Vance makes Iowa debut with a midterm message: 'This is not a normal election'

JD VanceVance makes Iowa debut with a midterm message: 'This is not a normal election'The vice president visited the state that hosts the first presidential caucuses to make a pitch for Rep. Zach Nunn, a Republican locked in a tough re-election fight this year.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Vice President JD Vance boards Air Force Two on his way to Iowa on Tuesday.Roberto Schmidt / Pool via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 5, 2026, 7:43 PM EDTBy Henry J. GomezDES MOINES, Iowa — Vice President JD Vance took repeated shots at Democrats here Tuesday in a midterm year effort to boost a vulnerable Republican congressman.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.“This is not a normal election,” Vance said to a crowd of several hundred gathered on the warehouse floor of a company that makes grilles for truck guards. “This is not a normal political environment,” the vice president continued. “This is a contest between a party that wants to take all of your money and give it to illegal aliens and a contest between gentlemen like Zach Nunn who fight every single day for you.”Vance’s event was billed as a White House message to American workers, as well as an effort to promote Nunn, who is locked in a tough re-election fight in the 3rd District. Nunn’s seat is one of three that Democrats have hopes of flipping this fall in a state that also is expected to have competitive open races for governor and Senate.But Vance’s trip — his first to the state as vice president — came with added political weight. Iowa traditionally holds the first presidential caucuses, and Vance is widely seen as White House contender in 2028. Throughout the room, there was an expectation that the visit would be the first of many for him.“Let me say this, Mr. Vice President, you are absolutely invited to every single part of Iowa,” the state’s Republican attorney general, Brenna Bird, said in her remarks to...