Randy Feenstra defeats Ryan Melton in Iowa's Fourth Congressional District
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Incumbent Republican Randy Feenstra, who called for stringent controls on the southern U.S. border, won a third term after defeating Democrat Ryan Melton Tuesday night in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District.
Feenstra, of Hull, faced Melton, of Webster City, in a rematch of the 4th District race from 2022. With partial results in, Feenstra held a lead of 71.2% of the vote to Melton's 28.48% at 10:22 p.m., according to unofficial results.
In 2020, Feenstra unseated longtime Congressman Steve King in the Republican Primary. The district includes Council Bluffs, Sioux City, and Ames in the northwestern quadrant of the state. It is the most conservative congressional district in Iowa. Republicans outnumber Democrats 2-to-1 in the district.
Libertarian Charles Aldrich was removed from the ballot by the Iowa Supreme Court and ran as a write-in candidate.
This is not the first time Feenstra and Melton have competed for the seat: In 2022, Feenstra defeated Melton with 67.4% of the vote.
During a news conference in Hull Tuesday night, Feenstra reiterated his support for finishing the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico and “securing the border.”
“I’m so proud to be the voice of the 4th District,” Feenstra said. “We together create government.”
More: Where 4th District candidates Feenstra and Melton stand on abortion, inflation & spending
Who is Randy Feenstra?
Feenstra, 55, has worked as the head of sales at the Foreign Candy Co. in Hull, as the Hull city administrator, and as a business and economics professor at Dordt University. He served in the Iowa Senate from 2009 to 2021.
In 2020, he unseated longtime Congressman Steve King in the Republican Primary. Feenstra's most important issue is securing the U.S. border with Mexico. He supports reinstating former President Donald Trump's "remain in Mexico" policy. The initiative sent about 68,000 non-Mexican asylum seekers back to Mexico. Many people stayed in Mexico for months or years as they waited to present their cases in U.S. courtrooms.
Feenstra touted his support for renewable energy and ethanol and biodiesel “by reducing regulation.” He said he would continue to deliver “conservative results” for families, businesses and rural communities.
Feenstra pledged to balance the federal budget and renew former President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which expire next year.
During a tour of 306 stops at schools, manufacturers and small towns this year Feenstra said he learned “to listen to what people are saying,” Feenstra said.
“To see what their concerns were, and the opportunities," Feenstra said. "The ideas To go up and down main streets of our small communities, and understand what it takes to make them vibrant and keep them going.”
Philip Joens covers retail and real estate for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184, [email protected] or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.
(This story was updated with new information.)
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Randy Feenstra beats Ryan Melton in Iowa's 4th Congressional District