(Radio Iowa) – A northeast Iowa native who was a small-scale farmer before working on Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign is launching his own campaign for congress. Thirty-one-year-old Dave Bushaw is running as an independent in Iowa’s second district, which is currently represented by 2026 U-S Senate candidate Ashley Hinson, a Republican. “We’ve seen a flood of candidates from both the Democratic and Republican Parties into the race,” Bushaw said, “…and if 63% percent of the country wants an independent or a third party option, I see no better time to give it to them than right now.” And Bushaw says among the four congressional districts in Iowa, the second district has the highest percentage of independent or “no party” voters.

Edward Gillette of Valley Junction — a member of the Greenback-Labor Party — was elected to the U-S House in 1878 — the last time Iowans elected someone who was not a member of either the Democratic or Republican Parties to serve in congress. “Growing up working class, I’m no stranger to a challenge, you know, growing up ‘patches on patches’ poor,” Bushaw said, “both parents working, my mom working multiple jobs — going in for the hard fights is something that’s not new to me.” When he was 19, Bushaw bought four acres of land near Hawkeye and grew squash on his “Solidarity Fields” farm for several years. He’s still living on the farm, but is currently working as a Midwest organizer for United Today, Stronger Tomorrow — a group that’s focused on economic issues in rural areas.

Independent candidate Dave Bushaw of Hawkeye is running in Iowa’s second congressional district. (Bushaw campaign photo)

“We see young folks that are bleeding out of our state due to poor economic conditions, poor workers’ rights and organized labor conditions, poor health care access and opportunities to grow and settle down with your own family,” Bushaw says. “I stayed and I have no intention on going anywhere other than to Washington, D.C. to deliver rural Iowa’s priorities to the halls of congress.” In 2019 and 2020, Bushaw worked for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign in Iowa, South Carolina and Nevada. “We were out there talking to people…and really giving a damn about what they have to say and committing to taking action for it,” Bushaw says, “for them and for all of us.”

Bushaw says he’ll use that approach to find grassroots supporters for his own campaign rather than bombard people with text messages begging for campaign donations. He will host his first campaign rally on November 22nd at the Fayette County Fairgrounds in West Union, which is his hometown.