IOWA, USA — Lanon Baccam, a military veteran who mostly recently worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, announced Thursday he is running for Iowa's 3rd Congressional District to unseat Republican Zach Nunn in 2024.
"We can all sense and feel our country is incredibly polarized. People are moving apart. And people are divided in their political camps," he said in an announcement video posted to Facebook. "Nowhere is that more true than the U.S. Congress, and Zach Nunn is part of the problem.
Baccam's biography says he was born and raised in Mount Pleasant before joining the Iowa National Guard at age 17 and being deployed to Afghanistan in 2004.
"As a combat engineer, I was on the frontlines detonating unexploded ordinance and weapons caches," Baccam said in his video. "I was proud of my service and grateful to make it home."
He later worked at the USDA under Secretary of Agriculture and former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack.
State Auditor Rob Sand and Vilsack announced shortly thereafter that they are endorsing Baccam.
In 2022, Nunn narrowly beat Democratic incumbent Cindy Axne with the official tallies separated by just 2,145 votes.
While Baccam has announced his campaign, two other Democrats have filed candidacy paperwork with the Federal Election Commission: Melissa Vine and Tracy Limon.
Next year's general election is scheduled for Nov. 5, 2024. Nunn has already filed his 2024 Statement of Candidacy paperwork with the FEC.
"We recognize that we are in one of the most hotly contested seats nationwide," Nunn told Radio Iowa in August.