Democrat Lanon Baccam launches run for Iowa's 3rd District, challenging Rep. Zach Nunn

Former U.S. Department of Agriculture official and veteran Lanon Baccam announced Thursday he was running for Iowa's 3rd House district, becoming the first Democrat to publicly challenge U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn for a seat that was decided by about 2,000 votes last cycle.

Baccam recently told the Des Moines Register he was exploring a run for the seat. On Thursday morning he made it official, sharing a video alongside endorsements from former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack and State Auditor Rob Sand.

"We can all sense and feel our country is incredibly polarized," Baccam said in his announcement video. "People are moving apart. And people are divided in their political camps. Nowhere is that more true than the U.S. Congress, and Zach Nunn is part of the problem."

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Baccam, the son of Tai Dam refugees from Laos and a native of Mount Pleasant, enrolled in the Iowa National Guard at 17 and served as a combat engineer in Afghanistan. He's worked in Iowa state government and for several other Iowa Democrats, and worked on President Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign as deputy state director in Iowa.

He's served several roles within the Department of Agriculture, most recently as deputy chief of staff, as well as military veteran liaison.

"In Congress, I’ll fight to lower costs for families, expand access to good paying jobs right here in Iowa, and ensure seniors can retire with dignity," Baccam said in a statement. "As a veteran who fought to protect our freedoms abroad, I will stand up here at home to protect women's reproductive freedoms. Every day, I will put Iowa first."

Vilsack, who heads the Department of Agriculture, endorsed Baccam in his personal capacity alongside his wife Christie.

"We have had the pleasure of knowing and working alongside Lanon for almost two decades, and we know that he is a deeply proud Iowan who will be a thoughtful, committed congressman for the 3rd district," the Vilsacks said in a statement.

Sand, the sole Democrat to hold a statewide office in Iowa, also backed Baccam.

"Throughout his decades of service, Lanon has shown his commitment to serving the people of Iowa — and he is exactly the leader we need in Congress," Sand said in a statement. "He is the best candidate to take on Zach Nunn and deliver real results for Iowans."

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Vilsack and Sand's endorsements are a mark of confidence in Baccam, the first publicly announced Democratic candidate in what could become a contested primary a year out from Election Day. Two other Democrats — Melissa Vine and Tracy Limon — have filed paperwork to run for the seat but have yet to make a formal announcement or report fundraising.

Nunn won the seat in a narrow 2022 race, defeating U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne by just over 2,000 votes as Republicans swept Iowa's congressional slate. His campaign on Thursday released a statement welcoming Baccam "back to Iowa from D.C."

"If he survives the primary, voters will have a clear choice between Zach — a thoughtful, independent and pragmatic representative for Iowans — and Lanon, a career Democrat political operative for Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton who will no doubt be a rubber stamp on their radical agenda he helped write," campaign manager Kendyl Parker said.

House Republicans' campaign arm criticized Iowa Democrats and Baccam in a statement Thursday.

"Democrats were rejected by every conceivable Iowa Democrat like Cindy Axne, Theresa Greenfield, Deidre DeJear and Sarah Trone Garriott, so they settled for DC insider and Biden rubber stamp Lanon Baccam," NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella said. "Clearly no Democrat is willing to defend Bidenomics or the open border except for Joe Biden's own staffers like Lanon Baccam."

Democrats remain optimistic they can flip the district, which includes Polk and Dallas counties, back to blue — it's one of 31 that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has identified as "vulnerable" in the 2023-24 cycle.

Galen Bacharier covers politics for the Register. Reach him at gbacharier@registermedia.com or (573) 219-7440, and follow him on Twitter @galenbacharier.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa 3rd District: Democrat Lanon Baccam launches run vs. Zach Nunn