Des Moines Register: Democrat and labor lawyer Nate Willems launches Iowa attorney general campaign
Labor lawyer and former state representative Nate Willems is running for Iowa attorney general in 2026, saying he wants the office to focus on protecting workers and seniors rather than engaging in "Washington political fights."
Willems, a Democrat, told the Des Moines Register in an interview that his two top priorities if elected would be public safety and protecting Iowans from corporate crimes.
He said in his work as a labor attorney and partner with Rush & Nicholson P.L.C. in Cedar Rapids, he's helped Iowans recover tens of millions of dollars in wages and other benefits.
"There's $900 million a year stolen out of Iowa workers' paychecks at work, and that's in the form of not paying overtime, making people work off the clock, stealing tips, misclassifying people as independent contractors, or taking illegal deductions out of their paychecks," he said. "So I want the attorney general's office to investigate and prosecute corporations when they steal from Iowa workers."