Top Trump Officials Head to Iowa to Boost GOP Campaigns

Washington — The Trump administration is sending a slate of senior officials to Iowa in the coming days to campaign for Republican candidates, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.

The group includes Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins and U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker, according to the sources. Their schedules in Iowa were not immediately available.

The visits are timed to the Iowa State Fair, which begins Thursday and runs through Aug. 23. The fair is traditionally a pivotal stop for candidates, drawing large crowds and heavy news coverage in a compressed stretch of the campaign calendar.

Several Iowa Republicans are facing difficult races. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks is running against Democrat Christina Bohannan in Iowa's 1st Congressional District, and Rep. Zach Nunn is being challenged by Democrat Sarah Trone Garriott in the 3rd District. Rep. Ashley Hinson is running for the U.S. Senate against Democrat Josh Turek.

The administration officials will follow other national Republican figures who were already on the ground. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise was in Iowa on Wednesday, as was Republican National Committee head Joe Gruters. They were joined by Reps. Jason Smith of Missouri, Pete Stauber of Minnesota and Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin.

The deployment underscores how closely the White House is tied to the party's effort to defend competitive House seats and win a Senate contest in a state that has trended Republican in recent cycles but where Democrats are contesting multiple races.