U.S. House · Iowa's 2nd District
Joe Mitchell
Former member, Iowa House of Representatives (District 84, 2019-2023)R
- Race
- U.S. House · Iowa's 2nd District
- Result
- Lindsay James, projected winner
- Opponents
- Lindsay James (D); Rick Stewart (LIB); Dave Bushaw (IND)
- Research
- Basic
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did5 statements · 0 votes
Joe Mitchell, a Republican businessman and former Iowa state representative from Clear Lake, lost the November 3, 2026 election for U.S. House in Iowa's 2nd District to Lindsay James. When first sworn in, he was the youngest person elected to the Iowa legislature, and after leaving the legislature he worked in the second Trump administration, most recently as a regional administrator at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.[1][2][3][4][5]
Compare statements with votes ›On the ballotU.S. House · 2
2026-11-03
| Lindsay James D | challenger |
| Joe Mitchell R | challenger |
| Rick Stewart LIB | challenger |
| Dave Bushaw IND | challenger |
Won the June 2 Republican primary
Said vs. did
Each documented position next to the recorded floor votes we map to the same issue. Votes are compared one at a time; no overall stance is inferred from them.
Mitchell's campaign site says he will "protect the right to life."
Documented position[6]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Mitchell's campaign site says he will "defend the Second Amendment."
Documented position[6]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
No statement on this issue in our sources.
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Mitchell's campaign site calls the situation at the border a national security risk and emphasizes secure borders and lawful immigration.
Documented position[6]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Mitchell's campaign site says he will "support and fund the police while working for practical reform."
Documented position[6]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Mitchell's campaign site lists support for school choice among his education positions.
Documented position[6]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Biography
Joe Mitchell, a Republican businessman and former Iowa state representative from Clear Lake, lost the November 3, 2026 election for U.S. House in Iowa's 2nd District to Lindsay James. When first sworn in, he was the youngest person elected to the Iowa legislature, and after leaving the legislature he worked in the second Trump administration, most recently as a regional administrator at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.[1][2][3][4][5]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Mitchell was born in Wayland, Iowa, on April 23, 1997, and graduated from Waco High School in December 2014. He earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Drake University in 2018.[2] He runs a real estate development business based in Clear Lake and founded Run Gen Z, a nonprofit that aims to elect young conservatives to public office.[7][2]
Mitchell won an open seat in 2018 and represented Iowa House District 84 from January 2019 to January 2023; he took the oath at age 21 and was re-elected in 2020.[1][3][2] In the chamber he served as an assistant leader and sat on the Administration and Rules, Commerce, Judiciary, State Government, and Ways and Means committees.[1][2] After redistricting placed him in the same district as another Republican incumbent, he lost the June 7, 2022 Republican primary for District 87 to Jeff Shipley.[1][2]
According to Wikipedia, Mitchell was a resident fellow at Harvard University in 2023 and joined President Trump's 2024 transition team.[2] In 2025 he served as chief of staff of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and then as the Trump-appointed HUD regional administrator for the Great Plains region, which covers Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas.[7][3][2] He announced his campaign for Iowa's 2nd District on September 8, 2025, and defeated state Sen. Charlie McClintock in the June 2, 2026 Republican primary.[7][1] According to his campaign website, he ran on fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, support for family farmers, and secure borders.[1][2][3][4] He received 45.6% of the vote to Lindsay James's 49.5%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[5]
On the record
Official actions: bills, executive acts, filings and court records.
- actionServed on the Iowa House Administration and Rules, Commerce, Judiciary, State Government, and Ways and Means committees (2021-2022).[8]
- vote2021-03-17 · Voted yes on HF 756 (removing the permit requirement to carry a handgun in Iowa), which passed the Iowa House 60-37 on 2021-03-17.[9]
- vote2021-02-24 · Voted yes on SF 413 (an elections bill shortening the absentee-voting window and tightening voter-list maintenance), which passed the Iowa House 57-37 on 2021-02-24.[10]
- vote2022-02-16 · Voted yes on HF 2317 (replacing Iowa's graduated income tax with a 3.9% flat tax), which passed the Iowa House 61-37 on 2022-02-16.[11]
In their own words
Campaign money$1.9M raised · 73% from individuals · FEC through 2026-06-30
Totals this cycle
Bars share one scale (raised = full). Cash on hand can include money carried over from earlier cycles.
Who gave
- Individuals $1.4M
- PACs & committees $408K
- Party $5,000
- Own money & loans $100K
Largest committee contributions
- Electing Majority Making Effective Republicans PAC PAC$10K
- Buckeye Liberty Political Action Committee PAC$10K
- National Electrical Contractors Association Political Action Committee PAC$10K
- American Revival PAC PAC$10K
- RVFPAC PAC$10K
- Anti-Woke Fund PAC$10K
- Build Political Action Committee of the National Association of Home Builders (Buildpac) PAC$10K
- The Eye of the Tiger Political Action Committee PAC$10K
- Mr. Southern Missourian in the House PAC PAC$10K
- Restoring Our Nation PAC PAC$10K
Direct contributions only; outside spending is not included. Individual donors are itemized in the FEC’s receipts. All itemized receipts ↗ FEC filing ↗
Profile: /people/joe-mitchell
Compare all 4 candidates side by side ›
Sources cited in this profile
- 1.Joe Mitchell (Iowa) · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 2.Joe Mitchell (politician) · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 3.Joe Mitchell launches campaign for Iowa's 2nd Congressional District · KCRG · 2025-09-08 News report
- 4.Joe Mitchell for Congress · Joe Mitchell for Congress (campaign site) · 2026-09-25 Candidate's own words
- 5.U.S. House, Iowa's 2nd District results 2026 · NBC News News report
- 6.Joe Mitchell for Congress · Joe Mitchell for Congress (campaign site) · 2026-09-25 Candidate's own words
- 7.Republican Joe Mitchell launches campaign to represent Iowa's 2nd Congressional District · Iowa Public Radio · 2025-09-08 News report
- 8.Joe Mitchell (Iowa) · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 9.Journal of the House, 66th Day, March 17, 2021 (HF 756 roll call) · Iowa Legislature · 2021-03-17 Official record
- 10.Journal of the House, 45th Day, February 24, 2021 (SF 413 roll call) · Iowa Legislature · 2021-02-24 Official record
- 11.Journal of the House, 38th Day, February 16, 2022 (HF 2317 roll call) · Iowa Legislature · 2022-02-16 Official record