¶ How To Win Against Joe Mitchell
Joe Mitchell is a social climber who is more interested in running for Congress and schmoozing with national Republicans than actually representing the people of Iowa’s 2nd congressional district. Mitchell was proud to back the Big Ugly Bill that took health care and food assistance from Iowans. He was an emphatic supporter of Trump’s tariffs, despite the damage it caused to Iowa farmers. While in the Iowa state legislature Mitchell sold out Iowa landowners and sided with the company who wanted to build a pipeline in their backyard. Mitchell had accepted a large donation from that company just days before his vote in their favor. Mitchell never even lived in the 2nd congressional district until shortly before announcing his run for congress and he’s been spending his campaign at Mar-A-Lago and jet-setting around the country. If elected to Congress, Mitchell would be just another self-serving DC swamp creature who would leave Iowans behind for the spotlight.
¶ Mitchell Backed National Republicans’ Reconciliation Bill, Which Included Cutting Health Care For Iowans
- Mitchell supported National Republicans’ Big Beautiful Bill and even claimed the United States was better off because of it. The same bill that cut health coverage for 17 million Americans, including nearly 12 million Medicaid beneficiaries. More than 26,000 Iowans in the second congressional district were at risk of losing their health coverage as a result of passage of bill.
Message: Mitchell supported a bill that kicked Iowans off their health coverage all to give billionaires tax breaks.
¶ Mitchell Backed national republicans’ reconciliation bill, which would trigger medicare cuts.
- Mitchell supported National Republicans’ Big Beautiful Bill and even claimed the United States was better off because of it. The same bill projected to trigger nearly $500 billion in Medicare cuts absent future congressional action. More than 685,000 Iowans relied on Medicare plans for health insurance.
Message: Mitchell supported a bill that triggered cuts to services seniors relied on.
¶ Mitchell supported tariffs that were raising costs on iowans and harming iowa farmers.
- On the campaign trail, Mitchell had nothing but positive things to say about Trump’s tariffs. He said he was “supportive of the president and what he’s done with tariffs.”
- Iowans on the other hand, expressed concern about the impact of Trump’s tariffs on the economy. One Iowa State University professor of economics told a reporter “we’re all going to be poorer” after Trump’s tariffs took effect. Farmers were also struggling after Trump’s tariffs that caused China to stop buying American soybeans. The Iowa Farmers Union president said farmers were losing money on every bushel they produced Iowa’s two main crops. One cattle producer said, “We’re tired of being a pawn…and we’re tired of being sacrificed.”
Message: Mitchell was eager to back an economic agenda that led to more hardship for Iowa farmers.
¶ Mitchell Supported a Bill that cut food assistance for iowans
- Mitchell claimed Trump did more on affordability than any other president, even after he cut food assistance for Iowans. Mitchell supported National Republicans’ Big Beautiful Bill and even claimed the United States was better off because of it despite it containing the largest cut to SNAP in history. An estimated 25,709 households in Iowa’s second district relied on SNAP benefits.
Message: Mitchell supported cutting food assistance that Iowans relied on to afford groceries.
¶ Mitchell Gave His Full Support To Trump’s Agenda, Which Included DOGE Cuts That Weakened Social Security And Cancer Research
- Mitchell supported DOGE and even said he thought millions more federal workers should be fired. Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) weakened the Social Security Administration and cost Iowans their jobs. DOGE cuts caused longer wait times, frequent website crashes, and mass layoffs in Social Security offices across the country, making it harder for Iowa seniors to access their benefits. Effects from DOGE-era cuts lingered at Social Security offices across the nation even a year later.
- Iowa veterans were especially at risk after DOGE cuts. One Iowa City Department of Veterans’ Affairs worker claimed DOGE job cuts could push them to a “breaking point.” The cuts also posed a threat to critical health research conducted at the University of Iowa funded by the National Institutes of Health. DOGE proposed slashing $18 billion from NIH budget, which could impact over 18,000 jobs and 1,600 businesses in Iowa, including ones conducting cancer research.
Message: Mitchell backed an agenda that hamstrung services for seniors, cut thousands of jobs, and threatened critical research across his state.
¶ Mitchell Accepted A Large Donation From The CEO Of The Company Trying To Build A Pipeline In Iowa Just Days Before He Voted To Make Way For The Pipeline’s Development
- In 2022, Mitchell voted in the Iowa state legislature against a bill to protect Iowa landowners from the use of eminent domain in lieu of a proposal to build a large carbon pipeline across the state. It was later revealed that Mitchell had a close relationship with a senior policy advisor of the company vying to build the pipeline. Moreover, Mitchell received a $10,000 donation from the company’s CEO just eight days before his vote.
Message: If Mitchell engaged in pay-to-play in the Iowa state legislature who’s to say he won’t in congress?
¶ Mitchell Never Lived In The District He Wanted To Represent
- Mitchell reportedly grew up in southeast Iowa, but never lived in the second congressional district, the one he was campaigning to represent. One reporter discovered Mitchell changed his voting address from a Des Moines apartment to a rental in Clear Lake to better align with the second district map.
Message: Mitchell was running to represent a community he was not a part of.
¶ Mitchell Spent A Lot Of Time in palm beach, florida For Someone Running For Congress In Iowa
- Since entering his race for Congress, Mitchell spent a lot of his time going to luncheons, galas, and fundraisers with Trump and his allies at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. His campaign also spent $77,000 at the Palm Beach club since December 2025. He also takes every opportunity to raise his profile by speaking at national conventions, like CPAC and AmericaFest, and meeting with national conservative figures who aren’t even from Iowa.
Message: Mitchell was more interested in fundraising and climbing the social ladder than learning about the issues that matter most to Iowans in the second district.
¶ Issue Briefs
¶ Joe Mitchell Supported Policies That Hurt Everyday Iowans
Mitchell Supported A Bill That Took Health Coverage From Iowans
Mitchell Supported Policies That Put Iowa Seniors At-Risk
Mitchell Supported A Bill That Cut Food Assistance For Iowans
Mitchell Supported Policies That Raised Costs On Iowans
¶ Joe Mitchell Used His Power To Benefit The Powerful And Himself
Mitchell Spent A Lot Of Time In Palm Beach, FL For Someone Running For Congress In Iowa
While In The State Legislature, Mitchell Accepted A Large Donation From The CEO Of A Company Trying to Build A Pipeline In Iowa Days Before He Voted To Make Way For The Pipeline's Development
Mitchell Moved To IA-02 To Run For Congress