Ryan Melton suspends campaign for Iowa 4th Congressional District

Ryan Melton, a Democratic candidate for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District who ran in 2022 and 2024, has suspended his campaign due to personal matters, including his job and family.

Melton announced the suspension on social media Tuesday, saying it was one of the “toughest decisions” he’s ever made.

“It was an honor to fight the good fight on your behalf, and I will continue to, just in different ways,” Melton said in his post. “It’s the biggest sacrifice I’ve ever made for the greater good, but I don’t regret a single minute, and am proud of the fact that the party out here in the 4th is in a much better place now than it was when I first began running.”

Reasons he gave for stepping out of the race included recently losing his job at Nationwide Insurance due to company reorganization and the need to find a new job to support his family, as well as dealing with a health concern. He added he wants to stay home for his wife and 6-year-old son.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, who won elections against Melton for the district in 2022 and 2024, has launched an exploratory committee for a possible gubernatorial run in Iowa. Sen. Lynn Evans, R-Aurelia, has made a similar move for the 4th Congressional District. The district spans much of northwest Iowa and includes Ames, Council Bluffs and Sioux City.

Between his two campaigns, Melton said in his post his vote shares across the district’s 36 counties either stayed steady or grew, a fact he is proud of achieving as someone with a full-time job, family and no funding from political action committees representing corporate interests.

Melton said in his post he’s been happy to hear from first-time political candidates from across the state who have reached out, and said he’ll be rooting for them. He also encouraged everyday people to run for office, even if they don’t know how everything works or don’t have the funds or industry support to get their name out there right away.

“We need more working people that struggle every day along with most Americans to run for every office, and I’ll always make time for you if you want to call me to inquire,” Melton said in his post. “Also, even if you are in a district that may seem unwinnable on Election Day, run anyway, because if you tell the truth and run as a sacrifice for the greater good, you’ll find so many wins out there.”

Travis Terrell, a Democrat running in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, said in a social media post Melton was one of the first people he called — and one of the few who responded — when launching his campaign. Melton made “an extremely powerful point” in his announcement that more working people need to get out and run for office.

“We need working class voices to fight, let’s be honest, the rich and powerful are not going to save us when they’re the one’s holding us down,” Terrell said in his post. “It takes real people to power real change. Thank you Ryan.”