Veteran and businessman Kyle Kuehl (pronounced Keel) announced his campaign for U.S. Congress in Iowa’s First District on Wednesday. Kuehl is running for the Republican nomination and will be competing against current Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks for the party’s nomination.
Kuehl is a combat veteran who served in Afghanistan. He owns and operates four businesses in eastern Iowa in the education, aviation, real estate and advertising industries.
“I’m here tonight to tell you that our current Congress isn’t getting the job done,” Kuehl said. “And that’s because Congress isn’t filled with veterans and it’s certainly not filled with business owners, but rather with career politicians. And I’m happy to say that I have absolutely zero political experience.”
Kuehl enlisted in the Iowa Army National Guard when he was 17 years old. He deployed to Afghanistan as a sniper in 2010 and 2011.
“I’ve fought for this country before and I’m ready to stand up and fight for this country yet again,” he said. “Now there’s a specific reason why we want combat veterans in Congress, and that’s because as a veteran I understand that we don’t leave Americans behind.”
Kuehl called the Afghanistan withdrawal a “complete travesty.”
“As always, American soldiers paid the ultimate sacrifice,” he said. “As your next representative, I will take care of those who defend this nation. Both our veterans and our police officers.”
Kuehl also highlighted the businesses he is involved with in eastern Iowa.
He criticized Critical Race Theory and the erosion of civil liberties.
“Now, I was born and raised in Iowa and I know a thing or two about Iowans. And we only want one thing when it comes to the federal government — and that’s to be left the hell alone,” he said.
