Rep. Zach Dieken is running for reelection.

The Granville Republican, one of the most conservative members of the Iowa Legislature, told a crowd of around 30 on Saturday that he decided to run for a second term because “There are still some things that still weigh pretty heavy on my heart.”

The decision was difficult, he said. He doesn’t enjoy the environment of the Capitol and bureaucracy that comes with it.

“I think as Republicans, we can be doing a lot better,” Dieken said of the Legislature, dominated by his own party.

He believes he’s accomplished a lot in one term. He proposed legislation for the abolition of abortion and he pushed to restructure the Iowa Utilities Board. Even though those efforts were quashed, he hasn’t given up.

Dieken is also prepared to fight against what he calls “federal intrusion into our state's sovereignty.”

He said he’ll stand for legislation that protects state and citizen rights. This includes the Second Amendment Preservation Act, which prohibits enforcement of federal infringement on the people’s rights to keep and bear arms and affirms Iowa’s authority to regulate firearms within its borders.

Additionally, he supports the state of Texas in its efforts to control their southern border while condemning the federal government’s immigration policies.

He described a visit that he made to Pharr, Texas, in June 2023, where he and a group of other individuals were able to see firsthand how Texas officials are working to secure their border. Dieken said that border security is important to defend against human trafficking, drugs, and terrorists.

“They told us 107 different nationalities have crossed our southern border within the last few years. About 4,000 [people] a day,” he said.

He believes Iowa needs to “do whatever it can to combat the issue,” describing an alarming case file from Pharr. A commercial vehicle was stopped at the border with “500 pounds of methamphetamine, 50 pounds of fentanyl, 50 pounds of cocaine, a little bit of marijuana, etc.” Dieken revealed it was headed for Spencer, Iowa.

“I about fell off my chair when I read that,” he said. “A load of hundreds of pounds of dangerous substances was headed right to one of our small towns. It is a big problem that affects Iowa, so it’s not just about Texas. States needs to start standing up for themselves, which is why I’m pro-what Texas is doing.”

Dieken was concerned with the state’s reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic. He introduced legislation that’d block the governor’s ability to close places of worship. He believes these mandates also hindered Iowa’s businesses.

“As a Christian, I was not just offended but very very worried that our government would order the closing of places of religious worship, which is exactly what happened during Covid in Iowa for the first three or four months of Covid,” Dieken told the crowd. “That is unconstitutional and not appropriate behavior, and it cannot be done by your government, ever.”

The legislation he introduced, he said, “would strip that power completely away from the governor’s office and would leave places of religious worship alone before, during, and after an emergency.”

Dieken recognizes areas where he may have made mistakes. For example, he admitted to voting against the AEA bill. He feels that “the changes were probably needed in some areas of the AEA,” but didn’t think that “completely blowing it up” was the best solution. He says he’s a “genuine conservative.” And hence, he believes proposals like the governor’s AEA reform should start in the Legislature.

“We cannot have branches of government crapping on each other,” he said.

Dieken has built a reputation as someone who votes by his principles. He was elected in 2022, defeating then-Republican incumbent Dennis Bush with 56% of the vote. Dieken received the endorsement of Gov. Kim Reynolds, R-Osceola, because he’d endorse school vouchers. At the time, he described public education as a failed enterprise.

He ruffles feathers. Earlier this year, he told the Chronicle Times local governments didn’t have to follow recently enacted property tax legislation that constrains taxing authority for jurisdictions that grow. He still defends his stance, even though most city and county officials say his proposal is unworkable.

“I am who I am. I am a Christian man running for office, trying to influence the government in a Christian way. That doesn’t mean I’m cramming my religion down anyone’s throat, but I am who I am, and I vote with those convictions in mind, and I always will,” he said.

People have complained that he has spent so much time in Des Moines since he was elected. He firmly believes that is what is best for his family. He refuses to be away from his children for four months and hopes that his constituents can understand that.

If he wins, he plans to introduce more legislation to protect the unborn and to protect private citizens from government intrusion.

Dieken represents District 5, which includes Cherokee, Buena Vista, O’Brien and Osceola counties. He is currently running unopposed in the June 4 primary.