Joe Mitchell, a Republican running for Congress in Iowa, has made opposing lobbyists and political insiders a cornerstone of his campaign — despite a history of hiring lobbyists to advance his interests.
In June, Mitchell won the Republican primary for Iowa’s Second District on a platform opposing corporate influence in elections and a campaign promising to represent Iowans who “have been left behind by a broken political system that works for insiders and lobbyists.”
The catch is that Mitchell, a state representative and real estate developer, has benefited from and hired lobbyists to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars in the past, and even worked at a lobbying firm.
In 2023, J. Mitchell Real Estate, the company that Mitchell heads, was a founding member of the Iowa Real Estate Developers Association, an industry group that helps real estate companies “of all kinds to maximize profit and reduce liability.” Mitchell was also named the president of the group, which was promising to “focus on policy areas like taxation, economic development incentives, deregulation and zoning at the state and local level.”
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To accomplish this deregulation, the group spent nearly $75,000 on lobbying efforts, according to their 2023, 2024 and 2025 state lobbying reports. Apparently, these efforts were aimed at the passage of a bill that would restrict local government from imposing stricter stormwater regulations than the state government, with Mitchell expressing support for the change in a real estate development podcast. The bill actually failed on the first attempt to pass it, owing to state lawmakers fearing that it might hinder municipal efforts to prevent flood-related property damage and harm to residents. Nonetheless, the IRDA celebrated the eventual passage of the bill, thanking Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds for signing it and even attending the signing ceremony.
Mitchell’s familiarity with lobbying might also come from experience, with Mitchell having interned at a lobbying firm, according to both Radio Iowa and his biography at Future Caucus, a group that supports young politicians.
Mitchell did not immediately respond to Salon’s request for comment.
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