Violent insurrectionists loyal to President Donald Trump storm the Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

Two candidates in Iowa’s gubernatorial race received their largest campaign donations from individuals who were later pardoned for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, campaign finance records show.

There are five candidates vying for the Republican nomination for Iowa’s governor’s mansion after incumbent Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) announced last year that she would not seek a third term. While U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) held a fundraising lead of over $2 million over the next candidate, Zach Lahn, there is no clear frontrunner in the race. President Donald Trump has also refused to offer an endorsement.

H3 Zach Lahn’s largest donor was accused of assaulting Capitol Police

Lahn is a farmer and businessman who entered the race last November. Although Lahn ended 2025 with $2.1 million cash on hand, well behind Feenstra’s $4.3 million, he recently finished second out of the five candidates in an informal straw poll. The poll was conducted by several county Republican parties in Iowa last month. Feenstra finished fourth.

Lahn reported only raising $156,931, since he gave his own campaign a $2 million loan. Of the $156,931, nearly one-third of it ($50,000) was donated by Colleyville, Texas resident Dan DeNeui, making it the largest outside contribution to Lahn’s campaign. 

In December 2024, DeNeui was arrested by the FBI and charged with several crimes relating to his involvement with the riot at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. The charges included assaulting, resisting or impeding certain police officers, entering and remaining in a restricted building with a dangerous weapon, destruction of property and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building.

According to a Department of Justice complaint, video evidence showed DeNeui using a flag pole to break into the Capitol and hit a police officer.

The charges against DeNeui were dismissed after Trump issued a sweeping pardon to all Jan. 6 defendants in January 2025. Lahn’s campaign did not respond to a request to comment on DeNeui’s donation or whether he agreed with Trump’s pardons.

Brad Sherman’s largest donor was sentenced to 30 months in prison

Former Iowa state Rep. Brad Sherman, who finished third in the straw poll last month, has also raised $201,815 in grass roots donations to his Sherman for Freedom Committee. The largest of these donations was a $25,000 contribution from Leo Kelly, according to Iowa’s campaign disclosure database.

Screenshot via Iowa Ethics Campaign Disclosure Board

 

Kelly was one of the first offenders arrested for his actions at the U.S. Capitol, and he was charged with several crimes in February 2021. Kelly was later found guilty of one felony charge of obstruction of an official proceeding and six other misdemeanor offenses which landed him a 30-month sentence in prison.

Kelly only served 11 months, and Trump eventually gave him a full pardon. 

Sherman’s campaign also did not respond to a request to provide comment for this story or on Trump’s sweeping pardon for Jan. 6 participants.

Iowa’s primary elections will be held on June 2. The frontrunner on the Democratic side is Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand, who raised $9.5 million in 2025. Cook Political Report currently rates the Iowa gubernatorial race as “Lean Republican.”