State Rep. Matt Windschitl, R-Missouri Valley, says he brings a proven record of conservative leadership, service and results to the 2026 race. Current incumbent Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra is exploring a run for governor of Iowa.
Windschitl was first elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2006 at the age of 22 and has been House majority leader since 2019. He represents District 15.
“This was never on my bingo card to run for Congress or try to go to D.C. I've never been to Washington, D.C., in my entire 41 years of life,” Windschitl said.
He said over the years, people have told him they thought he would be a good fit for Congress, but he always brushed it off until now.
“I talked to my daughters, they’re both adults, and they support me and I said, 'Okay, let’s explore the options and let’s see if I can go out there, present myself to the folks of Iowa and see if they want me as their voice in Congress,' and so here I am,” he said.
Windschitl said the top three priorities of his campaign are putting America first, addressing the national debt and protecting freedom.
“We have to keep making America first, and I support President Trump's agenda to do just that,” Windschitl said. “But there's also many other things out there. We have to continue to make sure we've got our own border secure. But also not just here nationally, we have to make sure that we're still the dominant country on the globe, nationally and globally, and that means standing up for our allies.”
Besides his political career, Windschitl works for Doll Distributing, a beer distribution company. He previously served eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was also a Union Pacific train conductor and a gunsmith.
“I've got a proven track record of service, and I will stack my voting record up, my leadership, everything that I've been able to accomplish with the help of my colleagues in the Legislature in the past 19 years up against anybody else,” Windschitl added. “There's a lot of things you can put on the campaign card or put into a campaign commercial and say, ‘This is what I'm going to do.’ Well, I look at my record of a principled conservative leader, and it's there. I don't have to say this is what I'm going to do.”
Also running in the GOP primary is Chris McGowan, president of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce. State Sen. Lynn Evans, R-Aurelia, formed an exploratory committee, but hasn’t officially announced his candidacy.
Democrat Ryan Melton suspended his campaign, citing personal and professional issues. After he dropped out, stay-at-home mom Ashley WolfTornabane of Storm Lake announced her candidacy as a Democrat.
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This story was updated with comments from an interview with the candidate.
