(Radio Iowa) – A northwest Iowa Republican who’s a state senator has formed an exploratory committee as he considers running for one of Iowa’s four seats in the U-S House of Representatives. Lynn Evans of Aurelia — a Buena Vista University professor who’s a retired superintendent — is serving his first term in the Iowa Senate. His decision to assess a run for congress comes after fourth district Congressman Randy Feenstra announced he’s running for governor in 2026. Evans says Washington is out of touch with everyday Iowans and he’d provide true conservative representation in the U-S House. Evans is chairman of the Iowa Senate Education Committee. He was among the 12 Republicans who forced Senate G-O-P leadership to allow last week’s vote on a carbon pipeline bill.

Democrat Ryan Melton of Webster City says he will run for a third time in the fourth congressional district. In Iowa’s first congressional district, Republican David Pautsch of Davenport plans to challenge Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks again in 2026. Pautsch, founder of the Quad Cities Prayer Breakfast, ran a low budget primary campaign against Miller-Meeks in 2024 and finished with 44 percent of the vote.

Second District Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, is running for reelection and Democrat Kevin Techau, a former U-S attorney, has announced he’s running in the second district. In the third district — currently represented by Republican Zach Nunn of Bondurant — there’s a Democratic Primary between former Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst) and State Senator Sarah Trone Garriott.