Incumbent Republican Randy Feenstra easily wins Iowa's 4th Congressional District race
Incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra will hold on to his congressional seat for a second two-year term.
The Associated Press called the race for Feenstra around 10 p.m. Tuesday.
Feenstra ran against Democratic candidate Ryan Melton, a Nevada-based Nationwide Insurance supervisor, and Liberty Caucus candidate Bryan Jack Holder, a Council Bluffs-based videographer and citizen journalist. With 99% of the vote counted, Feenstra earned about 67% of the vote, according to unofficial results.
Additionally, Melton received about 30% of the vote and Holder received 2%.
“I'm humbled to earn the vote in the Fourth District,” Feenstra said. “They are my bosses and I want to make sure that every day I take it seriously and I deliver results for them.”
Feenstra's reelection to the 4th Congressional District ― which includes Ames, Council Bluffs and Sioux City ― was widely expected. An October Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll showed 4th District voters preferred a Republican candidate by a nearly 2-1 margin.
In October, Feenstra stated in his Des Moines Register candidate survey that if reelected he would continue to focus on expanding mental health services, working on the next farm bill and increasing biofuel production in Iowa.
For Feenstra, the issues of agriculture and biofuels are closely linked.
“They go hand in hand,” he said after the race was called Tuesday. “I mean, every other row, whether it be corn or soybeans goes to biofuels. So, it's very critical that ethanol and biodiesel are doing very well in our state.”
Melton previously served as a treasurer for a Story County Board of Supervisors candidate in 2018 and was the caucus chair for Bernie Sanders in 2016.
Melton declined to comment until all the votes were counted.
Samantha Hernandez covers education for the Register. Reach her at (515) 851-0982 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @svhernandez or Facebook at facebook.com/svhernandezreporter.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Randy Feenstra easily wins Iowa 4th Congressional District race