Iowa Democrat Sarah Trone Garriott Recalls Discomfort at Whiteness of Minnesota Hometown

A Democrat running for Congress in Iowa said she felt uncomfortable with the whiteness of her Minnesota hometown after returning from New Mexico years ago.

Sarah Trone Garriott, 47, faces no opposition in the Democratic primary for Iowa's 3rd congressional district, one of the country's most competitive races. She aims to unseat Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa. The comments, from a podcast episode released nearly a decade ago, have drawn criticism.

"Yeah, I remember the first time I came back to northern Minnesota to visit, and I was kind of shocked at how many white people there were," Trone Garriott said of the area where she grew up.

"The feeling was very different. I was like ‘whoa,’ and again I was uncomfortable in a different way," she added.

About 78% of Iowa's 3rd congressional district is white, according to DataUSA. Republicans say the candidate's remarks do not match the area's demographics.

"Every time Sarah Trone Garriott's handlers let her loose, the wicked witch of woke finds a new way to insult Iowans," Zach Kraft, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, said.

"We haven't even reached the general election yet, and she has already managed to call nearly every person in the state racist, sexist, and bigoted," he added.

Trone Garriott's campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the remarks. Nunn's campaign also did not reply.

The Cook Political Report lists Iowa's 3rd district among 16 toss-up races for the 2026 midterms, with a slight R+2 lean.

Nine years after the podcast, the comments show Trone Garriott's unease with homogeneity and her view that representation should match demographics.

In a 2022 University of Iowa interview, she spoke of quotas after meeting Kosovo legislators.

"They actually have quotas, and I know that’s a dirty word for some people, but they have requirements of how many people from different ethnic backgrounds, religious minorities — and gender balance is part of their structure," Trone Garriott said of the Balkan nation.

"And so, there’s kind of a preference for those folks that are underrepresented to be in government. Which I think is really important to bring those voices out," she added.

Trone Garriott was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She earned an undergraduate degree in Duluth, Minnesota, a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, and a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

She volunteered with AmeriCorps VISTA's anti-poverty program in New Mexico. She began her career as an ordained minister for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, serving in Pennsylvania, Chicago, Virginia, and Iowa.