News Talk 1540 KXEL, where Iowa comes to talk.
Hello, I'm Jeff Stein.
Election Day is November 3rd.
I'm joined now on the news line by 3rd District Congressman, Republican Zach Nunn.
He is kind enough to join us on a monthly basis in his role as a congressman.
Today, however, he joins us in his role as a candidate for reelection.
Congressman, thank you so much for the time.
Jeff, thanks for taking the time with us.
We are out across all 21 counties here.
We just crushed
three new counties that we've been to several times before, but hearing from folks everywhere from Red Oak to Adams County over to Creston, and we came back and we'll be back again here over in Wopalow and Centerville and all the way down Lamona.
Good places, great Iowans, and of course I'll be finishing up tonight in Pocondalef, where we've just had a great turnout.
We've knocked 50,000 doors.
This is how Iowans are supposed to hear from their candidates.
As much as everyone
Loves having attack ads on their television, something I can make a commitment to.
That will be over with on the 4th of November.
I do like getting out and talking to Iowans at their door here and directly.
And that has just really energized us here.
Despite whatever the Washington Post or the New York Times are talking about, we feel a real energy on the ground and that should inspire all of us who are showing up to vote.
This is a conversation, folks, that we recorded Wednesday afternoon as the congressman is on the campaign trail.
What are you hearing from people?
What concerns do they have and how are you best able to meet those concerns if you're able to receive another vote of confidence from Iowans in two more years in Washington?
Well, I will say cost of living continues to be top priority of folks who are Republicans, who are independents, who are Democrats, and we've heard those concerns.
We continue to fight.
bring the cost down, but I think it begins with giving more of Iowans their hard-earned tax dollars back.
This is why we were able to pass the largest tax cut in American history, a lesson I learned from my time in the Iowa legislature, where we also passed the largest tax cut.
Who knew if you trust Iowans with their money, they make a good investment, whether that's in their family farm, whether it's in buying any water heater for their home, whether it's reinvesting in their small business and on Main Street.
We also want to step further and said, you know, our seniors in Iowa now have Iowa as the number one place they call home, one of the best in the country.
That's something to be excited and positive about.
How do we help these guys out?
Well, we can start by taking an additional $6,000 in tax credit for our social security so they get to keep more of their social security that they paid into.
We also clearly took away tax on tips for our wait staff, tax on overtime for
a first responder, we're going to double shift the nurse, we're going to night shift.
That's all money back in their pocket.
I think these are great ways to help give Iowans more of the money they've earned and to be able to invest.
Now, we've also heard from my opponent in this case, she is running on a platform of, hey, guess what?
We're going to increase your taxes the largest ever in US history.
In fact, we're going to start with seniors clawing back $6,000
and making you pay tax on your social security.
She also just held a forum this week talking about changing the social security metric.
And for folks who have paid into this their entire career, that should be a very scary and concerning thought when DC politicians start monkeying around with social security.
That's something we've earned.
That's something that we fought for.
That's something that I've made a commitment to, that we're going to make sure anyone on social security gets to keep their benefits.
You're not going to have some politician DC
changing it from election cycle to election cycle.
Now we do know that if nothing is done with regard to social security by 2032 then there are automatic cuts to benefits that are triggered.
So what can you do as a member of Congress to make sure we don't walk off that cliff?
I think this is one of the most important things we can do for our seniors is to make sure that social security is solvent and that begins number one
by growing our own economy here domestically.
Look, we have been fighting for this since the very beginning on saying we've got to have more manufacturing produced here in the United States.
It's exciting to talk about, you know, a $15 billion investment in American-made steel, but it goes beyond just one plant or one project.
It's about making sure that our farmers have a market overseas where they can sell that helps grow our domestic economy.
It means making fuel more affordable.
I'm proud to have fought, even against Republican leadership,
to get you around nationwide E15.
That means it's cheaper for my wife and our six kids when we fill up the minivan by bringing costs down by 50 cents per gallon.
But it also means we bring 20 billion dollars back to Iowa's economy.
That's more than twice what the entire state budget is.
We've got to be able to grow our economy.
And that's how we really fund our priorities, whether that's making sure Social Security is fully funded long into the future, but also our national defense and our economic base aren't tethered to a foreign
entity going forward.
I want to make America both energy independent, food secure, but also an economic powerhouse like we have been so long.
And part of that means making an investment in both the infrastructure for us to have made in America, but also investing in the human capital, something we've done with our community colleges by putting another $5 million into places like DMACC so that we have the human capital to have made in America by Americans.
These are real skill jobs.
I'm talking about reinvesting in things like
welders and carpenters, electricians, nurses, DNAs, dental hygienists, the kinds of jobs not only that AI can't take over, but the kinds of jobs that pay a good living and can actually help grow our economy independently of whatever foreign powers might try and waste upon us.
Zack Nunn is our guest.
He is the incumbent Republican Third District Congress running for reelection.
Zack Nunn.com is the website.
He joins us in his role as a candidate on News Talk 1540 KXL.
The unique situation in your race is that your opponent has a record to run on, or I suppose run from, as a state lawmaker.
You were in the state house as you mentioned before going to Congress.
Let's talk a bit if we're comparing biographical sketches and what you all did in your respective times in elective office as people in third district decide, do they give you another term or do they try your opponent?
Well, so I think first and foremost, we're proud to be Iowans.
Look, I'm a sixth generation farm kid.
My mom was a nurse.
My dad was a doctor.
This community helped raise my wife Kelly and I. We've got six great kiddos.
We're a blended family.
We adopted our youngest two.
But most importantly, we've been raising them here in Iowa because we know this is a great place to live and it's got a bright future.
I spent my entire career serving in the U.S.
military combat deployments from Afghanistan to Iraq and back again.
And I continue to be one of the only members of Congress.
still serving in the military because it is that important that not only we serve in Washington but most importantly I serve alongside my you know men and women in uniform who are on the front line defending this country and I want to continue to do that as well.
Here's what I know in my time in Congress I've been there three years two terms right now and I'm asking to continue to fight for Iowa for a third term.
We have been able to pass more pieces of bipartisan legislation
than any other member.
27 bills we've got through both the House, a Senate, and signed into law by Republican presidents like Donald Trump, but also Democrats like Joe Biden.
You know, I'm the top three most bipartisan member of Congress, and that's saying something when you've got 434 members out there in Washington.
Somebody who can reach across the aisle and work together is important, but I think the most important thing to Iowans is somebody who can actually get the job done and pass legislation.
The very first bill I ran on
was making sure that I had a Democrat.
And bigger than him being a Democrat, I was an Air Force guy, and he was an Army guy.
And yet we found a way to work together, God bless.
And we were able to make sure that our Iowa Air National Guard and our Iowa Army Guard were taking care of and given the same benefits as active duty members when it comes to family medical events.
I was proud of that.
We got through a Democrat Senate.
And really,
Democrat or Republican doesn't matter.
It was the right thing to do for our men and women in uniform and we got the job done Now I contrast that with my opponent.
She has been elected to the Iowa Senate three times and in those three election cycles She's never passed a single bill.
She's never been able to work across the aisle and say hey, this is bigger than me or my party We actually need to take care of folks in her district and that is disappointing because
Iowans, by far, are more interested in pragmatic solutions than, you know, red meat rhetoric.
And I feel like this is a direct indication of what we've been able to do.
We'd like to be able to do that again for Republicans, for independents, for Democrats, most importantly, for Iowans.
Let's take good examples of legislation that we've accomplished in the Iowa State House
to Washington DC and make that the standard or what I call the gold model for the entire country based on what we've
been able to do under the Golden Dome in Des Moines.
Let's take that to DC and get it done.
And here's why I asked it the way I did, Congressman.
This election to me on the outside appears to be one where it's very hard to say, they're kind of the same.
I mean, we have diametrically opposed to one another choices up and down the ballot.
And it's not just in Iowa, but it seems to me there are stark contrast.
I don't know that there's anything that you to agree on, except that you're both running for the same office.
Well, Jeff, I do like to say there are areas where I think as Iowans, it's bigger than party and that goes for both of the candidates on this.
I genuinely believe that my opponent and I, for both parents, we want to be able to take care of kids.
We are both family members here in Iowa.
We want to be able to take care of health care for all Iowans, whether that's in a big city like Des Moines or whether that's in a hometown like Atomwa or Atlantic.
I will say we have different pathways of doing that.
We were able to help lead legislation to make the largest investment in rural health care in American history.
$50 billion, we got passed into law, and we made sure Iowa got those resources first.
We're seeing it right now at Wayne County Hospital where we made a $47 million investment into cancer screening, cancer prevention, and cancer treatment.
That to me is a good investment, and we had a nurse right there who said, Zach, hey, I know your mom was a nurse.
I think you helped save my dad.
And I said, what do you mean by that?
And she's like, well, he was going to die.
We were driving to Des Moines three times a week for his treatment.
And it was going to kill him.
It was going to cause me to lose my job.
And it was going to cause our community in Wayne County to effectively wither and die as well if we didn't get this kind of local health care treatment option.
And I said, that makes a lot of sense.
This is an area where we can help our rural hospitals be successful.
Now, I think my opponent also believes strongly in health care, but she has a very different approach towards it.
Urs is more of a, you know, a government takeover of socialized medicine.
I feel very strongly that it is bad to put a, you know, bureaucrat between a patient and a doctor.
And I think ultimately it costs all of us more.
That said, I believe strongly that Republicans and Democrats should be able to sit down in a room together.
They may have different ideas on how they want to get things done.
but come up with a common goal.
And this is where I put my military helmet on, as it were, to say, we've got to have a clear vision of what we need, based on what I once had told us.
But then more than just a vision or talking about it, we've got to have a clear plan of attack on how we're going to implement these things.
And going forward with it, we have to have benchmarks to make sure we're hitting our targets on time.
I think we have been very successful working with Republicans
also working with Democrats and being able to do that and getting it through Republican presidents and Democratic presidents in a way that is meaningful, not just spirited in debate, but doing nothing in actual policy.
So I would always invite my opponent to come on board, share ideas where we can work together.
I think we finally got her pinned down on actually having a debate with me.
You know, I've debated in every single election I've ever been in.
We always do it before early voting starts, tragically.
She was booked for the entire month of October, which baffles me in an election season that you don't have time to debate, but you apparently do have time to go out of state and fundraise.
But here's the reality.
I think we held her accountable, and now she's going to have a debate with us.
So on the 27th, please tune in on KCCI at 9 PM.
You're going to get to see both of us share our ideas, and I would ask the voters, one, go vote.
It's important.
It's a privilege.
It's also a duty.
But also, I think if you see us on the 27th, you're going to see two Iowans.
who have very different ideas on how to get things done.
I would put my record up against anybody, but I think it's important that Iowans get to have that voice and get to hear from the candidates directly.
We have about 60 seconds, and so I will let you make your case directly to the voters of the Third Congressional District, Congressman Zach Nunn.
Well, Jeff, I want to say, first of all, thank you for always giving us an opportunity to talk and hear directly from voters.
You can check us out at ZachNunn.com if you want to get involved.
I would ask that voters take the opportunity to learn about the candidates and then make a commitment based on both what we've done.
I would say we have the strongest border in American history and that has helped drive down deaths from fentanyl at a record rate.
I would say that we have been able to pass the largest tax cut in American history that puts real money back in Iowa's pockets.
And I would say that we have moved historically forward in our legislation to increase the
stock for housing with my rural housing bill to what we've also done for rural health care and making a generational investment.
I would ask folks to say the opposite of that is also on this ballot.
You have the opportunity to vote for me or my opponent who has been very clear, the largest tax increase in American history, taking more of your tax dollars out of your pocket and sending it to DC and challengingly an opponent who thinks that her ideas in DC are better than anything you have to offer because it would be a DC
solution for every Iowa challenge.
I don't think that's the right path.
My privilege and honor has always been to serve.
Whether that's in uniform overseas or whether that's right here in Iowa, I would be privileged for voters to consider voting for me for U.S.
Congress.
And I pledge this much, I will always be fighting for every Iowa.
Congressman Zach Nunn is the incumbent.
He's a Republican running for reelection.
Third District of Iowa, Zach Nunn.com is the website.
Congressman, I thank you so much for the time.
Best of luck on November 3rd and beyond.
Jeff, always a privilege.
Be safe and enjoy a Halloween and game night this Friday.
It's looking good.
This is where Iowa comes to talk.
News Talk 1540 KXEL.
The state of Iowa currently has two Republican senators.
One of those seats is an open seat in 2026 due to retirement, and it is a key race to watch.
One of the top six or eight to watch across the country, joining us now on that Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line, is the Republican candidate for U.S.
Senate in the great state of Iowa.
Current U.S.
Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, Congresswoman, thanks for taking the time.
Of course, Jeff, great to be with you.
I'm out on my Fighting for Iowa tour out on the tour bus, so we're making our way around the state.
As you talk to Iowans, what do you hear them express concern about most frequently?
Well, I think it's exactly what we've been talking about.
It's about lowering the cost of gas and groceries, making sure we're lowering the cost of health care, and pushing back against corruption in Washington, DC.
And that's exactly what my Fighting for Iowa tour is all about, Jeff.
And I'm hearing about how many Iowans feel like they have been priced out of the American dream.
And I really think it's because for too long, there's been too many politicians in DC that have really forgotten about
The people, like the people of Iowa, who are working hard for a living every single day, and so that's what I'm fighting to change.
And as I was next U.S.
Senator, I think it's about immediate relief and long-term certainty, and that's what I'm going to be focused on.
Iowa is a unique state.
We have many more Republicans registered than Democrats, but there are
Many many more independence than even Democrats.
Democrats are in third place and so this this is a tricky kind of a race to run because you not only need Republicans, you not only need the Trump base, you also need an awful lot of independence.
How are you positioning your message so that those folks know that you are the better choice as opposed to either your Democrat opponent or your libertarian opponent?
Right.
Well, I think my focus has always been on delivering for Iowans because they expect results.
They don't like empty rhetoric.
They like it when you get things done for them.
And I served under President Biden and Nancy Pelosi was a speaker.
And I like to tell people if I can get policies passed into law under those two where we don't agree on much, then I can work with anyone.
And I think you look at the politicians in DC that are focused more on fighting with each other and scoring political points for headlines.
That's not me.
I am focused on making life affordable for Iowans.
I don't give a rip who gets credit for it.
If it's a good policy for Iowa, I will work with anyone, any party to get it done.
Ashley Hinson is our guest, currently Congresswoman from Northeast Iowa, Republican candidate for U.S.
Senate.
Ashley Hinson.com is the website.
She joins us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker line on the Todd Starn Show.
Jeff Stein filling in for Todd today.
Your Democrat opponent is running a much different message now in the general election than he did in the primary election, and he's taken some shots at you and your family.
You and I have talked about this on my television program, but share with the national audience, if you would, the kind of attacks that these far left Democrats are willing to make just to get power.
Yeah, and I think it just shows exactly what you said, Jeff.
They're willing to stay or do anything to get elected.
And I say this all the time out on the trail.
My opponent is a big liberal.
He votes like an East Coast liberal, but he's an even bigger liar.
And he's been out there lying about my family, my husband's success.
We actually made the decision in 2021 to sell all of our publicly traded stocks.
I don't trade stocks.
I didn't get rich in Congress.
My husband
built and sold a business in twenty twenty one and uh... you know he's out there saying my husband my husband the shadow lobbyist that is nonsense meant to distract from josh turrick liberal record and uh... i would be running from my record to if i had a voting record up first of all he barely showed up to the capital this year jeff up forty two percent of the time he was showing up to work in i think i went to americans know the value of hard work and if you're not showing up
but two out of every five days you're getting fired you're not getting a promotion but uh... his his record is liberal and whether it's on illegal immigration and allowing them to get taxpayer funded benefits or allowing taxpayers to have to pay for gender transition surgeries or letting kids change their gender pronouns at school and not tell the parents about it that is his liberal record that he doesn't want to talk about and it proves to me that he would be a reliable boat
for Chuck Schumer when he would get to Washington D.C.
as a U.S.
Senator, so we cannot let that happen in Iowa, and the balance of power rides on the turnout of this election in Iowa.
Ashley Hinson.com is the website.
There's a nice subtle contribute button.
You folks across the country, if you like what you hear and you have the means to do so and would like to support her cause, that's one way to do it.
Something that we mentioned on this program yesterday, Congresswoman, and as you know, your Democrat opponent
won the primary thanks to Chuck Schumer.
He was the favorite candidate and they cleared much of the rest of the field so that he could get there.
Now you've got certain political action committees that are funding third-party candidates, including in your race the Libertarian, but the money's coming from the Democrat side of the ledger.
So in essence, the Democrats are putting money on two of the horses in the race.
absolutely they are totally trying to play that game they're doing it in iowa they're doing it in Nebraska they're doing it all over the country where they are trying to metal uh... and elevate these candidates who otherwise uh... would not be resonating with voters and what i'm telling everyone is i am traveling the entire state uh... delivering my common sense conservative message i'm going to push back on the live coming from my opponent josh trick and i think i would need to know that these outside forces are trying to meddle in our election
ten million dollars to get josh trek through the primary uh... and you know he'll spend whatever it takes to get into the general election so he can have that reliable boat but uh... it funny to me because he was crashing the president every which way during the primary and now it's a different tune it's not like he had some crazy policy epiphany and he decided he wants to work with president trump he just has realized know his ideas don't sell in iowa and that is really what voters need to hear if you want common sense
a conservatism, someone who's going to stand up for taxpayers, for rural America, and for safety and security in our country, that I'm your girl.
If you want those left-leaning values that are better served in New York or California, Josh Church, your candidate.
Ashley Hinson, Republican candidate at U.S.
Senate in Iowa, current Congresswoman, for a few more minutes with us here on the Todd Starnes Show on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker Line.
As I look at
this race in particular, again, record speaks volumes and the things that people say they will do, there needs to be a level of consistency and as you've suggested, the TV ads for your Democrat opponent during the primary look nothing like the ads that he's running now.
I guess the lesson for everyone is don't be hoodwinked by a 60 second slick TV spot, do some research.
Yeah, well, it's a tale of two turks, and I think that was on display.
We had our debates the last couple of weeks, and I was sure to draw that contrast out, because I think Iowans need to know, again, who their candidates really are.
I will fund law enforcement and border security.
Josh Turrick would defund it.
He said that at our debate a couple of weeks ago, so think about that.
He is honest about siding with Chuck Schumer and the Washington Liberals.
who shut down our government and shut down our border patrol over the men and women who are actually protecting our border.
So he will put their liberal agenda ahead of the safety of Iowa families and I would say tell that to an Iowa mom named Michelle Root.
Her daughter, Sarah Root, was actually killed by an illegal immigrant driving drunk here in Iowa.
You tell that to the families of Lake and Riley.
You know, she was murdered by a criminal illegal alien.
So I refuse to let that happen to another family and
Josh Turek's liberal record is even worse if you really, really dig into it.
Again, the taxpayer funded benefits to illegals.
He voted to make it harder for law enforcement to actually work with immigration enforcement and then use his newsletter to tell illegal immigrants how to avoid immigration enforcement.
So that's what we're seeing happen.
He's siding with criminal illegals over Iowans and he is too liberal for Iowa.
This is an election where I've heard a lot of people.
It's been mentioned when Todd is here.
It's been mentioned when I'm here There are a lot of folks who have voted Republican who say well, you know I'm not as happy as I wanted to be I need to send a message etc This is really the time though for folks to if you will come home your primary opponent
even came out and very strongly endorsed you in the last few weeks because again of the overall electoral picture, what can you say to folks across the country, certainly in your race, if they were thinking, well, I'm going to send a message this election season and I'm going to either stay home or I'm going to vote, make a protest, vote, etc.
What do you say to them?
Yeah, I would say don't trust the arsonists to put out the fire and rewind to two years ago.
And if you look at where our country was with
rampant illegal immigration d e i ruling every boardroom in every company uh... and every educational entity uh... again gender transition surgery happening uh... you know that that's where the country will go again if you elect these democrats uh... to these offices it's a six-year senate term and yet i i know there is more to do and i have heard from iowans who are being squeezed and i am
committed to lowering prices and making life more affordable and that's what i'm going to do and we will get through this challenging time for our country and who do you want on the other side of that common sense conservative leadership to move our country forward and fix the problems were facing or do you want to go back to the way things were two years ago when our country was on a path
uh... toward the bottom so that's my pitch to voters uh... i will continue to deliver for iowa working families and our our farmers and our veterans that's what i signed up to do and that's what i will deliver as i was next u.s.
senator
finally would you mind sharing with the national audience uh... the analogy you have drawn with regard to uh... democrats in congress that you've had to work with and
teenagers
i think that nothing prepares you better for serving in congress or in this case for the united states senate then being uh... teenage boy mom i am uh... lucky mother to two teenage boys max and jack fifteen and thirteen and i will say that uh... the parallel is that you are constantly negotiating with unreasonable people and their hygiene is questionable to do so uh... i am ready to go on day one to survive wins and our country in the u.s.
senate and look forward to earning your support and uh... just uh... i know you gave out my website but actually
We'd love to have you join our team.
Help us get across the finish line in these next 13 days as we close out this great campaign in Iowa.
Ashley Hinson.com.
Congresswoman, thank you so much.
Good luck on November 3rd.
Appreciate the time today.
Of course, Jeff.
We'll see you back in Iowa.
Thank you.
Take good care.
And Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Iowa's second congressional district joined us on the Patriot Mobile Newsmaker Line.
She is the Republican candidate for U.S.
Senate.
This is one of the six, seven, eight key races that are very close.
And once again, as I have said to folks across the country, if you know somebody in a state like Iowa or one of these other key states,
Give them a call.
Send them a text.
Make sure they're going to do the right thing.
And again, her website, if you have financial resources that you'd like to contribute or would just like to learn more, it's Ashley Hinson, H-I-N-S-O-N, AshleyHinson.com.