IA-03: Zach Nunn (R)

REPLACING:

Cindy Axne[i]

WORK HISTORY:

Iowa State Senate (State Senator, District 15); Iowa State House of Representatives (State Representative, District 30); US Air Force (Commander, K14N Airborne Intelligence Officer); Drake University (Adjunct Professor); SimSpace Corporation (Director of Business Development); Office of the Director of National Intelligence (Chief Operations Officer / National Counterintelligence Officer); National Security Council (Director of Cybersecurity Policy & Engagement); Office of US Senator Chuck Grassley (Legislative Analyst); United Kingdom House of Commons (Research Assistant)[ii]

EDUCATION & TRAINING:

BA, Drake University; USAF Air Command & Staff College; MA, University of Cambridge[iii]

CAMPAIGNED ON:

Constitutional Rights; Stronger Economy; Back the Blue & Defend the Border; Right to Life; National Defense; Growing Agriculture; Iowa Values[iv]

ON THE ISSUES

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS:

A self-proclaimed “pro-life leader,” Nunn has promised to “advocate for Iowa’s next generations in Washington, while Democrats will continue to allow abortion on demand.”[v] He has said he opposes “taxpayer-funded late term abortion,” but supports exceptions if the life of the mother is at risk, as well as access to contraceptives.[vi] [vii]

ECONOMY, JOBS & TAXES:

As a member of the Iowa Legislature, Nunn touted that he helped pass “Iowa’s largest tax-cut, giving $1+ billion dollars back to families to keep more of their hard-earned money.” In office, Nunn said he will seek to stop “tax and spend handouts,” instead advocating for helping “Americans back to work.”[viii] He has also called for reducing the national deficit.[ix]

HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL SAFETY NET:

During the campaign, Nunn pledged to “work hard on effective, bipartisan solutions to make sure that we have a long-term plan for keeping Social Security and Medicare.”[x] He has advocated for providing greater transparency for drug prices and bolstering mental health resources. Nunn has also said he opposes a public option, arguing private options should be available.[xi]

IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY:

Nunn has called for increased funding for customs and border patrol and expressed opposition to sanctuary cities, arguing these cities “do a disservice to their community and that immigrant to think they have additional protection.”[xii] [xiii] He has said he opposes defunding or abolishing “border security that combats human traffickers and the exploitation of others.”[xiv] In a May debate, he advocated for a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients.[xv]

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY:

An opponent of “defund the police” policies, Nunn has said that public safety is among his top priorities.[xvi] [xvii] During his tenure in the Iowa Legislature, he supported legislation that sought to end mandatory minimum sentences for certain drug felonies and impose harsher penalties on those who attack police officers, among several provisions.[xviii]

GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS & ELECTION SECURITY:

In a March 2020 op-ed, Nunn argued, “When a felon finishes their sentence for their crime, they deserve the right to vote.”[xix]  In comments on voting rights during the campaign, Nunn called for “paper ballots, photo ID, [and] affirmation that you actually live in a location” to promote election security.[xx]

EDUCATION:

Nunn called Biden’s plans to forgive student loan “bad policy,” arguing it will exacerbate federal debt, “will cost American taxpayers more,” and “make our paychecks worth less.” Nunn has also asserted that cancelling student debt “is a slap in the face of hard working Americans who pinched pennies, made sacrifices, and worked to pay their personal debt burdens.” Nunn claims cancelling student debt “does nothing to address the problem of out-of-control college costs and soaring student loan debt.”[xxi] He supports parental choice and opposes school mask mandates.[xxii]

CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT:

Nunn has criticized the Biden administration’s “green energy” plan, instead calling for “open[ing] the pipelines, restor[ing] energy jobs, and quit[ting] digging into the reserves.”[xxiii] He has further advocated for “an all the above” energy approach “that includes biofuels, ethanol, wind, and fossil fuels.”[xxiv] He has been highly critical of Cindy Axne’s approach to energy policy, accusing her of choosing “green optics” over “Iowa energy production” and “importing more Russian oil & killing domestic abusers.” He further claimed she was “refusing to expand drilling” and was beholden to “radical environmentalists.”[xxv] [xxvi] The Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club gave him a zero percent score for the 2021-2022 Iowa legislative session.[xxvii]

BIG TECH & DATA PRIVACY:

According to his campaign website, Nunn believes the US is under attack “from the radical efforts of the far left and Big Tech who are muzzling our constitutional rights.”[xxviii]

GUN SAFETY:

Nunn supports Second Amendment rights and was endorsed by the NRA, which gave him an “A” rating in 2022.[xxix] [xxx] In Iowa, he introduced the “Second Amendment Preservation Act,” which would prohibit state and local law enforcement officers from enforcing federal laws, rules, or regulations “infringing on the right to keep and bear arms.”[xxxi] [xxxii] He has also supported measures that would allow children under the age of 14 to possess handguns.[xxxiii]

FOREIGN POLICY:

Nunn has criticized Russian aggression against Ukraine and said the people of Iowa are “willing to stand by fellow democracies trying to help defend their homeland.”[xxxiv] In 2019, Nunn served as an election monitor in Ukraine.[xxxv] Notably, Nunn was criticized during the campaign for accepting a contribution from Syngenta, a company owned by the Chinese government that his opponent claimed benefited from a state tax credit Nunn supported.[xxxvi]