(Radio Iowa) – The most watched Iowa congressional race in this year’s General Election will be in the third district, where Democratic Primary voters have chosen Lanon Baccam of Des Moines to challenge Republican Congressman Zach Nunn of Bondurant. Baccam won the Democratic Primary with 84 percent of the vote. “We’re going to show Iowans that the connections we have to each other and the communities we build together are more important than the political disagreements we may have,” Baccam said.
Nunn discussed the stakes in the third district at a gathering of Iowa Republicans this past weekend. “This race in Des Moines, Iowa 3, has been ranked as one of the most competitive races in the country,” Nunn said. “We have an opponent who’s raised millions…and candidly, that buys a lot of TV time in Iowa.” Nunn suggests the economy will be a top issue. “When our economy has fallen so far — inflation has increased, interest rates have increased — we are putting brakes on the best country in the world,” Nunn said.
In remarks last (Tuesday) night, Baccam told his supporters abortion rights will be a pivotal issue. “I’ll fight to restore the rights found under Roe v Wade,” Baccam said. “I’ll make sure that women have the freedom to make their own health care decisions.” Baccam defeated Melissa Vine of West Des Moines, a single mother of four boys who leads a non-profit that serves women who’ve experienced trauma, like domestic abuse.
The Iowa Secretary of State’s website shows Republicans had a voter registration edge of 16-thousand over Democrats in the third district on June 1st.