Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa won a primary against a former CIA officer and retired Army Ranger on Tuesday after a battle over who was the more conservative candidate.
Feenstra overcame a challenge from Rep. Kevin Virgil, who tried to strip her of her nomination. Feenstra is seeking re-election to her third term in the House of Representatives.
Feenstra has significantly outspent his opponents during the election: As of mid-May, he had spent $3.3 million on the campaign trail and had about $1.1 million in the bank.
Virgil spent about $83,000 and had just over $4,000 left over.
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Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) asks Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young during a House Budget Committee hearing on President Biden’s fiscal year 2023 budget on March 29, 2022. (Rod Ramkey Pool/Getty Images)
Feenstra touted his record on a variety of issues, including securing the southern border, fighting for Hawkeye State farmers, standing up to China and supporting Israel. Virgil criticized Feenstra’s votes in favor of aid to foreign countries, including Israel, saying he opposes aid unless it is in the country’s interest.
“Israel is a sovereign nation and certainly has a right to defend itself, but I’m not convinced that sending billions of dollars in foreign aid to Israel when the Israeli government often doesn’t ask the United States for that help is a good strategy to prioritize American interests,” Virgil said in an interview with CBS News.
Virgil has the endorsement of former Rep. Steve King, who represented the area but lost to Feenstra in his bid for a 10th term in the 2020 primary. Feenstra has the endorsement of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.
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According to the Des Moines Register, Virgil said during a recent debate that he decided to run because he thought Feenstra had “quietly proven himself to be one of the worst conservatives in Congress.”
But Feenstra told the Register that Virgil was “the more liberal of the two of us” and hadn’t lived in Iowa for years before deciding to return home to run for Congress. Virgil said he plans to return to Iowa for a while.
Kevin Virgil is challenging Rep. Randy Feenstra for the Republican nomination in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District. (Congressman Virgil)
The two have also been battling over energy issues that directly affect the state, including ethanol-related standards.
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The 4th District is the safest seat for Iowa Republicans: In the 2020 presidential election, voters there backed Trump with 62% of the vote compared to Biden’s 36%, meaning Feenstra is the favorite to win in this fall’s general election.
Feenstra will face off against Democrat Ryan Melton, whom he defeated by a wide margin in the 2020 election.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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