Iowa AG race pits Bird's cold case wins against Willems' legislative record

Brenna Bird, the incumbent Iowa Attorney General, is seeking reelection in a November contest where her record on cold cases is being contrasted with the legislative history of her Democratic opponent, Nate Willems. Mike Davis, an Iowa native and former staffer for U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley, argues that Bird has served with distinction since January 2023, while Willems poses a significant risk to the state's legal framework.

Bird's credentials include degrees from the University of Iowa and the University of Chicago Law School, as well as prior roles as a county attorney in Fremont and Guthrie Counties. She currently serves as president of the Iowa County Attorneys Association. Her office created a cold-case unit in 2021 that took on the murder of Ryan Cooper in Traer. The case had remained unsolved for two years until the unit arrested Karina Cooper and Huston Danker. A jury convicted Karina Cooper, who is now serving a life sentence without parole.

The unit also addressed the 1989 disappearance of Barbara Lenz in Woodbine. Robert Davis, Lenz's partner, claimed he dropped her off and no body or confession was found at the time. Nearly four decades later, Bird's office charged Davis. A jury found him guilty, and a judge sentenced him to 50 years in prison.

Davis criticizes Willems for voting against electronic monitoring for convicted sex offenders, including those who victimized children. He also highlights Willems' vote against making Iowa a shall-issue concealed-carry state, a position Davis says conflicts with the Supreme Court's ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. Willems has opposed voter-ID laws and publicly attacked federal immigration enforcement policies that Bird has supported through court briefs.

The campaign has also focused on Willems' stance on abortion, where he voted against a ban after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Davis describes this as a radical position that defends abortion more than halfway through pregnancy. Additionally, Willems faced criticism for reposting an image on the 82nd anniversary of the Normandy landings that equated American paratroopers with the Antifa group. The caption read "A plane full of uniformed antifa, circa 1944." Davis characterizes this act as a moral failure for a candidate seeking to be the state's chief law enforcement officer.