Republican hopefuls pitch campaigns at Storm Lake forum ahead of primary

Storm Lake’s Buena Vista University turned into one of northwest Iowa’s political stages Saturday night, when about 70 people came out to hear Republican hopefuls make their case to Buena Vista County voters before the June 2 primary.

The Buena Vista County Republicans-sponsored forum, held in Anderson Auditorium and moderated by State Sen. Lynn Evans of Aurelia, opened with a nod to familiar faces in the room. Evans recognized former Congressman Steve King, state Rep. Megan Jones, former Rep. Gary Worthan and Buena Vista County Sheriff Kory Elston, setting a local tone for a night that mixed county politics with statewide ambitions. Jim Carlin arrived later in the program, while other invited candidates, including Ashley Hinson, Zach Lahn, Randy Feenstra and Chris McGowan, were not there.

The gathering came after the February 23 to March 13 filing window for state and federal offices and after the Iowa Secretary of State released the final June 2 candidate list. In Buena Vista County, where the 2020 Census counted 20,823 residents, a room of 70 still carries weight. Campaigns continue to treat Storm Lake and the surrounding northwest Iowa counties as places where direct contact matters, not just television spots or social media posts.

Adam Steen leaned on his background in state operations and project management, citing his work consolidating state agencies and moving the Glenwood Resource Center property. His pitch emphasized skilled trades, family stability and a smaller role for government, with education tied to school-private industry partnerships in health care and the trades. Among the three gubernatorial hopefuls, Steen’s message was the most rooted in administration and execution.

Brad Sherman, a former state representative and pastor, framed his campaign around constitutional principles and what he described as restoring the foundations of freedom. He also brought the discussion into policy detail, pointing to small modular nuclear reactors and methane production at ethanol plants as energy options for Iowa. Sherman said schools need curriculum and discipline changes, placing education alongside his broader call for a more limited government. A U.S. Department of Energy expert has told Iowa’s Nuclear Energy Task Force that a first-of-its-kind small modular reactor would likely cost about $4 billion and take up to five years to build, underscoring the scale of that debate.

Eddie Andrews focused on property rights, mental health, corruption and parental rights, and pointed to his success in a Democratic-leaning district as proof his message can cross party lines. With Carlin on the Republican ballot for U.S. Senate after filing March 2, the forum showed how actively the party is working northwest Iowa ahead of the primary. Compared with a separate GOP gathering in Holstein that drew about 200 people, the Storm Lake forum was smaller, but it still confirmed that Buena Vista County remains a place where candidates come to test their messages in person.