David Pautsch

David Pautsch (Republican Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Iowa's 1st Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.^[source]

Biography

David Pautsch was born in Jacksonville, Illinois. He served in the U.S. Army from 1972 to 1976. Pautsch earned a bachelor's degree in marketing communications from Virginia Tech in 1980. His career experience includes working as a marketing consultant and serving as executive director of Thy Kingdom Come Ministries. He has been affiliated with RiverCity Church, Quad Cities.^[1]^[2]

Elections

2026

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House Iowa District 1

The following candidates are running in the general election for U.S. House Iowa District 1 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R)
		Christina Bohannan (D)
		Bob Krause (D)
	Submit photo	Travis Terrell (D)
	Submit photo	Taylor Wettach (D)
		Grant Hill (R)
		Charlie McClintock (R)
		David Pautsch (R)

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Endorsements

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2024

Iowa's 1st Congressional District election, 2024 (June 4 Republican primary)

Iowa's 1st Congressional District election, 2024 (June 4 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Iowa District 1

Incumbent Mariannette Miller-Meeks defeated Christina Bohannan and Nicholas Gluba in the general election for U.S. House Iowa District 1 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R)	50.0	206,955
	Christina Bohannan (D)	49.8	206,156
	Nicholas Gluba (L) (Write-in)	0.0	0
	Other/Write-in votes	0.2	967

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 414,078
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Iowa District 1

Christina Bohannan advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Iowa District 1 on June 4, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Christina Bohannan	99.3	13,870
	Other/Write-in votes	0.7	92

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,962
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Iowa District 1

Incumbent Mariannette Miller-Meeks defeated David Pautsch in the Republican primary for U.S. House Iowa District 1 on June 4, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Mariannette Miller-Meeks	55.9	16,529
	David Pautsch	43.9	12,981
	Other/Write-in votes	0.2	60

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 29,570
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Pautsch received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Pautsch's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here.

State Rep. Brad Sherman (R)
State Rep. Luana Stoltenberg (R)
Frmr. Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee
Mike Lindell - Businessman
Eric Metaxas -

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

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You can ask David Pautsch to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing peggy@davidpautsch.com.

2024

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released February 24, 2024

David Pautsch completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Pautsch's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a long-term Iowan, having spent 3/4 of my life in Iowa. My father was an evangelical pastor for 49 years and my mother was born in Norway, arriving here in the US when she was just a year old. I am one of 7 children. I am the second oldest.

I spent four years in the Army, mostly in Virginia, and another 4 years at Virginia Tech, from where I graduated in 1980 with a degree in Marketing/Communications.

I've also lived in Illinois, Wisconsin, Texas, California, Colorado, and Arizona. I purchased a Davenport, Iowa advertising agency, started in 1923, and have worked extensively with ag-oriented companies, helping them market their products and services.

Since 1995, when I started The Quad Cities Prayer Breakfast, I have been involved with city-wide ministry, trying to be a blessing to city leaders and families. The basic goal for all of is to come into a closer relationship with the LORD Jesus Christ. These events have results in may large crowds of 1000 to 2500, and sometimes much larger in the local arena.

I have seriously been considering involving myself in governmental life and politics since the fall of 2021 when some Christians leaders shared some insights about my life and the gifts and opportunities before me. Finally, in November of 2023, I took the plunge and entered the race for the 1st District Congressional seat in Iowa. It has been one of the greatest joys of my life.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Strengthening families. Everything begins with the family. It's the bedrock of society. So I want to ensure the preeminence of parental rights, free of government intrusion forcing woke sexual agendas on students, in combination with transgender predation.
FAMILIES: Raising children is expensive and dramatic reductions in inflation are critical. Government should allow the free market system to provide the lowest cost private health care possible.
Incentivize the presence of the father and mother in the home. Enhance practical education opportunities. And protect our children from bullies at school by empowering school discipline and accountability.
BORDER TERRORIST INVASION: Biden has intentionally created the invasion at the border and nothing short of removing him and his corrupt administration will solve this horrific national security crisis. With a courageous Congress and Trump as our brave President, the border can easily be sealed, terrorist cells can be immediately identified and neutralized, sex trafficking and drug cartels can be destroyed, and compassionate deportation of illegal invaders can begin. All immigration should be frozen (except in special compassionate cases) until the deportation is complete.
PROTECTING LIFE FROM THE WOMB TO THE TOMB: Common sense tells us that protecting life is everyone's job, on both a State and Federal level. The task would be easier if the Federal government established a National Adoption Care Network (NACN) where non-governmental organizations were funded to identify pregnant mothers and provide non-judgmental aid for these mothers who may be in a financial and emotional bind, unable to keep and care for their unborn child. Instead of 900,000 children being aborted each, NACN could match these UNWANTED babies with the 2 million couples WANTING to adopt them. Currently only 115,000 children are adopted each year.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

CARE FOR VETERANS. Since I am a veteran, and because my two oldest boys served in the Army, and are combat veterans, I want soldiers cared for well. They deserve it. My oldest son came home from Afghanistan in 2012 with PTSD and struggles to this day. My second oldest son served in Iraq and never came home. He was killed on Good Friday, April 10, 2009 in Mosul, Iraq (Ninevah).

I see the struggles my son endures and am aghast that our country has wasted $175 billion on Ukraine and political corruption, perpetrating the slaughter of 440,000 Ukrainians and 150,000 Russians, for no reasons of national interest, while our veterans suffer at home for lack of just a bit more assistance, so they don't lose their homes and vehicles.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I admire Jesus Christ. I also admire my Dad because he was a man of principle, and I greatly admire my Uncle Ed who has always believed in me. He always suggested I run for office since he saw my picture with Dick Cheney in 2003.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Scriptures. Read the Psalms and Proverbs especially, and get a heart of the LORD's love for people by reading the Gospel of John.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

The key characteristics are respect for the LORD and His Word, and honesty with oneself and others.

Deuteronomy 17:18-20 says leaders should read from the scriptures every day and learn how God wants to bless people, and so that the king does not become arrogant and look down on his people he's to care for, and may live and rule for many days.

People who are ignorant of the Word of God are not qualified to lead anything. But those who do should be filled with a heart of love for people in order to bless them and see to it that they are protected and prosper.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I'm willing to believe the LORD's promises for our country and I am principled upon moral absolutes. I also love people and enjoy my attempts at bring blessings to their lives, whether we agree with each other or not.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Leaders are first of all sworn to. protect and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. They need to know and read the Constitution and filter all legislation and policy through a grid of what contributes to freedom and justice.

They should also be fiscally responsible stewards and loathe the idea of deficit spending and frivolous use the the scare resources of the people. Federal official especially should recognize that the Federal government was never meant to be the Masters of the States, but their servants.

As such, it is the duty of leaders to engage with their constituents in oder to LISTEN to them, take them SERIOUSLY, and seek to UNDERSTAND them (LSU).

What legacy would you like to leave?

I'm not really concerned about legacies and what people think of me. More than anything I was to live a life pleasing to the LORD Jesus as one who believed Him to be trustworthy and worthy of my praise, even in the midst of trials.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember the election of John F. Kennedy in 1959.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I delivered a "shopper" for two year from 5 through 7th grade.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

It has the "power of the purse" and it ought to use it get bypass the corrupt members of the Biden administration. It also has certain judicial and enforcement policies that it seems too weak to considering using.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

To some extent it is helpful, but the lack of it is of great benefit because their thinking is unstained. The seven last words of a dying organization are, "We've always done it that way before." I bring a fresh perspective on how government should operate, built upon 70 years of living with common sense and numerous failures.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Lack of moral absolutes is destroying our country. The idea of governing with "moral neutrality" is as ridiculous as the concept of playing sports without rules. It only creates confusion, destruction and disorder. Our country should return to a system of moral absolutes based on our Judeo-Christian moorings, as our Founders set it up. It is the only love-based morality in the world because it honors the Most High God, the LORD Jesus.

This does not mean that we force people to relinquish their personal freedom to believe and practice as they like in private, but it does establish a public policy of absolutes upon which laws should be filtered for the public good.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Absolutely not. A two year term means you spend the majority of your time running for re-election.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Terms limit are essential. Relying on elections to accomplish this has failed. For starters terms in the House are too short for Representatives to accomplish much in one short two-year term. Three six-year terms in the Senate, and five three-year terms in Congress should be sufficient. Career politicians were never envisioned by our Founders.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Newt Gingrich

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I'm touched by several stories of legislators reaching across the aisle, laying aside their philosophical differences, in order to benefit each other as humans, not politicians.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

I believe in compromise as long as it does not compromise principle. Just "going along to get along" is an outrageous concept premised on weakness. There are many mountains not worth dying on, but others that require a fierce commitment in order to make progress.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

It would provide great leverage to offset some of the wicked violations of the current fake Presidency where they are lawlessly functioning outside the boundaries of the Constitution and Supreme Court.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

The House should use these powers aggressively to expose the corruption and lawlessness throughout government and society. Congress can bring about great accountability but it has currently accepted the limitations of the corrupt Department of Justice and the intimidation of the Deep State's money.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Governor Mike Huckabee

Mike Lindell
Eric Metaxas
Rep. Brad Sherman (Iowa)

Rep. Luana Stoltenberg (Iowa)

What committees interest you?

Armed Services

Budget
Foreign Affairs
Homeland Security
Judiciary
Small Business

Veterans Affairs

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

These are basic and essential principles to follow in every aspect of government. Problems are usually discovered by "following the money." There are gross amounts of financial secrecy and duplicity that should be undercovered and exposed for Congress to regain the public trust. Currently at least 82% of the American people are seriously upset with Congress because of all the frivolous spending, secrecy and duplicity.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

David Pautsch’s campaign website stated the following:

“

I will aggressively seal and secure our borders, destroy the drug and sex trafficking cartels, and compassionately deport the illegal invaders. Since Biden intentionally opened the borders, Congress should force him to correct it by all the economic and legal powers at their disposal.
I will restore energy independence, reduce inflation by slashing government spending and eliminating bureaucratic departments and agencies, balance the budget, return to the gold standard, drastically reduce business regulations and taxes, and eliminate the IRS and the income tax.
I will overhaul our current judicial system which is corrupted by bribed judges and prosecutors, needless and lengthy delays with prosecution and sentencing, defunding of the police, and widespread failure to enforce the laws in place.
Families are the bedrock of our society and I will fight for parental rights, free of woke government intrusion with warped sexual agendas and transgender predation. I will work for low-cost, free-market medical care, practical education, and the protection of children at school from bullies by empowering school administrators to discipline.
I will work hard to defund the woke and corrupt government agencies, educators, and corporations now weaponized against our patriotic citizens
From conception, I will vigorously guard the life of unborn children and lovingly support women who keep, or adopt-out, their child
I will fight to protect our farmers and farmland from radical environmentalists who believe the lie that carbon excesses cause global warming, and seek to destroy our farms, waterways and farm economy with baseless regulations, CO2 pipelines and wind turbine proliferation.
Rescind all "red flag" laws allowing the government to arbitrarily declare gun owners "Unfit To Own. Address the root cause of weapons by limiting the excessive medication of people with psychotropic drugs. Write laws allow gun owners to defend themselves, and abolish the ATF.
Without destroying personal rights, Judeo-Christian morality should be settled as a matter of public policy, as our Founders intended, with a view to end the confusing and lethal impacts of "moral neutrality." Our national and State organic documents all intend to honor YHWH, the Most High God, and not decadence, murder, and idolatry.

^[3]

”

—David Pautsch’s campaign website (2024)^[4]

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

David Pautsch campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2026*	U.S. House Iowa District 1	Candidacy Declared general	$17,420	$10,172
2024*	U.S. House Iowa District 1	Lost primary	$43,081	$38,382
Grand total			$60,501	$48,554
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

External links

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Candidate

U.S. House Iowa District 1

Personal

Footnotes

↑ DavidPautsch.com, "More About David," accessed January 31, 2024
↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 7, 2024
↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
↑ David Pautsch’s campaign website, “Issues,” accessed May 31, 2024

[show]

Iowa's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Joni Ernst (R)

Chuck Grassley (R)

Representatives

District 1

Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R)

District 2

Ashley Hinson (R)

District 3

Zach Nunn (R)

District 4

Randy Feenstra (R)

Republican Party (6)

[1] DavidPautsch.com, "More About David," accessed January 31, 2024

[2] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 7, 2024

[quotedisclaimer-3] Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

[4] David Pautsch’s campaign website, “Issues,” accessed May 31, 2024

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[2]

[3]

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David Pautsch

Contents

Biography

Elections

2026

General election

General election for U.S. House Iowa District 1

Endorsements

2024

General election

General election for U.S. House Iowa District 1

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Iowa District 1

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Iowa District 1

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

2024

Video for Ballotpedia

Campaign website

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

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