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Iowa's 4th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 2 Republican primary)

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Iowa's 4th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 13, 2020
Primary: June 2, 2020
General: November 3, 2020
Pre-election incumbent:
Steve King (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Voting in Iowa
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020
See also
Iowa's 4th Congressional District
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th
Iowa elections, 2020
U.S. Congress elections, 2020
U.S. Senate elections, 2020
U.S. House elections, 2020

State Sen. Randy Feenstra (R) unseated Rep. Steve King (R) in the Republican primary for Iowa's 4th congressional district on June 2, 2020. Feenstra received 45.7% of the vote to King's 36.0%. None of the three other candidates received more than 10% of the vote. A May 2020 article in Politico described the primary as King's "toughest race since he was elected to the House almost 20 years ago."[1]

King's opponents said he was vulnerable due to what they called his underperformance in the 2018 election and his removal from committee assignments. In 2018, King won re-election 50% to 47%, while in the 2016 presidential election, President Trump (R) carried the district 61% to 34% over Hillary Clinton (D).[2] In January 2019, House Republican leadership suspended King's committee assignments following the publication of a New York Times story which quoted King as saying, "White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?". King said if he won re-election, he would regain his committee assignments.[3]

Also in the running are Steve Reeder (R), Bret Richards (R), and Jeremy Taylor (R). As of May 29, 2020, two election forecasters rated the general election Likely Republican and a third rated it Tilt Republican, meaning the winner of the primary was likely to win the general election. The last Democrat to win election to the U.S. House from the 4th district was Neal Smith (D) in 1992.

Click on candidate names below to view their key messages:


King
Feenstra


This page focuses on Iowa's 4th Congressional District Republican primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Democratic primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Iowa modified its primary election process as follows:

  • Voting procedures: Absentee ballot application forms sent to all registered voters in the primary election. The absentee voting period was extended to open on April 23.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.


Candidates and election results

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Iowa District 4

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Randy Feenstra
Randy Feenstra
 
45.5
 
37,329
Image of Steve King
Steve King
 
35.8
 
29,366
Image of Jeremy Taylor
Jeremy Taylor
 
7.8
 
6,418
Image of Bret Richards
Bret Richards Candidate Connection
 
7.5
 
6,140
Image of Steve Reeder
Steve Reeder Candidate Connection
 
3.1
 
2,528
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
176

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 81,957
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[4] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.

Steve King

Image of Steve King

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

U.S. House of Representatives (Assumed office: 2003)

Iowa State Senate (1996-2002)

Biography:  Steve King was born in Storm Lake, Iowa, and attended Denison High School and Northwest Missouri State University, where he studied math and science. In 1975, he founded King Construction, which remained in operation under the management of his oldest son as of the 2020 election.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

King said he had a long record of casting conservative votes during his time in office and that he considered restrictions on abortion, encouraging ethanol and biodiesel production, and repealing Obamacare to be policy priorities.

King said that he was recognized both in Iowa and across the country as a prominent constitutional conservative and "a frequent contributor to Fox News, national magazines, newspapers and radio."

King said coastal elites were backing Randy Feenstra because of King's policy stances and that the primary in the 4th district was "the epicenter of the battle against the swamp right now."

Show sources

Sources: Steve King 2020 campaign website, "About," accessed May 29, 2020, Sioux City Journal, "Steve King: Here's why you should vote for me in 4th District U.S. House primary," May 20, 2020; U.S. House of Representatives, "Steve King - Biography," accessed May 29, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Iowa District 4 in 2020.

Randy Feenstra

Image of Randy Feenstra

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Iowa State Senate (Assumed office: 2009)

Biography:  Randy Feenstra was born in Hull, Iowa. He obtained his bachelor's degree from Dordt College and a master's in public administration from Iowa State University. Feenstra's professional experience includes both private-sector work, including as head of sales at The Foreign Candy Sales, and public-sector work, including as Hull's city administrator and as the Sioux County Treasurer. As of the 2020 election, Feenstra was a professor of business and public administration at Dordt University.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Feenstra said he had a conservative voting record in the state senate and was the only candidate to have both an endorsement from National Right to Life and an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association.

Feenstra said that King's removal from his committee assignments prevented him from being an effective legislator, saying that it "could literally result in the loss of thousands of jobs and countless farms, and lead to the economic ruin of families across the 4th District."

Feenstra said King had boasted about winning the support of the same groups supporting Feenstra in 2020 and that King's criticism of those groups was dishonest.

Show sources

Sources: Randy Feenstra 2020 campaign website, "Randy's Results," accessed May 29, 2020, Des Moines Register, "Randy Feenstra: Iowans need to have a conservative voice at the table in Congress," May 26, 2020, Des Moines Register, "'Battle against the swamp' — and Republicans: Steve King claims he's taking on the establishment in competitive primary," May 27, 2020; Dordt University, "About Me - Randy Feenstra," accessed May 29, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Iowa District 4 in 2020.


Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[5] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[6] The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Steve King Republican Party $391,616 $409,757 $8,079 As of December 31, 2020
Randy Feenstra Republican Party $1,907,336 $1,895,390 $11,946 As of December 31, 2020
Steve Reeder Republican Party $102,009 $102,190 $-181 As of December 31, 2020
Bret Richards Republican Party $285,390 $285,300 $90 As of December 31, 2020
Jeremy Taylor Republican Party $170,533 $170,533 $0 As of October 14, 2020

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.


Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[7][8][9]

This section lists all satellite spending in this race reported with the Federal Election Commission as of May 29, 2020.[10]

  • American Values PAC, a group associated with 2019 U.S. House candidate Dan McCready (D-N.C.), spent $10,000 in opposition to King.
  • Defending Main Street Super PAC, a group associated with the Republican Main Street Partnership, spent $100,000 in opposition to King.
  • The Humane Society Legislative Fund spent $2,376 in opposition to King.
  • Iowa Four PAC, a group associated with Feenstra, spent $37,117 in support of Feenstra and $10,377 in opposition to King.
  • The National Association of Realtors PAC spent $57,203 in support of Feenstra.
  • The National Pro-Life Alliance spent $9,970 in support of King.
  • NextGen Climate Action spent $2,286 in opposition to King.
  • Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle PAC spent $1,591 in support of King.
  • Priorities for Iowa, a group associated with Feenstra, spent $304,410 in support of Feenstra.
  • Together We Thrive spent $750 in opposition to King.
  • The U.S. Chamber of Commerce spent $200,018 in opposition to King.

Primaries in Iowa

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Iowa, state law provides for a closed primary where every voter must be affiliated with a party in order to participate in its primary. However, a voter can change his or her political party affiliation on Election Day, creating what is effectively an open primary.[11]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[12]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[13][14][15]

Race ratings: Iowa's 4th Congressional District election, 2020
Race trackerRace ratings
November 3, 2020October 27, 2020October 20, 2020October 13, 2020
The Cook Political ReportSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+11, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 11 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Iowa's 4th Congressional District the 125th most Republican nationally.[16]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.06. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.06 points toward that party.[17]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Politico, "Steve King is on the ropes," May 27, 2020
  2. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2016, 2012, and 2008," accessed May 29, 2020
  3. ↑ Roll Call, "Iowa Rep. Steve King facing toughest primary yet," May 27, 2020
  4. ↑ Candidate Connection surveys completed before September 26, 2019, were not used to generate candidate profiles. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
  5. ↑ Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
  6. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
  7. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
  8. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
  9. ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
  10. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Iowa District 04 Race - Outside Spending," accessed May 29, 2020
  11. ↑ Iowa Secretary of State Website, "Voter Registration FAQ," accessed July 21, 2025
  12. ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  13. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  14. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  15. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  16. ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
  17. ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018


Iowa's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Joni Ernst (R)
Chuck Grassley (R)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
Zach Nunn (R)
District 4
Republican Party (6)


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