DES MOINES -- Nathan Sage, a Democrat from Indianola, is suspending his campaign in Iowa's open-seat U.S. Senate election, his campaign announced Sunday.
Sage's exit leaves two Iowa Democrats -- state legislators Zach Wahls of Coralville and Josh Turek of Council Bluffs -- campaigning for their party's nomination.
In a campaign press release, Sage said his decision to withdraw from the campaign was "incredibly difficult" and made after "thoughtful conversations with my family, my team and my trusted supporters."
"This has been one of the hardest decisions of my life. I did not step into this race lightly, and I do not step away lightly," Sage said in the statement. "I am deeply grateful to every volunteer who spent hours working for this campaign, every donor who gave what they could, every supporter who stood with us, and every Iowan who shared their hopes and frustrations with me. Your belief in this campaign has humbled me beyond words."
In addition to his statement, Sage posted a video on social media.
Iowa's 2026 U.S. Senate election is open-seat after Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst announced last year that she would not seek re-election to a third, six-year term.
On the same day Ernst announced her decision, Republican Eastern Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson announced her campaign for the U.S. Senate. She is widely expected to earn the Republican Party's nomination. Jim Carlin, a lawyer and former state legislator from Sioux City, also is seeking the Republican nomination.
Prominent national political forecasters Sabato's Crystal Ball, Cook Political Report and Inside Elections all project party victory in Iowa's U.S. Senate election to be "likely Republican."
Sage, a former Knoxville Chamber of Commerce leader, sports radio director and U.S. Army and Marine Corp veteran, was the first Democrat to officially declare his candidacy for Iowa's 2026 U.S. Senate election. In his April 16, 2025 campaign announcement, Sage said he was running to give a voice to working-class Iowans.
Throughout his campaign, Sage portrayed himself as a straightforward, unfiltered and self-deprecating speaker. During one of his first campaign events, in Cedar Rapids, Sage said that he was "pissed off" and ready to tell national political leaders "where to shove it, how to shove it." At a campaign event last fall, he described himself as, "a tattooed, hairy, fat guy who says it how it is."
Sage often highlighted his upbringing in a Mason City trailer park, the son of a military father and a nurse mother, both of whom died from cancer.
Sage conducted a grassroots campaign, visiting each of Iowa's 99 counties while holding more than 130,000 events and logging more than 10,000 miles, according to his campaign.
Sage also was the first Democrat in the campaign to put a campaign ad on Iowa television. His campaign ad aired in Iowa during the University of Iowa football team's bowl game on New Year's Eve.
Through the end of 2025, Sage had raised nearly $1.35 million for his campaign, according to federal campaign fundraising records. That was less than the 2025 fundraising hauls for Wahls ($2 million) and Turek ($1.7 million), both of whom began their campaigns after Sage. Also, Sage spent nearly $1.3 million on his campaign, and thus started 2026 with just more than $86,000 in his campaign account.
"I have always been honest about the impact of money in my personal story, but that reality is even more undeniable when running for office. As a true grassroots campaign, we simply were unable to raise the financial resources necessary to keep this campaign viable," Sage said. "In today's political environment, it takes extraordinary sums of money to compete, to communicate, to travel the state, and to ensure our message reaches voters.
"Too often, that system favors those with wealth, powerful connections, and established influence. That's not why I entered this race. I ran because I believe working people deserve a voice in Washington that is not controlled by special interests or corporate power."
Turek issued a statement posted on social media immediately after Sage's announcement in which Turek said it was an honor to become Sage's friend during the campaign.
"Nathan has run a campaign that puts working people first. As someone who also grew up in a working class family, I deeply admire his grit and determination in making sure Iowans feel heard," Turek said in his social media post. "He has put in the work to hear from Iowans in every corner of this state, and Democrats are better for it. ... I know that he will continue fighting for the people, because that is who he is."
Iowa's primary election is June 2 and the general election is Nov. 3.
Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com