Campaign Almanac: Prominent Christian conservative leader Vander Plaats endorses Steen for Iowa governor

The president and CEO of the Christian conservative Family Leader announced this week that he is throwing his support behind Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Steen over Congressman Randy Feenstra and others.

Bob Vander Plaats, a Northwest Iowa native and former candidate for governor himself, said in a statement Thursday that Steen, the former director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services, “offers us the best chance to excite voters to save Iowa from Rob Sand in November.”

Sand, the Iowa State Auditor, is the front-runner for the Democratic primary to succeed Gov. Kim Reynolds and has pulled from Republican and independent voters in past elections.

Vander Plaats, who previously endorsed Feenstra over former Western Iowa Republican Congressman Steve King in the 2020 cycle, has criticized Feenstra for missing several high-profile debates and other candidate events held in recent months. In late January, Vander Plaats said of a Moms for Liberty event that Feenstra failed to attend, “The only one who lost tonight was Randy Feenstra.”

Steen said in a statement he is honored to have Vander Plaats’ endorsement and that, “together we’re going to activate conservatives across this state to win this race and defend the God-given freedoms that make Iowa strong.”

Steen has billed himself as the “faith guy” in the race — although fellow Republican candidate for governor Brad Sherman, a former state representative, has served as a pastor for several decades and current state legislator Eddie Andrews also is a pastor. Steen first gained prominence for denying the Satanic Temple of Iowa’s request to set up a display and hold a celebration in the Iowa State Capitol rotunda.

Vander Plaats’ endorsement of Steen comes just days after Feenstra trailed other primary contenders in a number of unofficial straw polls conducted at county Republican caucus sites throughout the state. In Northwest Iowa, within Feenstra’s congressional district, Feenstra trailed both Steen and businessman Zach Lahn in straw polls for Clay and Crawford counties.

The Hull native won a straw poll in his home Sioux County, garnering 26 votes, compared to 17 for Steen and 8 for Sherman. In Linn County, which contains Cedar Rapids, Steen had 140 votes to 52 votes for Sherman, 47 votes for Feenstra, 17 votes for Andrews and 10 votes for Lahn.

Still, Feenstra has managed to take in a sizable amount of money during his run for governor.

In 2025, he raised more than $4.3 million from 1,987 individual donations in 2025, according to a recent report. In a press release, Feenstra’s campaign said the figure was a record for a Republican candidate for Iowa governor in a nonelection year. Steen raised roughly $500,000 and ended 2025 with $336,000 in his account.

Feenstra has said he is confident he will be the nominee, but that he is “working every day to earn every vote.” Feenstra also has said he is working to get the endorsement of President Donald Trump and traveled with Trump on Air Force One this past week.

Feenstra notably stayed out of the 2024 Iowa presidential caucuses and did not endorse Trump or any other candidate. Vander Plaats endorse Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who finished nearly 30 points behind Trump in the caucuses.

Windschitl suspends campaign for Western Iowa U.S. House seat

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The race to succeed U.S. House Rep. Randy Feenstra in Iowa’s Fourth Congressional District winnowed Friday as former Iowa House Majority Leader Matthew Windschitl announced he is dropping out of the race.

The announcement comes a little more than a day after Siouxland Chamber of Commerce President Chris McGowan, another GOP contender in the Fourth Congressional District race, touted an endorsement from President Donald Trump.

Since getting into the race last June, McGowan's outpaced Windschitl in fundraising as well as Iowa Tea Party founder Ryan Rhodes of Ames and software consultant Christian Schlaefer of Lakota. For this most-recent fundraising quarter, Windschitl reportedly raised no money.

“It is with a heavy heart that I share some news with you directly. After careful consideration, much time in prayer, and a great deal of contemplation about where I can best continue to serve the Lord and my fellow Iowans, I have decided to suspend my campaign for Congress,” Windschitl, 42, said in a statement Friday. “This was not an easy decision. I entered this race to offer strong conservative leadership rooted in service, honesty, and hard work. With recent developments in the race, it became clear that continuing would not best serve our shared goals or the people of the 4th Congressional District.”

Windschitl said McGowan has his full endorsement in the June 2 primary.

On the Democratic side, former State Rep. Dave Dawson of Lawton, Storm Lake stay-at-home mom and former education assistant Ashley WolfTornabane and Sutherland nurse Stephanie Steiner are running.

Sioux City Journal

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