Independent congressional candidate Dave Bushaw said this week that his campaign has collected enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District.
Bushaw is seeking the seat currently held by Rep. Ashley Hinson, a Republican who is not seeking reelection to the House to instead focus on a bid for U.S. Senate. Several Republicans and Democrats are also seeking their respective parties’ nominations for the district, with primary voters set to choose those nominees in June.
As an independent candidate, under state law, Bushaw needs at least 1,726 signatures to qualify for the ballot, including at least 47 signatures from at least half of the counties in the district. His campaign must submit those signatures by June 2.
“I am officially announcing today that our campaign – despite concerted efforts to stop us – has secured the minimum ballot access requirements to appear on the November 2026 ballot in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District,” Bushaw said in a statement Wednesday, though he did not specify how many signatures his campaign has collected beyond meeting the minimum.
Bushaw said his campaign faced difficulties related to “changes to qualification requirements” and outdated information on the Iowa Secretary of State’s website before collecting enough signatures to meet the ballot access threshold. He said the campaign knocked on more than 7,000 doors, including visits to job sites, and claimed that 88% of the people contacted signed his petitions.
Bushaw also said he anticipates further legal challenges to his signatures from “the same tired playbooks since before I was born.” In preparation, he said he will continue to collect signatures through the month of May.
According to his campaign biography, Bushaw is a farmer and folk musician whose work has focused on labor rights, rural communities, and local accountability. He developed Solidarity Fields, a squash farm, and previously worked as a rural field organizer for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign in Iowa, Nevada, and South Carolina.
Bushaw has also worked with United Today, Stronger Tomorrow and helped organize Concerned Citizens of Pottawattamie County, a local advocacy and transparency group. His biography further identifies him as a co-founder of Real Men’s Circles, a project focused on helping men find community and develop practical life skills.
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