Joe Mitchell’s Clear Lake House Listed for Rent on Zillow Ahead of Election Day
Congressional candidate Joe Mitchell registered to vote at a newly built house in Clear Lake in September 2025, launching his campaign for the Second District just six days later. Yet as the campaign trail heated up through the summer and fall of 2026, that very same property sat advertised on Zillow as available to rent for $2,900 per month, according to reporting by Iowa Starting Line.
The online listing for the three-bedroom, three-bathroom, 1,837-square-foot unit ran from July 15 through October 17, 2026. It was taken down just days after an inquiry was made to tour the property, whether the Republican candidate actually lives in the district he seeks to represent or maintains his primary residence elsewhere.
Campaign Explains Months of House Rental Listings on Zillow
The public details of the Zillow advertisement show that Mitchell’s house was marketed for tenants for over three months during the peak of the congressional race. The property had also been previously listed for rent between November 6, 2025, and January 20, 2026.
The Clear Lake address of Joe Mitchell, the Republican candidate in Iowa’s 2nd district, was listed for rent on Zillow as recently as this month. The campaign claims its just how Mitchell’s company advertises other properties on the app. https://t.co/IGNMsc842i
When questioned about the active rental listings, Mitchell’s campaign offered an explanation. Drew Johns, Mitchell’s campaign manager, told Iowa Starting Line that the candidate’s company, Emerald Cove LLC, uses the address to advertise available units across the broader subdivision. Johns stated that the Zillow listing was ultimately modified and removed on October 17 to reduce confusion regarding which units were open for occupancy. The campaign also maintained that the listings were authorized by Jeff Ketels, the general contractor for Emerald Cove and president of Stonegate Builders Group LLC.
Despite these explanations, critics point out inconsistencies. The Zillow listing did not describe the home as a model unit for other available properties, and other homes within the development maintained separate listings on the website.
“Joe Mitchell must answer whether he is actually living where he is registered to vote in Clear Lake – at the home he listed on Zillow as available for rent for months – or in his condo in Des Moines that he refuses to answer questions about.”
Furthermore, campaign manager Drew Johns pushed back against the timing and source of the scrutiny, telling Iowa Starting Line that a dark money, left-leaning group was attempting to influence the election with unvetted information designed to drive a false narrative about Mitchell’s residency.
Voter Registration Records Reveal Previous Des Moines Condo Residency
This is not the first time Mitchell’s housing arrangements have drawn scrutiny. Before moving his voter registration to Clear Lake in September 2025, Mitchell lived in a downtown Des Moines condo at The Plaza, which he purchased in June 2022 after losing an Iowa House primary to state Representative Jeff Shipley. Voter registration records show Mitchell remained registered at that Des Moines apartment from October 2023 through September 2, 2025—outside of Iowa’s Second Congressional District.
Earlier reporting by Iowa Starting Line also revealed questions regarding a homestead tax credit claimed on a property in Mount Pleasant, where Mitchell grew up and previously represented in the legislature. Iowa law requires homeowners to reside in a property for at least six months a year to claim the credit. The campaign stated that the Mount Pleasant tax credit issue was successfully resolved with the Henry County Assessor.
Under federal law, congressional candidates are not required to live directly within the district they wish to represent, provided they reside within the state. However, questions regarding where candidates actually sleep, vote, and pay taxes remain a central fixture of local political campaigns.
While the campaign confirmed that Mitchell never sold his Des Moines condo, it has not addressed whether he utilizes the space as a second residence. As Election Day approaches, the exact nature of Mitchell’s residency split between his property holdings in Des Moines and Clear Lake remains unresolved.
