Professor Jennifer Konfrst announced on May 8 that she would be running for the United State House of Representatives seat in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, a seat currently held by Representative Zach Nunn.
Konfrst served as the Iowa House Minority leader from 2021-2025 while teaching at Drake University since 2013, directing the strategic political communication program.
“It’s been great to leverage my political experience to help instruct in my classes,” Konfrst said. “I get to teach in class exactly what I do.”
Konfrst first worked on Tom Harkin’s third campaign for the United States Senate after her graduation from Drake in 1996. Konfrst took a break from politics until 2015, when she ran for Iowa House District 43. Konfrst has been involved in politics ever since, eventually serving as the Iowa House Minority leader from 2021 to 2025.
“My experience in Iowa politics helps me be as realistic as possible with students,” Konfrst said. “Not only can I discuss the theory behind political campaigns, I can show how theory is applied.”
The Konfrst Campaign has started gaining traction across the state. Konfrst was the first of all her competitors to visit all 21 counties in the 3rd District.
“We’ve been traveling all over the district, instead of just the most populated counties, like Polk and Dallas,” Konfrst said. “We really want to hear from people where they are.”
Konfrst won the Iowa State Fair straw poll, an informal poll at the fair between the democratic candidates for the district.
“It was nice to win the straw poll, because people across the country look at the poll,” Konfrst said. “However, we will still keep doing what we’re doing, campaigning across the entire district, to keep spreading our message.”
With Konfrst being a professor at Drake, she has some rules for who can work on her campaign.
“If they’re in my class currently, or will be in the future, they can’t work for my campaign,” Konfrst said. “They still have the option to volunteer, but no working. I do have former students and Drake alum working and running the campaign.”
Jack Harrington, a strategic political communication student, took Konfrst’s Political Campaign Management class last fall.
“Having a professor that is actually in politics, has an elected position, and who was even in leadership as the former [Iowa] house minority leader has been really interesting,” Harrington said. “It’s been nice to hear someone with perspective from actually doing the job rather than knowing the science of it.”
While Konfrst is a Democrat, she uses her experience in politics to make a fair classroom.
“With my connections on both sides of the aisle, I often have different guests with different views come in,” Konfrst said. “I always want to create a welcoming classroom where everyone feels they have a voice.”
Harrington believes that Konfrst’s courses help bring people together.
“Konfrst wants to understand things from other perspectives,” Harrington said. “I remember her talking about having to go to lunch with people in Republican leadership. To her, it doesn’t matter as much what your party is, as long as you guys can get stuff done together.”
The Democratic and Republican primaries will be held on June 2, 2026. Konfrst will face Sarah Trone Garriott and Xavier Carrigan in the Democratic primary.
