Bettendorf financial adviser running without a party label in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District. He has framed his candidacy as an alternative to the two-party system.
Michael Bridgford for Congress, via Iowa Public Radio
Independent/no-party candidate on the 2026 general-election ballot.
Works as a financial adviser and is from Bettendorf.
Publicly argues that disengagement from the two major parties creates room for an independent candidacy.
Fairness note
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.
Iowa Secretary of State live State Fair straw-poll snapshot
Source: Iowa Secretary of State · Snapshot: August 22, 2026
Current U.S. House — District 1 tally: Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) 291 — 66.14%; Christina Bohannan (D) 131 — 29.77%; Michael Bridgford (NP) 18 — 4.09%.
How to read it: This is an official tally from the Secretary of State’s State Fair participation exercise, but it is unscientific and unofficial. Fairgoers self-select into the poll; it is not a representative sample of Iowa voters, has no reported margin of error and should not be used as a forecast or substitute for scientific polling. Totals can change while the fair remains open.
