U.S. House, Iowa 2nd Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Iowa's 2nd Congressional District?
Joe Mitchell has the strongest record in Iowa's 2nd Congressional District. Joe Mitchell scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Lindsay James at 55, as of October 6, 2026. Joe Mitchell's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Lindsay James's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Dave Bushaw (6 of 15 criteria) and Rick Stewart (5 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
No Party
Dave Bushaw
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 56
- Performance
- NR
Democratic
Lindsay James
55 / 100
Public evidence on 10 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 70
- Performance
- 0
Republican
Strongest record
Joe Mitchell
61 / 100
Public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 70
- Performance
- NR
Libertarian
Rick Stewart
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 5 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 58
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Dave Bushaw
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Lindsay James
- Mark against2026
Missed 177 of 342 Iowa House votes in the 2026 session, 51.7 percent, according to legislative records cited by Fox News.
Sources: Fox News, June 29, 2026, Iowa Public Radio, Oct. 2, 2026
Joe Mitchell
- On the record2019
Became the youngest state legislator in Iowa history when sworn into the Iowa House at 21 in 2019, and served two terms.
Source: KGAN, Sept. 8, 2025
Rick Stewart
- On the record2026-06-11
Said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called him on June 11, 2026 to suggest he leave the race; a recording of the call was reported by the Washington Post and Des Moines Register. He stayed in.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Dave Bushaw. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and House candidate financial disclosures are on file. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Lindsay James. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and House candidate financial disclosures are on file. No FEC administrative fine and no official ethics finding found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Joe Mitchell. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, and House candidate financial disclosures are on file. No FEC administrative fine and no official ethics finding found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Rick Stewart. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Dave Bushaw. No public record found.
Lindsay James. No public record found.
Joe Mitchell. No public record found.
Rick Stewart. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Dave Bushaw. Spoke at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox in August 2026 and said he would welcome debate invitations; the televised debates' criteria excluded him.
Lindsay James. Debated Joe Mitchell on Iowa's News Now on Oct. 1, 2026, agreed to a second debate on Iowa PBS and holds public town halls.
Sources: KGAN, Oct. 1, 2026, Iowa Capital Dispatch via KCRG, Aug. 19, 2026
Joe Mitchell. Debated Lindsay James on Iowa's News Now on Oct. 1, 2026 and agreed to a second debate on Iowa PBS on Oct. 8; he had called for district debates.
Sources: KGAN, Oct. 1, 2026, Iowa PBS, Iowa Press Debates: 2nd Congressional District
Rick Stewart. Spoke at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox in 2026; the two televised debates' criteria excluded him.
Source: Iowa Public Radio, Oct. 2, 2026
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Dave Bushaw. No public record found.
Lindsay James. State representative since 2019, chaplain and former pastor and Loras College Peace Institute director, with no formal conduct finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Lindsay James
Joe Mitchell. Two terms in the Iowa House and senior posts at HUD and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, with no formal conduct finding found.
Source: KGAN, Sept. 8, 2025
Rick Stewart. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Dave Bushaw. No public record found.
Lindsay James. Has taken the oath of the Iowa House four times since 2019. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Joe Mitchell. Took the oath of the Iowa House (2019 to 2023) and served as a federal appointee at HUD and FHFA. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Source: Iowa Public Radio, Sept. 8, 2025
Rick Stewart. Served as a law enforcement officer in Maquoketa, Iowa, per Ballotpedia. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Rick Stewart
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Dave Bushaw. Community organizer who built the Midwest operation of United Today, Stronger Tomorrow from 2020 to 2025, per his campaign site; has not held public office.
Lindsay James. In her fourth term in the Iowa House (District 71) since January 2019; earlier a Presbyterian pastor and director of the Loras College Peace Institute.
Sources: Iowa Legislature, Representative Lindsay James, KGAN, Oct. 1, 2026
Joe Mitchell. Two terms in the Iowa House (District 84, 2019 to 2023), chief of staff at the Federal Housing Finance Agency and a Trump-appointed HUD regional administrator; runs a real estate development business.
Sources: Iowa Public Radio, Sept. 8, 2025, Ballotpedia, Joe Mitchell (Iowa)
Rick Stewart. Former CEO of Frontier Natural Products Co-Operative and a former law enforcement officer; has not held elected office.
Source: Ballotpedia, Rick Stewart
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Dave Bushaw. No public record found.
Lindsay James. Was ranking member of the Iowa House Judiciary Committee in 2025; publishes issue positions mostly in general terms.
Sources: Iowa Legislature, Representative Lindsay James, Campaign site, Issues
Joe Mitchell. Was vice chair of the Iowa House State Government Committee (2019 to 2020) and publishes specific positions, including a temporary ban on H-1B visas and a ban on stock and prediction market trading by members of Congress.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Joe Mitchell (Iowa), Campaign site, Issues
Rick Stewart. No public record found.
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Dave Bushaw. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey and spoke at the Register Political Soapbox.
Source: Ballotpedia, Dave Bushaw
Lindsay James. Debated on television, holds public town halls, publishes issue pages and offers a legislative newsletter. Did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020, 2022 or 2024 surveys.
Sources: KGAN, Oct. 1, 2026, Campaign site, Issues, Iowa Legislature, Representative Lindsay James
Joe Mitchell. Publishes issue pages and debated on television; also spoke at the Register Political Soapbox (same channel under E8). Did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 or 2022 surveys.
Sources: Campaign site, Issues, KGAN, Oct. 1, 2026
Rick Stewart. Completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020 and 2022 and spoke at the 2026 Register Political Soapbox.
Source: Ballotpedia, Rick Stewart
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Dave Bushaw. Born and raised in West Union and graduated from North Fayette High School, in the district. About 45 percent of itemized contributions by state came from Iowa.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Dave Bushaw, Campaign site, Meet Dave, FEC contribution totals by state
Lindsay James. Born in Portland, Oregon; has lived in Dubuque for more than a decade and represents it in the Iowa House. About 44 percent of itemized contributions by state came from Iowa.
Sources: Iowa Public Radio, Oct. 2, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Joe Mitchell. Has lived in Iowa all his life; Iowa Public Radio calls Clear Lake, in the district, his hometown. About 26 percent of itemized contributions by state came from Iowa.
Sources: Iowa Public Radio, Sept. 8, 2025, Campaign site, Meet Joe, FEC contribution totals by state
Rick Stewart. Born in Postville, Iowa, in the 2nd District, and has run for office in Iowa several times.
Source: Ballotpedia, Rick Stewart
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Dave Bushaw. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, with $4,858 in debts owed by the committee and no administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Lindsay James. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, with no debts reported and no administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Joe Mitchell. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, with $50,000 in debts owed by the committee and no administrative fine found. Founded the nonprofit Run Gen Z and runs a development business.
Sources: FEC candidate page, Iowa Public Radio, Sept. 8, 2025, FEC administrative fines search
Rick Stewart. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Dave Bushaw. No public record found.
Lindsay James. No public record found.
Joe Mitchell. No public record found.
Rick Stewart. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Dave Bushaw. No public record found.
Lindsay James. Missed 177 of 342 Iowa House votes in 2026, 51.7 percent, according to legislative records cited by Fox News.
Sources: Fox News, June 29, 2026, Iowa Public Radio, Oct. 2, 2026
Joe Mitchell. No public record found.
Rick Stewart. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Dave Bushaw. No public record found.
Lindsay James. No public record found.
Joe Mitchell. No public record found.
Rick Stewart. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Dave Bushaw. No public record found.
Lindsay James. No public record found.
Joe Mitchell. No public record found.
Rick Stewart. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Dave Bushaw. No public record found.
Lindsay James. No public record found.
Joe Mitchell. No public record found.
Rick Stewart. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Iowa's 2nd Congressional District?
Joe Mitchell has the strongest record in Iowa's 2nd Congressional District. Joe Mitchell scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Lindsay James at 55, as of October 6, 2026. Joe Mitchell's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Lindsay James's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Dave Bushaw (6 of 15 criteria) and Rick Stewart (5 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Iowa's 2nd Congressional District in 2026?
Dave Bushaw (No Party), Lindsay James (Democratic), Joe Mitchell (Republican), Rick Stewart (Libertarian). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Dave Bushaw a good candidate for Congress?
Dave Bushaw has public evidence on 6 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Lindsay James a good candidate for Congress?
Lindsay James scores 55 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 10 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 70 of 100, performance 0 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Joe Mitchell a good candidate for Congress?
Joe Mitchell scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 70 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Rick Stewart a good candidate for Congress?
Rick Stewart has public evidence on 5 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Iowa race scored, and the Iowa 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.