Randy Feenstra

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. The district covers the western border of the state, including Sioux City and Council Bluffs, but stretches as far east as Story County, Franklin County, and Marshall County, including Ames.

This article is about the politician. For the physicist, see Randall M. Feenstra.

Randy Feenstra
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Iowa's 4th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2021
Preceded bySteve King
Member of the Iowa Senate
from the 2nd district
In office
January 11, 2009 – January 3, 2021
Preceded byDave Mulder
Succeeded byJeff Taylor
Treasurer of Sioux County
In office
2006–2008
Preceded byRobert Hagey
Succeeded byRandy Jacobsma
Personal details
Born (1969-01-14) January 14, 1969
Hull, Iowa, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Lynette Feenstra
​
(m. 1996)​
Children4
EducationDordt University (BA)
Iowa State University (MPA)
WebsiteHouse website

A member of the Republican Party, Feenstra served as an Iowa state senator for the 2nd district from 2009 to 2021. He was the Sioux County treasurer from 2006 to 2008.

Feenstra defeated incumbent Steve King in the primary election for the Republican nomination for Iowa's 4th congressional district in 2020. He defeated Democratic nominee J. D. Scholten in the general election by almost 25 points and was sworn into Congress on January 3, 2021.

Early life and education

Randy Feenstra was born to parents Lee and Eleanor Feenstra on January 14, 1969.[1][2] He is of Dutch ancestry.[3] Feenstra graduated from Western Christian High School, where he played basketball.[4][5] He received a bachelor's degree in business communications from Dordt University,[6] then called Dordt College, and his MPA from Iowa State University.[7][8]

Career

Feenstra began his career as sales manager for the Foreign Candy Company,[1][9] known for being the first US company to import Warheads, later serving as city administrator of Hull, Iowa for seven years.[10] In 2006, he was elected Sioux County Treasurer, replacing Robert Hagey.[10][11] Randy Jacobsma replaced Feenstra in a 2008 special election,[12][13] as Feenstra won his first term in the Iowa Senate that year.

Feenstra was elected to the Iowa State Senate in 2008 with 24,595 votes, running unopposed.[14] He was reelected in 2012, again without opposition.[15] He ran for a third uncontested term in 2016.[16] In the Iowa Senate, Feenstra served on the Capital Projects, Fiscal, Tax Expenditure, Transportation, Ways and Means, and State Government Committee.[17]

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.[18][19]

U.S. House of Representatives

2020
See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa § District 4

In 2019, Feenstra announced he would challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Representative Steve King in the 2020 Republican primary in Iowa's 4th congressional district. His state senate district includes much of the northwestern portion of the congressional district.[20] King, a nine-term incumbent, has a record of making inflammatory remarks, including support of the term "white nationalist."[21] He had been stripped of his committee seats for asking why "white nationalist" was offensive. Feenstra noted this in announcing his campaign, saying that King's "caustic nature" had left the 4th "without a seat at the table."[22]

Republican Party leadership supported Feenstra in the primary.[23][24][25][26] Feenstra raised more money during the primary than King, and was supported by the United States Chamber of Commerce and National Right to Life Committee.[27] Feenstra's candidacy was also supported by conservative political commentator and radio host Ben Shapiro, who donated and urged his Twitter followers to donate to Feenstra's campaign.[28]

Feenstra won the June 2 primary[29][30] with 45.7% of the vote to King's 36%.[31][32] Much of Feenstra's margin came from dominating his state senate district, which he carried with almost 75% of the vote.[20] He defeated J. D. Scholten in the general election by a large margin, winning every county in his district except Story County.

2020 Republican primary election for Iowa's 4th Congressional District[33]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Randy Feenstra 37,329 45.5
Republican Steve King (incumbent) 29,366 35.9
Republican Jeremy Taylor 6,418 7.8
Republican Bret Richards 6,140 7.5
Republican Steve Reeder 2,528 3.1
Write-in 176 0.2
Total votes 81,957 100.0
2020 election for U.S. Representative of Iowa's 4th Congressional District
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Randy Feenstra 237,369 62.0
Democratic J. D. Scholten 144,761 37.8
Write-in 892 0.2

2022
See also: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa § District 4

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.[34]

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.[35][36]

Committee assignments

For the 118th Congress:[37]

Caucus memberships

Personal life

Feenstra married his wife Lynette in 1996. They have four children.[40][41]

Feenstra is a Christian.[42]

References
  1. Mahoney, Mark (January 12, 2019). "Hull state senator to run for Congress". N'West Iowa Review. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  2. Visser, Jeanne. "Feenstra will run for State Senate". Sioux County Index–Reporter. Archived from the original on March 2, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  3. Kampeas, Ron (May 20, 2020). "Jewish Republicans tackle a thorny question: What to do about Republicans like Steve King?". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved June 6, 2020. Alternative URL
  4. Geleynse, Jesse (April 24, 2011). "Iowa legislature needs to continue eligibility debate". Le Mars Daily Sentinel. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  5. Kilen, Mike (March 15, 2016). "The Iowa town where basketball is king". Des Moines Register. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  6. "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  7. "Feenstra touts conservative record in Legislature". The Messenger. May 16, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  8. Kealey, Katherine (June 3, 2020). "Randy Feenstra beats Steve King in the Republican 4th District primaries". Iowa State Daily. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  9. Kealey, Katherine (May 24, 2020). "Congressional Republican candidates speak on constitutional rights, abortion and COVID-19". Iowa State Daily. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  10. "Hull city administrator now county treasurer", Sioux Falls Argus Leader, September 3, 2006, page 12.
  11. "Feenstra announces bid for Senate seat". Le Mars Daily Sentinel. March 4, 2008. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  12. "MINUTES OF SIOUX COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORSMEETING HELD ON NOVEMBER 12, 2008" (PDF). Sioux County Board of Supervisers. November 2008. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  13. "Primary: Voters will select who faces Culver". Sioux County Index Reporter. June 2, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  14. "Democrats keep Senate, House". Des Moines Register. Newspapers.com. November 5, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  15. "2012 General Precinct Vote Totals by County". Iowa Secretary of State. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  16. Hoogland, Steve (November 8, 2016). "Wheeler wins Iowa House seat". N'West Iowa Review. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  17. "Senator Randy Feenstra". The Iowa Legislature. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  18. Lawrence, Tom (August 1, 2017). "Feenstra to become Dordt professor". Sioux Center News. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  19. "Feenstra leaving insurance business for college position". Sioux County Index Reporter. August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  20. J. Miles Coleman (July 30, 2020). "House Primaries: A Little More Action This Year Than Usual". UVA Center For Politics. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  21. Gabriel, Trip (January 15, 2019). "A Timeline of Steve King's Racist Remarks and Divisive Actions". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  22. Cillizza, Chris (January 11, 2019). "How in the world is Steve King still in Congress?". CNN. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  23. Easley, Jonathan (May 17, 2020). "GOP rallies behind effort to defeat Steve King". The Hill. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  24. "Republican U.S. Rep. Steve King gets a GOP challenger, Iowa Sen. Randy Feenstra". Des Moines Register. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  25. Cillizza, Chris (January 11, 2019). "How in the world is Steve King still in Congress?". CNN. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  26. Hayworth, Brett (April 16, 2020). "Scholten, Feenstra continue to dwarf King in Iowa 4th District congressional fundraising". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  27. Gabriel, Trip (May 27, 2020). "Despite Racist Remarks, Steve King Might Win Tuesday's Iowa Primary". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  28. Fisher, Alyssa (January 10, 2019). "Ben Shapiro Condemns Steve King For Asking Why 'White Supremacist' Is Offensive". The Forward. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  29. Zhou, Li (June 2, 2020). "Embattled Rep. Steve King has lost his primary". Vox. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  30. Gruber-Miller, Stephen (June 2, 2020). "Steve King loses Republican primary race to Randy Feenstra, ending King's decades long political career". Des Moines Register. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  31. Mutnik, Ally; Arkin, James; Montellaro, Zach (June 2, 2020). "Steve King ousted on historic primary night". Politico.
  32. Forgey, Quint (June 3, 2020). "Trump congratulates Randy Feenstra for unseating Rep. King". Politico. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  33. "Primary Election - 2020 CANVASS SUMMARY" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  34. "Candidate List" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  35. "House votes to repeal 2002 Iraq War authorization". NBC News. June 17, 2021.
  36. "FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 172". clerk.house.gov. June 17, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  37. "Randy Feenstra". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  38. "MEMBERS". RMSP. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  39. "Membership". Republican Study Committee. December 6, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  40. "Feenstra launches re-election bid". Chronicle Times. January 6, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  41. "Iowa Senator Feenstra files for re-election". Chronicle Times. March 7, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  42. "Feenstra talks faith, more at Unity Christian". January 21, 2023.
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