(Des Moines, Iowa, via the Iowa Capital Dispatch) – U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn is pushing back against claims from his Democratic opponent, Lanon Baccam, that his anti-abortion stances would impact access to in-vitro fertilization treatments and contraceptives.

An ad released by Baccam’s campaign this week features footage from a primary debate during the 2022 election cycle. Nunn, the Republican representing Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, was asked alongside other candidates if they supported a full abortion ban without exceptions. The video shows Nunn raising his hand, endorsing the ban. “That’s all you need to know,” about Nunn’s view on abortion rights, the ad states.

But Nunn’s campaign is arguing that the ad is “intentionally misleading Iowans about where Zach Nunn stands” on the subject of reproductive health care access. Nunn’s campaign manager Kendyl Parker says “Zach has always been clear on where he stands. He’s pro-life, voted for exceptions, including life of mother, rape, and incest, and fought for access to contraceptives and IVF. He opposes a federal ban and believes this policy should be left up to the states. In Washington, he is fighting for Iowa families against extremes on both sides of the aisle.”

Nunn supported the 2018 so-called “fetal heartbeat” law as a state legislator in 2018 — a proposal similar to the 2023 law that was recently allowed to take effect. Both measures prohibit most abortions after cardiac activity is detectable, which can occur as early as six weeks of gestation, with narrow exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and when the procedure was necessary to save the life of the pregnant person.

U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn is facing Democratic challenger Lanon Baccam in the 2024 election for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District. (Photos by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch, photo illustration via Canva)

Other ads from the Baccam campaign this campaign cycle also highlight abortion access — as well as access to other reproductive health care — as a top issue. An August ad said “Women’s reproductive rights are under attack, from IVF to birth control to emergency care. Nothing seems off the table to Zach Nunn or his colleagues.” Reproductive care is predicted to be a salient issue in the 2024 election, as more states have moved to implement state abortion laws after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

The 3rd Congressional District race is expected to be tight in 2024, with both national Democrats and Republicans investing resources into Nunn’s and Baccam’s campaigns in recent months. The Congressional Leadership Fund, U.S. House Republicans’ campaign arm, announced reserving $2.7 million in ad reservations for the Des Moines media market as part of a $141 million national investment in competitive races.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, supporting U.S. House Democrats, also announced making $2.5 million in ad buys for Iowa races they say pit Democratic challengers against “vulnerable” Republicans in August. The effort focuses on the 3rd District as well as Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, where U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, the incumbent Republican, faces Democratic challenger Christina Bohannan.