Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen is heading to Iowa next month to speak at a high-profile fundraiser known for bringing in big-name Democrats.

The Polk County Democrats’ annual steak fry draws party faithful from across the country and often a national spotlight.

Chair Bill Brauch said Van Hollen was “a big get.”

“I was just tickled when my vice chair told me that he said yes,” Brauch said.

Brauch said they typically invite Democrats to Des Moines who have national appeal.

Maryland’s senior senator has been well known for years, but he said there’s been an uptick in Van Hollen’s national profile in recent months, citing appearances on Sunday political talk shows.

Dems, Brauch said, are looking for “smart leaders who know how to reach people. Van Hollen has represented the party’s values while opposing the Trump administration’s agenda.

This will be Van Hollen’s first time attending the steak fry.

A Van Hollen campaign spokesperson said in a statement that the senator was honored to accept the invitation and looks forward to speaking with Iowans about “the future of the Democratic party as we confront a lawless president and chart a new course.”

He also plans to eat steak “with gusto,” the spokesperson said.

Organizers say there’s plenty more than steak on the menu and local politicians, including those running for governor and Congress in 2026, will take their turns on the mic.

Depending on the election cycle and because of Iowa’s featured spot in the country’s democratic process, the event can draw big names and thousands of watchers.

This is an off-election year, however, and next year is a gubernatorial race. Brauch said it’s typical to expect 500-750 people. Leading up to a presidential race, attendance can reach into the thousands. People come from all over Iowa and from other states to mix with national politicos they wouldn’t otherwise see in person.

Along with his Maryland Democratic colleagues, Van Hollen has been an outspoken critic of the Trump administration, standing with fired federal workers and challenging the mass deportation of immigrants. He traveled to El Salvador to check on Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia after he was swept up by the federal government and shipped with 200 other immigrants to a high-security prison.

A minority member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Van Hollen has tried and failed to prevent the Trump administration from keeping the FBI in D.C., effectively killing a planned relocation to Greenbelt.

Last year, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker headlined. The billionaire Democrat’s name has been floated as a possible 2028 presidential contender. In 2023, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz took the stage, long before becoming a vice presidential candidate in 2024. In 2007, then-presidential hopeful Barack Obama attended the fundraiser when the event was organized and hosted by former Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin.

Was Gov. Wes Moore invited this year? Brauch knew the name but said he wasn’t sure if his team sent Moore an invitation. Sometimes folks “pop in out of the blue,” he said.

The Democratic governor’s name has been on a long list of potential presidential candidates.

Brauch extended an open invitation to the fry to Moore and any other Maryland Democrats — “We welcome all.”