Zachary Nunn

In the 2024 House race for IA-3, Zach Nunn (R) won with 51.8% of the vote, defeating Lanon Baccam (D) who received 47.9%. 3 additional candidates split the remaining vote. The 3.8-point margin made this one of the more competitive races of the cycle.

As the incumbent, Zach Nunn benefited from name recognition, established constituent services, and the roughly 2-3 point advantage that sitting members typically enjoy. The 2024 presidential election drove higher voter turnout, which can help or hurt down-ballot candidates depending on the top of the ticket. This seat will likely stay on party watch lists as potentially competitive in future cycles.

In the 2022 House race for IA-3, Zach Nunn (R) won with 50.3% of the vote, defeating Cindy Axne (D) who received 49.6%. 3 additional candidates split the remaining vote. The 0.7-point margin made this one of the more competitive races of the cycle.

Zach Nunn defeated the incumbent Cindy Axne (D), which is a significant political event — most incumbents win re-election by wide margins. This was a general election upset. As a Republican, Zach Nunn benefited from the historical midterm penalty against the president's party — with a Democrat in the White House, the opposition typically gains seats. Given the narrow margin, this seat is likely to remain competitive and attract heavy investment in the next cycle.