WASHINGTON — President Trump-backed Rep. Randy Feenstra conceded to businessman Zach Lahn in the Iowa GOP primary for governor, marking a rare endorsement defeat for the president in the primaries.
Lahn barely edged out Feenstra (R-Iowa) in the contest to take on Democratic state auditor Rob Sand in the general election. The congressman conceded before most outlets even called the race.
Up until Tuesday, Trump had a perfect endorsement record in House, Senate, and governor races on the Republican side.
Notably, the president did have a handful of GOP primary defeats in low-level races such as state legislative ones.
Trump had endorsed Feenstra on Friday, well after early voting in the Hawkeye State began in mid-last month.
Lahn drew fanfare from the Make America Healthy Again crowd and hugged the right flank of the Republican Party, enjoying support from former Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa). King had been defeated by Feenstra during a GOP primary back in 2020.
King and outside groups sought to cast Feenstra as soft on immigration.
Now Lahn faces a tough general election matchup against Sand, who has made a name for himself by frequently attacking both political parties, despite being a Democrat. Sand is the only statewide elected Democrat in Iowa.
Democrats haven’t won a major top-of-the-ticket race in Iowa since former President Barack Obama in 2012.
But there has been some cautious optimism in Democratic circles that they will be able to make a strong showing in the gubernatorial and Senate races this time around.
Trump’s endorsement had proven to be remarkably effective this cycle. The president took down multiple incumbent Republicans, including Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas).
It marked the first time in over a decade that an incumbent senator had lost their primary.
