David Edmund Young (born May 11, 1968) is an American politician who currently serves as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 28th District, and previously served as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 3rd congressional district from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he is a native and resident of Van Meter, a western suburb of Des Moines. He was first elected in 2014 and reelected in 2016; he lost reelection in 2018 to Democrat Cindy Axne. Young unsuccessfully challenged Axne in 2020 in a rematch, losing by 1.3%. Young was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2022. He represents parts of Dallas County, including western suburbs of Des Moines. Early life and education Young was born in Van Meter, Iowa. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Drake University. Early career From 2006 to 2013, he served as the chief of staff to Iowa Republican senator Chuck Grassley. He was previously chief of staff to Kentucky senator Jim Bunning from 1998 to 2006. U.S. House of Representatives Elections 2014 The Republican nomination was decided by a convention after none of the six candidates reached the 35 percent threshold required to make the general election ballot. This was the second time in 50 years that a convention picked a nominee and the first time since 2002. A poll conducted by the conservative website Caffeinated Thoughts of 118 of the 513 delegates was conducted on June 9–10, 2014. Young and Brad Zaun took 27% each. On June 21, 2014, in what was described by the Des Moines Register as a "stunning upset", Young won the nomination on the fifth ballot of the convention. Young went on to defeat Democrat Staci Appel 53% to 42% in the 2014 general election. 2016 Young ran for re-election in 2016. He defeated Joe Grandanette in the Republican primary, which took place on June 7, 2016. He then defeated Democrat Jim Mowrer in the general election, winning 54% of the vote. 2018 Young ran for reelection in 2018. He was unopposed in the Republican Party primary. In the November 2018 general election, he was defeated by Democrat Cindy Axne of nearby West Des Moines. Axne won 49% of the vote to Young's 47.5%, with four different third-party candidates winning the remaining 3.5% of the vote. He won 15 of the district's 16 counties, but could