GOP gubernatorial candidate Adam Steen addresses death threat against campaign

AMES – Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Steen, speaking Friday during a campaign stop at Wallaby’s restaurant in Ames, addressed an earlier death threat against his campaign .

Steen also discussed his proposals for education, reproductive health care and eminent domain, as well as the current value of an endorsement from President Donald Trump

The event, part of Steen’s “Full Steen Ahead Tour,” came four days after Steen’s campaign reported receiving a death threat prior to a campaign event in Oskaloosa.

According to a press release from the Steen campaign, a man had called the Smokey Row Coffee shop in Oskaloosa one week before the event, saying that any attendees, including Steen, would be “shot and stabbed” if they attended the event.

Steen, taking questions during the Ames event, said he was en route to Oskaloosa with his children and father-in-law when he received a phone call from his campaign advisors to cancel the coffee shop event.

“I got a call from my team, who had just shown up at the coffee shop, and they said, ‘Hey, don’t show up, we just found out that there has been somebody calling and making death threats over the past several days,’” Steen said. “He was saying he was going to kill me and shoot up the place, so we called the authorities, they showed up and did a wonderful job,” Steen said.

Steen described the incident as “unfortunate,” saying his campaign will not be afraid of violent threats.

“I think there are people out there that realize we are a threat,” Steen said. “There are threats out there, but we’re not going to be afraid and keep moving things forward. But, for my boys who had to see that, it’s terrible. It’s the nature of the world that we live in.”

Steen,  former director of Iowa Department of Administrative Services, is one of five Republican candidates seeking his party’s nomination in Iowa’s 2026 gubernatorial race. The primary election is June 2.

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Despite fellow candidate U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra’s public alignment with Trump, the president has not endorsed a candidate for Iowa’s gubernatorial race.

When asked by an attendee if a Trump endorsement still helps candidates in Iowa, Steen said he would “love” to receive an endorsement from the president.

“I believe it still helps 100 percent,” Steen said. “He wants to make sure that when he puts his thumb on something, it works, and he’s staying out. I believe he would still be very impactful here in the state of Iowa.”

Steen calls for ‘classical’ education system

During his campaign speech, Steen addressed his plan for education in Iowa, saying he would implement a classical education system, a model he says promotes critical thinking, physical books and a system that will allow public school educators to “actually teach and discipline the way they need to.”

Steen referenced Mississippi’s implementation of the classical education model, saying the state went from 48th to sixth in education in the U.S., though education rankings vary based on different sources, emphasizing that he wants Iowa to be number one in education again.

“Take a look at Mississippi. They changed the culture and they changed the curriculum,” Steen said. “In education, we can be number one again. We’re going to have to teach teachers how to teach classical education.”

Abortion policy

Steen referenced his support for House File 732, also known as Iowa’s “heartbeat bill,” that restricts abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detectable, saying that he wants to “push the bill further down the field” by promoting life at conception.

Steen added that members of the Republican Party are split on further abortion restrictions, but reiterated his support for life at conception and promoting a “culture of life” in Iowa.

“Let’s move to life at conception, but promote a culture of life in this state,” Steen said. “We’ve got to be talking about how important it is for a young man and a young woman to get married and have children, and to build their communities and start talking about life in a way that’s fun and exciting, like it should be.”

Opposition to eminent domain for carbon pipelines

Steen spoke out against eminent domain in Iowa, saying the Legislature needs to address the issue and supports South Dakota’s ban on eminent domain for carbon pipelines.

“I do not believe for one second that eminent domain should be used for carbon sequestration,” Steen said. “I will be willing to not even sign a budget bill from my desk unless they bring a policy that says eminent domain cannot be used for carbon sequestration. Copy and paste the South Dakota legislation, put it on my desk and I will sign that.”

Steen also criticized State Auditor Rob Sand, the unopposed candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor, during the campaign event. Specifically, Steen opposed Sand’s promise to legalize cannabis in Iowa, and questioned his religious messaging by claiming Sand misquotes scripture during public appearances.

“If you want to decimate our culture, just go ahead and do a move like that,” Steen said. “Just keep on talking. It’s going to show who you are as a human being.”

Iowa’s gubernatorial primary is scheduled for June 2, and Republican candidates are continuing to make campaign stops across the state in order to seek their party’s nomination.