WASHINGTON DC (February 17, 2026) — In Iowa, where the First and Third Congressional Districts are among the most vulnerable Republican seats in the US House, a new statewide poll conducted by Global Strategy Group on behalf of Food and Water Action finds that clean water and cancer rates are top priorities for voters. This comes as Iowa has some of the nation’s most polluted waterways and is one of only two states where cancer rates are rising — both are linked to industrial agriculture pollution.
Key findings include:
- Cancer rates, clean water are top concerns for Iowa voters: Voters are more concerned with rising cancer rates than the cost of living (72-61%), and more concerned about water quality and water pollution than crime and public safety (58-27%).
- Clean water is an electoral priority: 82% of Iowa voters would be more likely to vote for an elected official who makes it a top priority to protect clean water, including cutting industrial agriculture pollution. This includes 72% of Republicans and 92% of Democrats. That number jumps to 85% in IA-01 and IA-03.
- Regulations for industrial agriculture are overwhelmingly popular: 79% of Iowa voters support mandatory requirements for industrial agriculture to reduce pollution. This jumps to 86% in IA-01 and 83% in IA-03. When forced to choose between limiting agriculture regulations and protecting clean water, the vast majority of Iowa voters, by a 70-28% margin, choose clean water. That margin jumps to 78-22% in IA-01 and 75-22 in IA-03.
Food and Water Action Political Director Sam Bernhardt issued the following statement:
“Iowa’s water crisis is at boiling point. It is abundantly clear that voters are fed up with the inaction they see in Des Moines and Washington. Iowa’s Republican trifecta and Congressional delegation have looked the other way as factory farms turn waterways into cesspools and transform drinking water into a toxic chemical cocktail. Voters of all stripes agree: it is time to crack down on industry’s free pass to pollute.
“Candidates ignore Iowa’s water crisis at their political peril. Embracing pollution regulations for industrial agriculture may well hold the keys to Congress.”
Iowa voters could determine control of the US House this fall. IA-01 incumbent Representative Miller-Meeks narrowly held her seat in 2024, winning by less than 800 votes despite significant national tailwinds — Rep Miller-Meeks trailed Trump by over 20,000 votes. IA-03 Rep Zach Nunn is also vulnerable. These are two of the fourteen Republican-held districts rated as “toss up” by Cook Political Report. In December, both Republicans voted to pass the PERMIT Act, which would weaken the Clean Water Act to enable further agricultural pollution. Iowans will also be voting to fill open gubernatorial and US senatorial seats this year, rated Lean Republican and Likely Republican, respectively.
The polling also finds that Iowa voters overwhelmingly support restoring statewide water-quality monitoring. 79% (including 69% of Republicans) support restoring funding for the program, which the Republican state legislature defunded in 2023.
Background
Iowa waterways have the nation’s highest concentration of toxic nitrates, many of which are in excess of the 10mg/L federal safety limit for drinking water. Drinking nitrate-contaminated water is linked to negative health outcomes from birth defects to cancers; new evidence suggests that nitrate exposure may be toxic at levels far below the federal standard. Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the nation and is one of only two states with rising cancer rates.
Industrial agriculture is a major source of nitrates and other contaminants. Iowa is home to more factory farms producing more waste than any other state — 109 billion pounds annually, more than 25 times the sewage produced by the state’s human population. Iowa farmers also spread more toxic pesticides and chemical fertilizer than any other state, adding to waterways’ chemical burden.
In the summer of 2025, nitrate levels in the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers, Central Iowa’s urban drinking water supplies, reached near-record highs, forcing Central Iowa Water Works to run its nitrate removal system for 112 days and to enact mandatory water restrictions for its 600,000 customers. A recent report commissioned by Polk County, found that 80% of the rivers’ nitrates stem from industrial agriculture, including factory farms.
