WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President J.D. Vance is heading to Iowa for the second time this year to campaign for a Republican majority in Congress as he lays the groundwork for his own political ambitions.
Vance will headline Friday’s midterm rally in Council Bluffs, on the western edge of the once Republican stronghold that finds itself in competitive races for the Senate and governor’s mansion this year.
Council Bluffs, located along the Missouri River, is home to Josh Turek, the Democratic Senate candidate who represents the area in the State House.
But his opponent, Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, will not attend Friday’s rally because of previously scheduled events, according to her campaign.
The event will feature Zach Lan, the Republican candidate for governor. He is in a competitive race against Democrat Rob Sand, the state auditor and one of the party’s most highly touted candidates.
Vance made his first trip to the state as vice president in May, campaigning alongside Rep. Zach Nunn, one of the party’s most vulnerable members this year. Nunn and Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, another Iowa Republican, voted earlier this week for a symbolic measure to end the war in Iran, emphasizing that the military conflict Trump has started poses political problems for his own party.
At a May event, Vance touted the administration’s tax and tariff policies at the steel plant while warning that the year had been an “abnormal election” and an “abnormal political environment.”
The vice president has been one of the most visible surrogates on the midterm campaign, flying to places like Kansas, Wisconsin and his native Ohio to promote Republican candidates and the administration’s accomplishments.
Friday’s rally will take place in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, which is being vacated by Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra after his unsuccessful bid for governor. Democrat Dave Dawson and Republican Chris McGowan are vying for the seat.
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Associated Press writer Hannah Fingerhut contributed to this report from Des Moines, Iowa.
