KDSN RADIO News
Feenstra meets with Iowa’s ‘MAGA Nation’ group
Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra met with a crowd of avid Trump supporters last night, fielding questions about his campaign for governor and his neutrality during the early months of the 2024 presidential campaign.
A woman in the audience noted Feenstra did not endorse Trump prior to the Iowa Caucuses. “You didn’t endorse him, so my comment is: ‘How confident are you that President Donald J. Trump is going to give you his?’ she asked.
Feenstra mentioned his recent trip on Air Force One with President Trump. “I’m telling you what, I’m working to earn it, and me and him have talked a lot about what it means to grow this great state and how to make this state again the best state in the country, and that’s what we want,” Feenstra said, getting some applause from the crowd.
Gary Leffler, a 2022 Iowa congressional candidate who’s backing Zach Lahn in the race for governor, criticized Feenstra for not attending forums alongside the other candidates. “All of us right here, we’re grassroots. We’re the put-the-signs, knock-the-doors, do all that stuff, and when you don’t show up for the debates or the forums, you’re basically giving all of us a sharp stick in the eye,” Leffler said.
Feenstra replied: “Thank you, Gary. And I’ll tell you — you know what? I go around every place in Iowa, having meet and greets because I want to meet people just like you to answer questions and say, ‘Hey, how can we make Iowa a better place to live?'”
After the event, Feenstra told reporters the campaign will shift once it’s clear which candidates have qualified for the Primary ballot. “The filing deadline for governor is not ’til March 13, so we don’t even know who’s going to be in the race,” Feenstra said, “so once that’s settled, hey, that’s the time to debate.”
Until then, Feenstra said he’ll continue traveling the state and meeting voters face to face. Former state agency director Adam Steen, businessman Zach Lahn, state Representative Eddie Andrews, and pastor Brad Sherman have been raising money and campaigning for governor. During 2025, Feenstra raised $4.3 million for his gubernatorial campaign. The only other candidate running for governor who raised more was Democrat Rob Sand, who reported raising $9.5 million in 2025.
