Republican · Iowa's 3rd District · 2026
Zach Nunn
Nunn and his wife, Kelly, have six children, including two daughters they adopted after fostering.
Biography
Zach Nunn and his wife, Kelly, are raising six children, including two daughters they adopted after fostering.1 Their adoption was finalized in April 2023.1 Nunn grew up on Des Moines' east side in a family of teachers, nurses and farmers, helping on the family's century farm.2
He graduated from Southeast Polk High School and Drake University and earned master's degrees from Cambridge and the Air Command and Staff College.2 An Air Force airborne intelligence officer, he flew reconnaissance missions near Russia and China and deployed three times to the Middle East after September 11.2 He flew more than seven hundred combat hours.2
Nunn also served as cybersecurity director on the White House National Security Council and remains a colonel in the Air Force Reserve.2 He also serves on the House select committee examining competition with the Chinese Communist Party.2 After active duty, he served in Iowa's House and Senate before winning his first congressional election in 2022.23
Now on Agriculture and Financial Services, his priorities include renewable fuels, domestic energy production and national security.23 He supports greater adoption tax assistance, including help for families adopting siblings and families with lower incomes.1 He faces Democrat Sarah Trone Garriott in the 2026 election.4
Record and controversies
Defense secretary at campaign fundraiser
The Steady State, a group of former national security officials, asked the Office of Special Counsel on September 11, 2026 to investigate whether Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used official authority or resources at Nunn's August fundraiser.5 The group asked whether military travel had been reimbursed and expressly did not allege that reimbursement failed to occur.5 A Pentagon official said Hegseth attended in his personal capacity, while Nunn's spokesperson did not immediately respond to the Register; the published report described a request for investigation, not an Office of Special Counsel finding.5