Joe Mitchell (politician)
Joe Mitchell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 84th district | |
| In office January 14, 2019 – January 9, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Dave Heaton |
| Succeeded by | Jeff Shipley (redistricted) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joseph Paul Mitchell April 23, 1997 Wayland, Iowa, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Education | Drake University (BA) |
Joseph Paul Mitchell[1] (born April 23, 1997) is an American business owner and politician from the state of Iowa. He served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2019 to 2023.[2][3] Sworn in at the age of 21, Mitchell was the youngest person to ever be elected to the Iowa House.[4][5] He is the Republican nominee in the 2026 election in Iowa's 2nd congressional district.[6]
Early life
Mitchell's parents are John and Jean Mitchell, owners of a small manufacturing business in Wayland.[7] He graduated from Waco High School in 2015, then graduated from Drake University in 2019[8] with a degree in business administration.[7]
Business career
Mitchell owns and operates a real estate company based in Clear Lake that works to develop housing for rural communities.[9]
Political career
Mitchell was elected to an open seat in the Iowa House of Representatives in the 2018 elections by a 61% to 39% margin. He served as a House Assistant Leader and he served on the following committees: Administration and Rules, Commerce, Judiciary, State Government, Ways and Means, and the RIFF Budget Subcommittee.[10] He was reelected with 71% of the vote in 2020.[11]
In 2022, Mitchell lost to fellow state Representative Jeff Shipley in the Republican primary after redistricting placed both of their homes in the same district.[12]
Following his defeat, Mitchell became a resident fellow at Harvard University in 2023. In late 2024, Mitchell joined President-elect Donald Trump's 2024 transition team. After Trump's inauguration in January 2025, he worked as chief of staff in the Federal Housing Finance Agency before being appointed as Regional Administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development of the Great Plains Region in late July 2025.[13][14]
2026 U.S. House election
In September 2025, Mitchell announced that he would run for the U.S. House of Representatives in Iowa's 2nd congressional district, seeking to succeed Ashley Hinson, who is running for U.S. Senate.[15]
Personal life
Mitchell was friendly with Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, whom he first met in 2019. He has said he was profoundly affected by Kirk's assassination.[16]
Mitchell is the founder of Run Gen Z, a nonprofit with the mission to "prepare Generation Z leaders to take action, take charge and take control of the future by supporting the vision of the founders of this country and supporting conservative political values such as limited government, free market capitalism, individual responsibility and fiscal restraint."[17]
References
- ↑ "Joseph Mitchell - Iowa Candidate". Transparencyusa.org.
- ↑ "Iowa House Republicans » Joe Mitchell". www.iowahouserepublicans.com.
- ↑ Meyer, Elizabeth. "Age is only a number for young House candidate Joe Mitchell". The Hawk Eye Newspaper.
- ↑ Henderson, O. Kay (January 22, 2019). "21-year-old from Wayland is now the youngest member of Iowa House". Radio Iowa.
- ↑ Meyer, Elizabeth. "21-year-old Joe Mitchell keeps House District 84 red". The Ames Tribune.
- ↑ Luhmann, Kadin (June 3, 2026). "Iowa 2nd District race will pit Republican Joe Mitchell and Democrat Lindsay James". Iowa Capital Dispatch. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
- 1 2 "IA Rep. Joe Mitchell".
- ↑ "WACO grad Joe Mitchell to run for District 84 seat". Southeast Iowa Union. September 30, 2018.
- ↑ Hoogland, Nathan (September 8, 2025). "Former Iowa State Representative Joe Mitchell seeks Congress seat". WHO13. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
- ↑ "House Assistant Leader, Representative Joe Mitchell". Iowa House Republicans.
- ↑ "Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2020". Ballotpedia. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Shipley defeats Mitchell in District 87 race".
- ↑ "HUD Announces Joe Mitchell as Great Plains Regional Administrator" (Press release). United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
- ↑ Kelley, James (September 8, 2025). "Regional HUD administrator launches campaign to represent Iowa's 2nd District". Iowa Public Radio. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
- ↑ Hanson, Ric (September 8, 2025). "Joe Mitchell, former state legislator, regional Trump Admin. official, running for congress". KJAN. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
- ↑ "Iowa Republican Joe Mitchell Reflects on the Assassination of Charlie Kirk". September 11, 2025.
- ↑ "Board & Staff – RungenZ". Run Gen Z Board-Staff. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022.