Candidate Adam Steen’s Manufacturing Dilemma Amid Iowa Gubernatorial Race
Adam Steen, an entrepreneur campaigning for the position of Iowa governor, presents himself as a job creator. However, his business practices have come under scrutiny due to outsourcing production to China.
Steen is among the Republican candidates aiming to replace the outgoing Governor Kim Reynolds. The victor of the upcoming primary on June 2 is expected to compete against Democratic state auditor Rob Sand in the general election.
In 2015, Steen co-founded 27:3 Outdoors, a hunting supply company with Christian values, known for producing turkey fans. These devices allow hunters to closely approach turkeys by imitating their shape and size.
In an Instagram post from October 2025, Steen disclosed that production of the turkey fans is conducted overseas. “When my friend and I invented the turkey fan, we wanted to build it right here in Iowa,” Steen wrote. “But we couldn’t find a local manufacturer willing to take it on. In the end, we were forced to outsource to China, and it made me sick.”
Steen’s campaign website echoes his aspirations to enhance Iowa’s manufacturing sector, though it lacks specific strategies for achieving this goal. His experience with outsourcing has seemingly reinforced his commitment to increasing local production.
Steen is also known for his vocal support of President Donald Trump, even though a report by Public Citizen indicates that 200,000 American jobs were offshored during Trump’s first term. Steen expressed his appreciation on X: “Thank you President Trump for your fearless leadership and relentless commitment to putting Americans first.”
Despite pledging to bring jobs back to Iowa, Steen’s recent campaign ad may have undermined this promise. The ad, which features stock footage of farmland with the message “Keep Iowa Free,” was filmed in Georgia, not Iowa, and claims he will “stop China from stealing the American dream.”
The Iowa gubernatorial race is currently deemed a toss-up by The Cook Political Report, which assesses the competitiveness of political contests.
The post Adam Steen touts Iowa manufacturing despite outsourcing to China appeared first on American Journal News.
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