DES MOINES, Iowa \u2014 Vice President JD Vance took repeated shots at Democrats here Tuesday in a midterm-year effort to boost a vulnerable Republican congressman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is not a normal election,\u201d Vance told a crowd of several hundred on the warehouse floor of a company that makes grilles for truck guards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is not a normal political environment,\u201d he continued. \u201cThis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vance\u2019s 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\u2019s 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 the Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Vance\u2019s trip \u2014 his first to the state as vice president \u2014 came with added political weight. Iowa traditionally holds the first presidential caucuses, and Vance is widely seen as a White House contender in 2028. Throughout the room, there was an expectation that the visit would be the first of many for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet me say this, Mr. Vice President, you are absolutely invited to every single part of Iowa,\u201d the state\u2019s Republican attorney general, Brenna Bird, said in her remarks to open the event. \u201cWe\u2019d all like to see you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nunn referred to Vance in his introduction as his \u201cwing man\u201d and praised him as a father. When Vance took the stage, he carefully recognized each of the high-ranking Republicans in the room, including Gov. Kim Reynolds and state party chair Jeff Kaufmann. And his speech was loaded with personal touches, including biographical details familiar to those who read his 2016 memoir, \u201cHillbilly Elegy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s heartbreaking for a kid who came from a union Democrat family to realize that Democrats, these days, they seem to care more about gender transition than they do about you keeping more of your hard-earned money,\u201d Vance said. \u201cAnd I really do believe this, that there are Democrats like my Mamaw and Papaw all over the great state of Iowa. But I hate to say it, and I hate to break it to you, but there are none left in Washington, D.C.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vance became emotional when he talked about the Iran war and how he and his 6-year-old son, who traveled with him Tuesday, met briefly with two Gold Star families from Iowa upon landing in Des Moines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo I get in the car with my little 6-year-old, you know, and I look into those big eyes \u2014 his eyes remind me of his mother\u2019s eyes \u2014 and I think to myself, what an amazing blessing it is to be able to be a father in the freest and most prosperous country anywhere in the history of the world,\u201d said Vance, a Marine Corps veteran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He continued: \u201cAnd I thought to myself, what would I say? What would I say if this beautiful 6-year-old boy got older and decided, like his dad … and like so many of you here, decided to put on the uniform of his country, and I thought to myself, on the one hand, I\u2019d be so proud of him. But on the other hand, I\u2019d be so terrified that what happened to those two families would happen to this boy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most of Vance\u2019s remarks, though, traced back to the midterm elections and, specifically, Nunn\u2019s race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
National Republican Congressional Campaign spokesperson Emily Tuttle said: \u201cFor years, Democrats forgot about Iowa and left rural communities behind. But President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Zach Nunn have worked together to deliver commonsense wins for working families, from lower taxes and safer communities to stronger support for farmers and American manufacturing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vance took several shots at state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, Nunn\u2019s Democratic challenger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA lot of people are going to tell you that this is a bellwether here, that Iowa\u2019s 3rd is the most vulnerable in the country,\u201d Nunn told the audience before Vance took the stage. \u201cBut I know this much is true. … We\u2019re pragmatists. We\u2019re hard workers. But we want results. And each of you in this room are going to help us deliver a resounding win this November.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a statement, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Katie Smith said: \u201cJD Vance\u2019s visit to Iowa\u2019s Third District today is a reminder that Zach Nunn has become just another D.C. politician who prioritizes rolling out the red carpet for his fellow D.C. politicians over working for Iowa families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several Republicans in the crowd who spoke to NBC News said they were excited about the possibility of a Vance 2028 bid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI would absolutely support JD Vance,\u201d said April Melton, chair of the Black Hawk County GOP. \u201cHe\u2019s young. He has a young family to bring to the White House.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asked about two other potential Republican presidential contenders, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Melton replied: \u201cI think that they do a fabulous job where they\u2019re at.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brad Boustead, a Republican from Urbandale, a Des Moines suburb, called Vance a \u201cgreat guy\u201d and said Vance is \u201cdefinitely\u201d someone he could see himself caucusing for in 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRubio is great,\u201d Boustead added. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, he continued, \u201cmade a good showing in Iowa. I was a Trump person, and the Trump supporters were too strong, but DeSantis did everything right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n