Over the weekend, Kevin Virgil posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that voters should consider splitting their tickets to support former President Donald Trump for the White House and Democrat Ryan Melton for Congress.
"I would rather have somebody who's intellectually honest about what they stand for, rather than somebody like Feenstra, who doesn't really meet with the public and then just votes the way his corporate donors tell him to,” Virgil told IPR. "I see that we are being poorly represented here in Iowa.”
Virgil lost the June primary against incumbent Rep. Randy Feenstra in Iowa's 4th Congressional District, which includes 36 counties along the western border and extends into the cities of Ames, Fort Dodge and Marshalltown. Feenstra now faces Melton, who he beat in 2022 by 40 points.
"I've met Mr. Melton several times over the past few months and, you know, there's not a lot of overlap with our political views,” Virgil said. "But I do respect his integrity that he stands up for what he believes in. We do share a lot of common beliefs, and the issues that I believe are really plaguing the state today.”
Melton said it’s unprecedented that former Republican candidate Kevin Virgil would back him over Feenstra. He’s surprised, but he understands based on what he says voters tell him on the campaign trail.
He knows I'm honest. He knows that I'm a man of integrity.Ryan Melton, candidate for U.S. Congress
"There's a lot of anger right now among Republicans against their party leadership, and that anger is justified because their party leadership continues to sell them out to their donors,” Melton said. "You know, one of the reasons Kevin Virgil endorsed me — because he knows I'm honest. He knows that I'm a man of integrity. I'm not going to pander. I'm not going to test on focus group what I say. I'm just going to say what I believe.”
Melton added that the endorsement won't modify his approach or campaign focus.
"So, nothing's going to change as far as who I am, what I believe in, who I descend, who I speak truth to power against. And nothing's going to change as far as who I reach out to,” Melton said. "I've been reaching out to Republicans for a long time. I speak to rooms full of Democrats as well.”
Virgil said even though they disagree on many issues, Melton possesses similar viewpoints — fighting eminent domain and carbon capture pipelines, lowering high cancer rates and improving rural Iowa.
I think it's time for people to start deprioritizing party loyalty and think about electing the leaders that actually want to solve problems.Kevin Virgil, former congressional candidate
"I think Iowa deserves better,” Virgil said. "I think it's time for people to start deprioritizing party loyalty and think about electing the leaders that actually want to solve problems.”
Virgil said that blind party loyalty has not helped Iowa in terms of education, poverty, mental health and support for family farms.
"Party establishment, carte blanche to elect whatever puppets are going to vote the way they're told — which is what we have here in Iowa for today — is not going to solve any problems," Virgil said. "We just have what we have right now, which is we're just continuing to sleepwalk toward environmental and demographic disaster."
Melton called the biggest threat to the 4th Congressional District — the hollowing out of rural Iowa — a concern that Virgil has as well.
"My hometown lost our high school my senior year. And today, the population is a third of what it was 30 years ago when I graduated,” Virgil said. "Family farms are disappearing.”
But when it comes to the top of the ticket, Virgil wants Trump back in office.
"I still strongly believe that President Trump's the only logical choice at the national level for all the reasons I wrote,” Virgil said.
Virgil moved to rural Sutherland in O'Brien County late last year to run for office and said, for now, he plans to focus on launching a new venture that he will disclose at a future time.
"I'll say my focus is on building a business, and I am not currently thinking about 2026.”
Feenstra released a statement in response to the endorsement that reads: "It’s no surprise that New York liberal Kevin Virgil has endorsed anti-Trump liberal Ryan Melton. Virgil is an east coast liberal and chose to endorse a Democrat that would block the Trump agenda at every opportunity. This November, Iowans will reject the radical Virgil-Melton agenda and elect conservative champion Randy Feenstra.”
A spokesperson did not answer a request for an interview with Feenstra.
The chair of the Iowa GOP, Jeff Kaufmann, also released a response that strongly condemned Virgil's endorsement. It reads, in part: "Congressman Randy Feenstra is a conservative Republican who has opposed the dangerous Biden-Harris agenda every step of the way — and his conservative credentials speak volumes. He has been recognized for his track record of conservative excellence by the American Conservative Union Foundation, he has been named a Fiscal Hero by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and he has a perfect record from the National Rifle Association and National Right to Life."
Rep. Ashley Hinson, a Republican who represents Iowa's 2nd Congressional District, released a message on X that said Virgil "puts politics over what's best for the country and for Iowa."
By endorsing a radical Democrat, Kevin Virgil has made it clear that he puts politics over what’s best for the country & for Iowa.
— Ashley Hinson (@hinsonashley) August 26, 2024
Looking forward to another big win from @RandyFeenstra this November.
