The economic development professional from the Sioux City area is seeking the Republican nomination in the Fourth Congressional District where the incumbent, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, is contemplating a run for governor.

McGowan, who is president of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce and The Siouxland Initiative, wants to take Feenstra’s place on the House Agriculture Committee. He said he has already met with committee Chairman Glenn Thompson, R-Pennsylvania, and told him that he wants to be on the panel.

“We have some tough sledding ahead in ag,” McGowan said. “Prices are already depressed.”

He said the ultimate solution for Iowa farmers is to open new markets for agriculture products globally.

With regard to national defense, the candidate said he wants to make sure that American troops “have the equipment, training and resources necessary to do the job we ask them to do.”

McGowan, who is a veteran of the Iowa Air National Guard, said five of his six children are currently serving in the military.

He said the nation’s $36 trillion debt is not acceptable.

“We have been far too irresponsible for far too long,” he said.

In 2024, he said, the amount the federal government spent servicing the debt was greater than national defense spending.

McGowan said he supports a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget, with exceptions allowing deficit spending in times of war or economic downturn.

“I don’t know if there’s another way to get our spending in order,” he said.

McGowan said eminent domain is one of the issues people ask him about frequently. He said he believes that is a state issue rather than a federal issue. But he added that he strongly disagrees with a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court ruling which he said “authorized use of eminent domain for private gain.”