U.S. House, Iowa 3rd Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Iowa's 3rd Congressional District?
Zach Nunn has the strongest record in Iowa's 3rd Congressional District. Zach Nunn scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Sarah Trone Garriott at 61, as of October 6, 2026. Zach Nunn's highest marks are relevant experience and coalition building. Sarah Trone Garriott's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Democratic
Sarah Trone Garriott
61 / 100
Public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 70
- Performance
- NR
Republican · incumbent
Strongest record
Zach Nunn
66 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 75
- Performance
- 75
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.
Sarah Trone Garriott
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Zach Nunn
- On the record2026-09-15
Was one of seven House Republicans who voted for a War Powers Resolution directing removal of U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran, after voting against five earlier such measures.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 307, 2026, Des Moines Register via Yahoo News, Sept. 16, 2026
- On the record2026-06-15
Libertarian candidate Marco Battaglia said Nunn and an adviser visited him on June 7, 2026 and asked him to leave the race; Nunn's adviser and deputy chief of staff then filed challenges that removed Battaglia from the ballot.
Sources: Des Moines Register via AOL, June 15, 2026, KGAN, June 16, 2026
- On the record2026-08-14
The Des Moines Register reported that congressional records show he missed six of 13 meetings of the House Select Committee on China after his February 2025 appointment.
- On the record2022-07-20
PolitiFact rated False his 2022 claim that Rep. Cindy Axne sought to defund the police.
Source: PolitiFact, July 20, 2022
- Credit2026-07-11
His Rural Housing Service Reform Act of 2025 (H.R. 4957) was incorporated into the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, enacted July 11, 2026, per GovTrack.
Source: GovTrack, H.R. 4957
- Credit2023
Ranked 10th of 436 House members on the Lugar Center Bipartisan Index for 2023 with a score of 1.90186.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Sarah Trone Garriott. 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
Zach Nunn. His 2025 annual financial disclosure is on file with the House Clerk, signed Aug. 13, 2026; no periodic transaction reports are listed for him. No House Ethics finding or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10075011, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Sarah Trone Garriott. No public record found.
Zach Nunn. Was one of seven House Republicans who voted on Sept. 15, 2026 for a War Powers Resolution on Iran, which the Speaker and Majority Leader opposed.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 307, 2026, Des Moines Register via Yahoo News, Sept. 16, 2026
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Sarah Trone Garriott. Spoke at the Register Political Soapbox and agreed to end-of-October KCCI debate dates that her opponent did not accept; no general election debate had been agreed as of Oct. 1, 2026.
Sources: KCCI, Oct. 1, 2026, Des Moines Register via AOL, Aug. 14, 2026
Zach Nunn. Accepted KCCI's proposed debate terms and mid-October dates, though no KCCI debate was agreed with his opponent; holds mobile office hours across the district.
Sources: KCCI, Oct. 1, 2026, Office site, home page
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Sarah Trone Garriott. State senator since 2021, hospital chaplain and Lutheran pastor, with no formal conduct finding found.
Zach Nunn. Air Force combat aviator and Reserve officer, former White House National Security Council cybersecurity director and state legislator, with no formal conduct finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Zach Nunn
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Sarah Trone Garriott. Has taken the oath of the Iowa Senate since 2021. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Zach Nunn. Has served in the Air Force and held sworn state and federal office since 2015. Took his House seat in January 2023, after the January 2021 electoral count. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Zach Nunn
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Sarah Trone Garriott. Iowa state senator since January 2021 (Districts 22 and 14, re-elected in 2022); earlier a Lutheran pastor and interfaith coordinator with the Des Moines Area Religious Council.
Sources: Iowa Legislature, Senator Sarah Trone Garriott, Ballotpedia, Sarah Trone Garriott
Zach Nunn. In his second term in the U.S. House since January 2023, after four years each in the Iowa House (2015 to 2019) and Iowa Senate (2019 to 2023), and national security posts.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Zach Nunn, GovTrack, Zach Nunn
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Sarah Trone Garriott. Ranking member of the Iowa Senate Health and Human Services Committee; proposes term limits, a congressional stock trading ban and required open town halls for members of Congress.
Sources: Iowa Legislature, Senator Sarah Trone Garriott, Des Moines Register via AOL, Aug. 14, 2026
Zach Nunn. Vice chair of the Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions; also on the Agriculture Committee and the Select Committee on China.
Source: GovTrack, Zach Nunn
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Sarah Trone Garriott. Completed Ballotpedia's survey in 2020 and 2024, spoke at the Register Political Soapbox and offers a legislative newsletter.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Sarah Trone Garriott, Des Moines Register via AOL, Aug. 14, 2026, Iowa Legislature, Senator Sarah Trone Garriott
Zach Nunn. Publishes issue pages, offers email updates from his office and holds mobile office hours and county tours; agreed to a KCCI debate. Did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 or 2024 surveys.
Sources: Campaign site, Issues, Office site, home page
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Sarah Trone Garriott. Lives in West Des Moines and represents it in the Iowa Senate; born in Minneapolis. About 28 percent of itemized contributions by state came from Iowa.
Sources: Des Moines Register via AOL, Aug. 14, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Zach Nunn. Served Polk County districts in the Iowa House and Senate for eight years and says he grew up helping on an Iowa Century Farm. About 13 percent of itemized contributions by state came from Iowa.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Zach Nunn, Campaign site, About, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Sarah Trone Garriott. 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
Zach Nunn. 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
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Sarah Trone Garriott. No public record found.
Zach Nunn. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 1.149 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 1.190, meets expectations. His Rural Housing Service Reform Act of 2025 was enacted inside the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act in July 2026.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 4957
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Sarah Trone Garriott. No public record found.
Zach Nunn. Missed 67 of 1,917 roll call votes, 3.5 percent, from January 2023 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, Zach Nunn
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Sarah Trone Garriott. No public record found.
Zach Nunn. Lists district offices in Des Moines, Ottumwa and Creston, and his office site reports 3,949 resolved cases and 829 mobile office hours held.
Sources: Office site, Office Locations, Office site, home page
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Sarah Trone Garriott. No public record found.
Zach Nunn. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of 1.90186 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 10 of 436, in the top quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Sarah Trone Garriott. No public record found.
Zach Nunn. 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 3rd Congressional District?
Zach Nunn has the strongest record in Iowa's 3rd Congressional District. Zach Nunn scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Sarah Trone Garriott at 61, as of October 6, 2026. Zach Nunn's highest marks are relevant experience and coalition building. Sarah Trone Garriott's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Iowa's 3rd Congressional District in 2026?
Sarah Trone Garriott (Democratic), Zach Nunn (Republican, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Sarah Trone Garriott a good candidate for Congress?
Sarah Trone Garriott 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 Zach Nunn a good candidate for Congress?
Zach Nunn scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance 75 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
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.