Democratic congressional candidate Sarah Trone Garriott said her opponent, U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, was not truly “tough on China” as she spoke to a crowd at the Iowa State Fair Friday.
Trone Garriott opened her speech at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox introducing her background as a pastor and as “one of the rare Iowa Democrats that represents a Republican district in the state Senate.” She won her seat in 2022 by defeating then-Senate President Jake Chapman. She is again challenging a Republican incumbent in 2026 as she aims to unseat Nunn in the 3rd Congressional District.
She said since Nunn took office in 2023, he has voted for measures that are “hurting” Iowans and raising costs, pointing to his support for the 2025 “One, Big Beautiful Bill Act” making cuts to Medicaid funding and his votes allowing the continuation of President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.
Trone Garriott said to explain Nunn’s votes, “all you need to do is look at his campaign fundraising reports, and you’ll see the answer. His reelection campaign is entirely supported by corporate PACs, by big pharma, by pesticide companies.”
She said Nunn’s campaign has also received support from Chinese companies, and said his voting record in the U.S. House has shown this.
“Zach Nunn talks a tough game about China,” Trone Garriott said. “He is actually on the committee that’s supposed to hold China accountable, but he has not been able to show up to half of the committee meetings, to be part of that process. He couldn’t be bothered to show up. Why? Because he’s taken thousands from Chinese companies, and then he’s voted to sell out Iowa farmers and Iowa businesses. He voted for a tax cut for those Chinese corporations, and he voted to allow them to buy Iowa farmlands.”
Trone Garriott was referring to Nunn’s work on the U.S. House Select Committee on Communist China, a committee he was appointed to serve on in 2025. Her comments also follow Nunn speaking critically about China at a America First Policy Institute forum Wednesday, where the congressman said, “Republicans and Democrats in the past have always talked a big game about China. Very few have actually had the wherewithal to hold China accountable,” Radio Iowa reported.
A Nunn campaign spokesperson said Trone Garriott’s comments are contradicted by Nunn’s work in Congress.
“Sarah Trone Garriott’s lies can’t erase Zach Nunn’s record: 27 bills signed into law under Presidents Trump and Biden,” a Nunn campaign spokesperson said in a statement. “As an Air Force Colonel, counterintelligence officer, and Congressman, Zach has spent his career confronting the CCP — delivering bipartisan protections for Iowa farmland, food security, and national defense. She attacks Zach’s results because she has no record, or plan, of her own.”
Nunn has regularly criticized China in his role as a congressman, introducing and supporting several measures to combat certain Chinese trade practices, and target Chinese fentanyl producers. He also introduced legislation that would require the State Department to “analyze and mitigate legal and financial risks before accepting investment or lending from China or other foreign adversaries,” as well as a bill requiring the Secretary of State and other federal entities submit a report assessing the impact of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on global infrastructure.
He has also been supportive of Taiwan maintaining self-governance from China, leading a trade delegation to Taiwan in April as chair of the Republican Study Committee’s National Security Task Force. Nunn said his support for Taiwan reflected the trade agenda advanced by the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress, saying, “I believe strongly in a free trade relationship, particularly for the countries that align with the United States — even as we look to decouple from countries who continue to cheat in tariffs, manipulate on tariffs.”
Trone Garriott told reporters Nunn’s actions in Congress did not reflect a true “tough on China” approach.
“Being tough on China would look like showing up and doing your duty, taking that responsibility very seriously, you know, being on the committee and actually being in all the meetings — not taking money from Chinese corporations, and making sure that Iowa farmland stays in the hands of the people of the United States,” Trone Garriott said.
While Trone Garriott criticized Nunn on his China position — as well as for not holding public town halls — Republicans have rallied against Trone Garriott as a “radical” candidate. U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise linked Trone Garriott to democratic socialism at a Wednesday event in Iowa supporting Nunn, although Trone Garriott has not identified as a “socialist” and is not affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America organization. Nunn has also challenged her position on legislation related to transgender women being allowed to use women’s locker rooms or participate in women’s sports.
Trone Garriott said these claims are false, and that some of her votes in the state Senate have been “twisted out of shape by folks who will try to attack you” in campaign ads and statements.
“What they’re saying is just not true, and they don’t have anything good to talk about, so they’re going to attack me,” she said.
Friday was first day for The Des Moines Register Political Soapbox, which continues during the 11 days of the fair. See the schedule here.
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