Democratic candidate Sarah Trone Garriott and Republican incumbent Zach Nunn are both under scrutiny in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District race after each faced criticism over campaign donations and ties to companies connected to China.
The contest has become a flashpoint over U.S.-China relations, with both campaigns accusing the other of hypocrisy on foreign influence and agricultural policy.
The race is seen as pivotal for control of the House, drawing attention to the candidates’ records on China and their campaign funding sources. The district includes Iowa’s capital and is considered a key target for Democrats.
Trone Garriott’s Attack Ad and Voting Record
Last week, Trone Garriott’s campaign released an ad alleging that Nunn failed to hold China accountable, claiming he missed nearly half the hearings of the House committee on Chinese Communist Party threats and accepted contributions from China-based agribusinesses. The ad also accused Nunn of voting to allow Chinese companies to buy American farmland and sponsoring a bill that would help China sell more pork, which it argued would harm Iowa farmers.
However, Nunn has supported legislation such as the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act and the Protecting U.S. Farmland and Sensitive Sites From Foreign Adversaries Act, both aimed at restricting foreign—especially Chinese—ownership of U.S. farmland. He led passage of the latter bill, which strengthens national security reviews of agricultural land purchases near military sites by Chinese state-owned companies.
Trone Garriott’s own voting record has also drawn criticism. In 2023, she voted against a bill in the Iowa Senate that would have prohibited men from accessing women’s locker rooms, despite running ads suggesting she opposed such access. The Cedar Rapids Gazette’s Althea Cole called this “the most egregious example of saying one thing and voting another.”
Campaign Contributions and China Connections
Federal campaign finance records show that Nunn’s campaign and his Call to Serve PAC received $17,500 from the Syngenta Corporation Employee Political Action Committee between 2022 and May of this year, and over $1,000 from Smithfield Foods. Syngenta is owned by China National Chemical Corp, a Chinese state-owned conglomerate, while Smithfield has been owned by China’s WH Group since 2013.
Trone Garriott’s campaign has also received donations linked to China. Alan Klein, a corporate lawyer who represented ChemChina in its $43 billion acquisition of Syngenta, contributed $3,000 to her campaign in February. Jonathan and Jennifer Soros, whose family fund invested $25 million in China’s Hainan Airlines in 2005, donated a total of $14,000 to Trone Garriott’s campaign.
Nunn’s Background and Committee Role
Nunn, a former Air Force intelligence officer and current colonel in the Air Force Reserve, has emphasized his national security credentials and opposition to Chinese influence. He was appointed to the bipartisan House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, which is tasked with assessing threats from China and proposing strategies to counter them, according to a February 2025 press release.
“Zach Nunn spent 20 years in the Air Force standing up to America’s adversaries and has gotten legislation to counter the Chinese Communist Party signed into law. Iowans don’t have to guess where he stands. The same can’t be said about Sarah Trone Garriott, whose only record on China is cashing CCP-linked campaign checks.”
— Nunn campaign spokesman
Nunn has also publicly urged the White House to hold Beijing accountable for trade commitments to Iowa farmers, stating, “Any new trade agreement must be enforceable and open markets for American products without giving China more leverage over our farmers, manufacturers, or national security.”
Responses and Ongoing Debate
Trone Garriott’s campaign has not publicly addressed the donations from Klein or the Soros family. While her ads criticize Nunn’s attendance and contributions, they do not mention her own campaign’s China-linked donors. Nunn’s campaign has dismissed the attacks as misleading and pointed to his legislative record and military service as evidence of his stance against Chinese influence.
The race remains closely contested, with both sides facing questions about consistency between their rhetoric and campaign finances. The outcome may hinge on which candidate can more convincingly argue their independence from foreign interests and commitment to Iowa’s agricultural sector.
