Chris McGowan is running for Congress in Iowa’s 4th district. He re-affirms his support for the continued military operation in Iran, albeit with some caveats. He also explains his thinking on tariffs after they still haven’t achieved their goal, but he also discusses why civil treatment of his political opponent is important.
McGowan, an Air Force veteran, explains his children are currently serving. He says he supported bombing of Iran to remove nuclear weapons, but says continued war must be justified through the lens of the country posing an immediate threat. McGowan also explains why he wants to be “unpopular” by limiting spending, and why he wants to return civility to Congress.
McGowan, a 23-year veteran of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce and Siouxland Initiative, is anchoring his platform on fiscal restraint, economic revitalization, and regulatory relief. Highlighting that the national debt has reached $40 trillion—and noting that in 2024, debt servicing costs surpassed national defense spending for the first time in U.S. history—McGowan advocates for a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget. Pointing to Iowa’s fiscal discipline, which limits state spending to 99% of anticipated revenue, McGowan argues that federal expenditures must be drastically curtailed. “When I go to DC, my first priority is not to pass legislation. My first priority is to limit the growth of government so that we can get our national debt, begin to address our national debt,” McGowan stated. Addressing foreign trade impacts on local agriculture and businesses like Sioux City’s century-old Sue Bee Honey co-op, he emphasized the need for trade tariffs to be non-retroactive, easing pressure on farmers facing rising costs for seed, fertilizer, and diesel.
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Defense Priorities, Title IX, and Campaign Civility
A military veteran whose father served in Vietnam and whose five eldest children currently serve in uniform, McGowan approaches foreign conflict through a lens of strict scrutiny regarding military deployments. Addressing ongoing operations in Iran, McGowan stressed that engaging military assets requires clear criteria. “Imminent is a measure of time, and a threat is a measure of degree. They’re two different things, and they have to coalesce and come together for us to risk the lives of the young men and women who defend this country,” he explained.
Beyond defense, McGowan advocated for maintaining Title IX protections in athletics, citing Iowa track champion Ainsley Erzen, whose national-winning 800-meter time was surpassed by 85 out of 89 male competitors in the state that same year. On the campaign trail, McGowan expressed a desire to elevate political discourse following a meeting with his Democratic opponent at the Woodbury County Fair. “What we’re going to aim to do is to disagree without being disagreeable, to end ad hominem attacks, and to focus on issues and priorities in our agenda,” McGowan said.