Nunn, Trone Garriott Spar Over Epstein Files, Transgender Issues at IA-03 Debate

DES MOINES: Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn and Democratic state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott used their only televised debate Tuesday night to answer attack ads aimed at each other, according to KCRG. The hour-long KCCI debate in Des Moines came one week before Election Day on Nov. 3, and moderators gave both candidates a chance to address claims made in campaign ads. On the Epstein files, Nunn faced ads criticizing his votes related to publicizing files connected to Jeffrey Epstein. Nunn said he voted in 2025 to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act, but opposed earlier efforts to force release of Justice Department material because, he said, those proposals would have exposed victims' names and revictimized them. He said he wants Epstein and all accomplices held fully accountable and pointed to his work in Congress pushing for more federal funding for domestic abuse and sexual assault victim services. Trone Garriott answered that Nunn's vote to release the files came only after the president gave him permission, and said only half of the files are out, much remains unknown and no one has been held accountable. On transgender issues, Trone Garriott faced ads over her votes against a 2022 law barring transgender women from women's sports and a 2023 law barring transgender students from using school restrooms that do not align with their sex assigned at birth. She said that as a mother of two children in Iowa public schools, she cares deeply about their safety, health and fairness, and that the measures she voted on were about preserving a parent's voice in decisions affecting their children. Nunn described her position as extreme within her party, cited comments from Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek, and claimed she authored a bill that would teach transgender ideology to kindergartners. KCRG noted the measure Nunn referenced relates to Iowa's Area Education Agencies and does not mention sex education. Trone Garriott said some of the criticism stems from her support of Erin's Law, a bipartisan-backed proposal that would require the state Department of Education to develop guidelines for teaching kindergarten through sixth grade students about child sexual abuse, aimed at awareness and prevention. She said her background as a sexual assault crisis counselor shaped that work, and that age-appropriate education helps children ask for help when something is wrong. More than 10.6 million dollars in spending from outside groups has poured into the race, according to Federal Election Commission reports cited by KCRG.