Trump administration officials has been travelling to the battleground state in support of GOP candidates and for official business. A spokesperson for the Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the trip.
Why Is This Considered Unusual?
Hegseth’s appearance marks a striking departure from precedent, since it is highly unusual for a sitting defence secretary to campaign for candidates, with previous secretaries rarely if ever attending events for candidates while in office.
The visit follows a pattern set by Hegseth earlier this year, when he travelled to northern Kentucky to support Republican Ed Gallrein in a primary against Representative Thomas Massie, an incumbent who has vocally opposed both the war in Iran and US aid to Israel. Gallrein went on to win that primary, making Massie one of several sitting Republican lawmakers to lose a primary contest after President Donald Trump backed a rival candidate.
Who Is Hegseth Campaigning For?
The secretary is set to appear at an event for Representative Zach Nunn, a colonel in the US Air Force Reserve who has served in Congress since 2023 after nearly two decades in the Air Force. Nunn won his 2024 race by just four points, and the Cook Political Report currently rates his seat as lean Republican.
Nunn’s district is one of two competitive Iowa House seats Republicans are working to defend this cycle. The other is held by Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who has represented Iowa’s 1st District since 2021 and is facing a toss-up race, according to the Cook Political Report, against Democrat Christine Bohannan, the same challenger she narrowly defeated by a 798-vote margin in 2024. An independent candidate, Michael Bridgford, who describes himself as a “normal person” rejecting party politics, is also in the running.
Which Other Officials Have Made Similar Trips?
Hegseth joins a lengthening list of senior administration figures who have booked stops in Iowa in recent days, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Small Business Administration head Kelly Loeffler, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins and NATO’s Matt Whitaker. The coordinated push underscores the significance Republicans are placing on the state, even though Iowa has voted reliably red in recent election cycles.
Why Does Iowa Matter This Cycle?
Despite that red-leaning history, Democrats are bullish about their candidates this year, with two US House seats considered highly competitive alongside open races for both a US Senate seat and the governor’s office. The stakes were underscored last week when Hegseth travelled to South Carolina for the renaming of Joint Base Charleston to Joint Base Lindsey Graham, an official visit that came a day before a special Republican primary to fill the late senator’s seat. Senator Darline Graham and Representative Ralph Norman advanced to a run-off later this month after no candidate cleared 50 percent of the vote in that contest.
What Comes Next?
With multiple cabinet-level officials descending on Iowa within the same window, the flurry of visits signals how closely the White House is monitoring the state’s midterm landscape. Neither the Pentagon nor Hegseth’s office has detailed further campaign stops beyond Monday’s event, though the scale of administration involvement suggests Iowa is likely to remain a focal point for Republican messaging in the months leading up to the vote.
