Iowa Secretary of State and former Cedar Rapids mayor/state legislator. Pate’s office administers statewide elections and business filings, making election administration and voter-list policy central to the 2026 contest.
Peterman attacks Pate for providing Iowa voter-registration data, including sensitive fields, to the U.S. Justice Department and argues Iowa did not have to comply.
IA Fact Check assessment: Underlying transfer is verified; legality/necessity is disputed
The transfer itself is documented. Pate said it was securely transferred in accordance with federal law and stressed state responsibility for election administration. The political dispute is over whether compliance was legally required or prudent; the existence of the transfer is not disputed.
This profile separates documented actions and quotations from campaign interpretation. Where an opponent uses a political label, the label is presented as advocacy rather than converted into a factual finding unless the underlying evidence supports the narrower claim.
