District: IA-02
Cook Political Ranking: Likely R
Performance Voter Index: R+4
Lindsay James is a chaplain and State Representative who is running to flip Iowa’s 2nd congressional district blue. James has represented Iowa’s 99th House district since 2019. During her time in Iowa’s legislature, James has worked across party lines to expand access to affordable medication, champion affordable housing and mental health care, and advocate for policies that strengthen communities from the ground up. James is also an ordained Presbyterian Pastor and has spent her career as a college chaplain. She lives in Dubuque with her husband Christopher—a professor of theology at the University of Dubuque—and their two children. James is running for the U.S. House in Iowa because she believes that government should serve the people, not the powerful, and that “no one—no child, no farmer, no working family—should be pushed aside.”

Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District is based in the northeastern part of the state and includes the cities of Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Waverly, Waterloo, and Grinnell. Ahead of the 2022 race, this district changed under the redistricting process. The newly renumbered IA-02 seat, numbered IA-01 under the old lines, is currently held by GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson (R). Under the old district lines, in 2020, President Trump won the district by just 5 points; in 2024 Trump won this district by 10 points under the new lines. Rep. Hinson is running in the Iowa 2026 Senate contest, therefore this seat is open. In 2024, the race for IA-02 saw very little in outside spending, with Democratic candidate Sarah Corkery raising just over $500,000 and Rep. Hinson raising $5.5 million. In 2026, Lindsay James is running for this open seat, and the DCCC has included IA-02 in its Districts in Play program. V4P PAC has not yet endorsed in this race.