Iowa general election: November 3, 2026

Who is running for Attorney General (Iowa) in 2026?

Here are the candidates for Attorney General on the November 3, 2026 ballot. This race is on the ballot for all voters in Iowa.

Positions come only from each candidate's own votes, official actions, statements and questionnaire answers, never from party labels. Every item links to its source.

Side by side

Each candidate's position on the issues this office handles, from their own record. Details and sources are in each profile below.

Issue	Brenna BirdRepublican	Nate WillemsDemocrat
Abortion	Illegal, except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incestOfficial action · low	No public position
Guns	Keep current laws and enforce what is already on the booksOfficial action · medium	No public position
Immigration	Secure the border first; deport those with criminal records; keep legal immigration steadyOfficial action · medium	No public position
Election rules	Photo ID required, with current access otherwiseSaid · medium	No public position
Transgender athletes	No, teams should be based on biological sex, with open or coed optionsOfficial action · high	No public position
DEI programs	Ban DEI offices and required training at public institutionsOfficial action · medium	No public position

Brenna Bird

Republican · Incumbent

Attorney General of Iowa

Brenna Bird is the incumbent Republican Attorney General of Iowa, in her first term¹⁰. She says her first term doubled the prosecutors handling murder, rape and child molestation cases and set up a cold case unit for more than 400 unsolved homicides¹⁰. She faces Democrat Nate Willems on the November 3, 2026 ballot¹.

Where they stand 6 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

Transgender athletesNo, teams should be based on biological sex, with open or coed optionshigh
Official action · high confidence
- She led an 18-state brief challenging a Minnesota law that allows transgender girls and women in girls' and women's sports. (2025-10-14) source
- She said women's sports are for women and men's sports are for men, citing Title IX. (2025-10-14) source
ImmigrationSecure the border first; deport those with criminal records; keep legal immigration steadymedium
Official action · medium confidence
- Her office defended in federal court Iowa's law that prohibits illegal reentry into the state. (2024-06-10) source
- Her office appealed after a federal court blocked enforcement of Iowa's immigration law. (2024-06-20) source
- She called for securing the border and said Iowa's law keeps communities safe from cartels and traffickers. (2024-06-20) source
GunsKeep current laws and enforce what is already on the booksmedium
Official action · medium confidence
- She co-led a 21-state lawsuit against a federal rule expanding who must register as a firearms dealer. (2024-05-01) source
- She joined a 27-state brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse Illinois's ban on AR-15 style rifles and standard-capacity magazines. (2024-04-01) source
DEI programsBan DEI offices and required training at public institutionsmedium
Official action · medium confidence
- Her office opened an investigation into a governor's complaint that the University of Iowa was still enforcing DEI standards. (2025-07-30) source
- She said Regent universities must comply with the Iowa DEI Act (Iowa Code 261J) and Iowa Code Chapter 19. (2025-07-30) source
Election rulesPhoto ID required, with current access otherwisemedium
Said · medium confidence
- At the Iowa State Fair she said she supports voter ID. (2026-08-21) source
- Her office defended Iowa's 2021 election law in the Iowa Supreme Court; the plaintiffs then dismissed their case. (2025-01-09) source
AbortionIllegal, except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incestlow
Official action · low confidence
- Her office defended Iowa's heartbeat law before the Iowa Supreme Court, which upheld it. (2024-06) source
- She said she was grateful to defend the heartbeat law and protect the unborn. (2024-06-28) source

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Energy and climate, School choice, Curriculum and books, Housing and growth, Policing and crime, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, School vaccines, Nuclear power, Religion in schools, China policy.

Nate Willems

Democrat

Attorney and former Iowa state representative

Nate Willems is a Democratic attorney in a Cedar Rapids law firm who served in the Iowa House for Linn County from 2009 to 2013². He says he won $15 million for University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics workers in an overtime pay case and has pursued wage theft cases³. He is the Democratic nominee against incumbent Brenna Bird¹.

No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Abortion, Guns, Immigration, Energy and climate, School choice, Curriculum and books, Housing and growth, Policing and crime, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Gender care for minors, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy.

Last reviewed 2026-10-06. Spotted something wrong? Every claim links to its source so you can check it yourself.