JD Vance Stumps in Iowa as GOP Defends $25 Million Nebraska Senate Push

3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 18

Council Bluffs, Iowa, marked Vance’s second trip to the state since May, with the vice president urging Republicans in a deep-red district to turn out as Democrats threaten competitive races for Senate, governor and two House seats.
Trump advisers said the stop was part of a broader White House effort to lift soft GOP enthusiasm in swing states, even in places Trump carried by 13 points in Iowa and 16 points in neighboring Kansas.
Farm pressure has become a central obstacle: Vance touted $40 billion in farm aid and new export markets, while Iowa Democrats highlighted rising diesel costs and backlash to Trump’s temporary beef-import decision.
The strain extends across the region, where Republicans are also scrambling in Kansas and Nebraska; in Nebraska alone, the GOP and its allies are spending nearly $25 million to protect a Senate seat.
For Vance, the rally also doubled as a 2028 test run in the first caucus state, though he says he will decide after the midterms and Trump has not publicly endorsed him.