Nathan Sage is running to be the Democrat who challenges Republican Sen. Joni Ernst as she seeks a third term in the U.S. Senate.
Sage is the first Democrat to officially declare his candidacy in the 2026 Senate race. It is the first time he has run for elected office. He said his campaign will be about repairing the party’s connection to working class voters.
“From a Democratic side of things, I think that's what we need. I think we need somebody that's going to actually fight for that and do the things for the working class that need to be done,” Sage said. “That’s who I am. I work for the working class. I’m part of the working class. I want to give them a seat at the table because they built the table, they should have a seat at it.”
"I’m part of the working class. I want to give them a seat at the table because they built the table, they should have a seat at it.”Nathan Sage
Sage said he knows what it’s like to struggle to make ends meet financially. He grew up in a trailer park in Mason City. His dad worked at a factory and his mom at a daycare. Now, his job is to support local businesses as executive director of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce.
“Putting those two together, you end up with somebody like me that understands what the working class is going through and understands how hard it is to survive owning a small business, but also just survive and feed your family,” said Sage, who has also worked as a mechanic and in radio.
Sage, who lives in Indianola, said he will represent the concerns of Iowans who feel the Trump administration has not done enough to bring high costs down and low wages up.
Like Ernst, Sage is a military veteran. He was deployed to Iraq in 2004 and 2006 while serving in the Marines. He worked in security operations in his first deployment and as a mechanic in his second deployment. He went back to Iraq a third time in 2010 as a mechanic in the Army. He said Ernst has not done enough to represent the needs of veterans.
“If you believed in fighting for veterans, I don't think you'd be in support of somebody cutting 80,000, or however many, VA employees losing their jobs,” Sage said. “I don't think you also would be in support of confirming Pete Hegseth as the secretary of defense. I think you'd understand that that is not a good fit, not what this country needs.”
More Democrats are reportedly considering campaigns for the 2026 Senate race. Sage said he plans to kick off his campaign by travelling around the state to have conversations with voters.
