Randall Lee Feenstra (born January 14, 1969) is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for

Iowa's 4th congressional district Iowa's 4th congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers the western border of the state, including Sioux City, Iowa, Sioux City and Council Bluffs, Iowa, C ...

. The district covers the state's western border and its northwestern quadrant, including Sioux City, Ames,

Council Bluffs Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...

, and Marshalltown. Feenstra is retiring in 2026 to run for Governor of Iowa. A member of the Republican Party, Feenstra served in the Iowa Senate from the 2nd district from 2009 to 2021. He was the Sioux County

treasurer A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization. Government The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...

from 2006 to 2008. Feenstra defeated incumbent Steve King in the primary election for the Republican nomination for

in 2020. He defeated Democratic nominee J. D. Scholten in the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

by almost 25 points and was sworn into Congress on January 3, 2021.

Early life and education

Randy Feenstra was born on January 14, 1969 to parents Lee and Eleanor Feenstra. He is of Dutch ancestry. In 1987, Feenstra graduated from Western Christian High School, where he played basketball. He received a bachelor's degree in business communications in 1991 from Dordt University, then known as Dordt College. He later earned a MPA from

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...

. In 2022, Feenstra received a PhD in business from Northcentral University.

Early career

Feenstra began his career as sales manager for the Foreign Candy Company, known for being the first US company to import Warheads, later serving as city administrator of Hull for seven years."Hull city administrator now county treasurer"
Sioux Falls Argus Leader, September 3, 2006, page 12. In 2006, he was elected Sioux County

Treasurer A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization. Government The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...

, replacing Robert Hagey. Randy Jacobsma replaced Feenstra in a 2008 special election, as Feenstra won his first term in the Iowa Senate that year. While serving in the Iowa Senate, Feenstra worked for ISB Insurance in Hull, operated by Iowa State Bank. In 2017, he joined the faculty of Dordt University, after having taught there in an adjunct capacity since 2011.

Iowa State Senate

Feenstra was elected to the Iowa State Senate in 2008 with 24,595 votes, running unopposed. He was reelected in 2012, again without opposition. He ran for a third uncontested term in 2016. In the Iowa Senate, Feenstra served on the Capital Projects, Fiscal, Tax Expenditure, Transportation, Ways and Means, and State Government Committee.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2020

In 2019, Feenstra announced that he would challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Representative Steve King in the 2020 Republican primary in

. His State Senate district included much of the northwestern portion of Iowa's 4th congressional district. King, a nine-term incumbent, had a record of making inflammatory remarks. More specifically, King was stripped of his House committee memberships for asking why the term "white nationalist" was offensive. Feenstra noted King's inflammatory rhetoric in announcing his campaign, saying that King's "caustic nature" had left the 4th district "without a seat at the table." Republican Party leadership supported Feenstra in the primary. Feenstra raised more money during the primary than King did, and was supported by the United States Chamber of Commerce and National Right to Life Committee. Feenstra's candidacy was also supported by conservative political commentator and radio host

Ben Shapiro Benjamin Aaron Shapiro (born January 15, 1984) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative political commentator, media host, and attorney. He writes columns for Creators Syndicate, ''Newsweek'', and ''Ami Magazine'', an ...

, who donated and urged his

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followers to donate to Feenstra's campaign. Feenstra won the June 2 primary with 45.7% of the vote to King's 36%. Much of Feenstra's margin came from dominating his State Senate district, which he carried with almost 75% of the vote. He went on to defeat J. D. Scholten in the general election by a large margin.

2022

Feenstra ran for reelection in the district for the 2022 elections. He defeated Democrat Ryan Melton and Liberty candidate Bryan Holder by a wide margin.

2024

In 2024, Feenstra defeated Kevin Virgil in the fourth district's Republican Party primary. In the

, he faced Democratic candidate Ryan Melton for a second time. Feenstra won a third House term with 74 percent of the vote.

Tenure and political positions

Iraq

In June 2021, Feenstra was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002.

Israel

Feenstra voted to provide Israel with support following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

LGBTQ+

In 2022, Feenstra voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which would codify the validity of same-sex marriages into law. He was the only representative from Iowa's congressional delegation to do so.

Trade

In January 2025, Feenstra praised President Donald Trump's proposals to implement 25% tariffs on most goods from Canada and Mexico, saying "Thank you, President Trump! Our country finally has an advocate for American farmers, families, and businesses in the White House!” According to the ''New York Times'', Feenstra's message "was starkly at odds with the one coming from major groups representing farmers throughout the country, who issued statements warning of dire impacts on the nation’s food producers."

Committee assignments

For the 118th Congress: * Committee on Agriculture ** Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry * Committee on Ways and Means ** Subcommittee on Oversight ** Subcommittee on Social Security ** Subcommittee on Tax

Caucus memberships

* Republican Main Street Partnership * Republican Study Committee * Congressional Western Caucus

2026 campaign for governor of Iowa

In May 2025, Feenstra filed paperwork allowing him to begin raising funds for a potential campaign for governor of Iowa in 2026. Incumbent Gov. Kim Reynolds has announced that she will not seek re-election.

Personal life

Feenstra married his wife Lynette in 1996. They have four children. Feenstra is a Christian.