For the first time since 2014, Iowans will pick a governor who isn’t Kim Reynolds. But the governor’s race is far from the only decision on your Nov. 3, 2026 ballot. Iowans will also fill a US Senate seat, all four of the state’s US House seats, and four other statewide offices — attorney general, secretary of agriculture, secretary of state, and state auditor — that shape everything from hospital bills to what comes out of the tap.
Several of these are shaping up far closer than Iowa Republicans would like, according to the nonpartisan election forecasters. Here’s where each one stands, and what’s worth knowing about it.
Governor (statewide)
Democrat Rob Sand, the state auditor known for digging into how state agencies spend taxpayer money, has been criss-crossing the state for town halls in a multiple-lap 99-county tour. He faces Republican Zach Lahn, a political operative backed by “Make America Healthy Again” figures who started a private school in Kansas, where he lives part-time. Lahn made headlines when he pulled off an upset primary win over Trump-endorsed Rep. Randy Feenstra in a crowded five-candidate primary. This is the first Iowa governor’s race without an incumbent on the ballot since 2006.
And the race is tight. Cook Political Report moved the race from “toss up” to “lean Democrat” in August. Cook’s analysts pointed to tariffs, stagnant crop prices, and high input costs squeezing Iowa farmers as a headwind for Republicans this cycle. An August Emerson College Polling/Nexstar Media survey of Iowa voters had Sand ahead 48% to 43%, with independents breaking for him by 26 points.
Whoever wins will play a huge hand in the state’s Medicaid program, its budget, and property taxes—issues Iowans consistently say hit close to home.
Read more about the race here.
US Senate (statewide)
With US Sen. Joni Ernst retiring, Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson gave up her House seat to run, backed by Reynolds’ endorsement. She faces Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek, who won his primary against state Sen. Zach Wahls and JD Scholten dropped out to endorse him.
This race moved too: Cook shifted it from “lean Republican” to a true toss-up on the same August ratings update. The Emerson Poll had Hinson ahead just 48% to 45%, inside the margin of error, with independents splitting toward Turek 49% to 38%.
The seat is closely watched nationally and could decide control of a chamber that votes on healthcare, tariffs affecting Iowa farmers, and federal funding for rural hospitals.
Read more about the race here.
Iowa’s 1st Congressional District (southeastern Iowa including Davenport, Iowa City, Bettendorf, and Clinton)
Republican US Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks faces Democrat Christina Bohannan for a third straight cycle, after each of the past two elections was decided by recount-thin margins. Cook rates this one a toss-up again—one of a shrinking handful of US House seats nationally with that label. It’s one of the closest in the nation.
Read more about the race here.
Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District (northeastern Iowa including Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Dubuque, Mason City)
This open seat was vacated by Hinson. It pits Democratic state Rep. Lindsay James of Dubuque against former state Rep. Joe Mitchell. Cook rates it “likely Republican” in a district that leans roughly R+4. While safer for Republicans, it’s not one either side is ignoring.
Read more about the race here.
Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District (southwestern Iowa including Des Moines, Ankeny, West Des Moines, Urbandale)
Republican US Rep. Zach Nunn faces Democratic state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott in a district decided by fewer than four percentage points in each of the last two elections. It’s the other Iowa US House toss-up on Cook’s board, and arguably the state’s clearest bellwether, since it covers the Des Moines suburbs that so often decide Iowa’s statewide elections.
Read more about the race here.
Iowa’s 4th Congressional District (northwestern Iowa including Sioux City, Ames, Council Bluffs, Marshalltown)
Iowa’s most reliably Republican congressional seat is open too, after US Rep. Randy Feenstra gave it up to run for his failed governor bid. Chris McGowan, president of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce, won Trump’s endorsement over more combative populist rivals — including former Iowa House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl and Tea Party founder Ryan Rhodes — and is unopposed in the general election.
Democrat Dave Dawson, a former state representative and prosecutor endorsed by Scholten, emerged from a three-way Democratic primary to face him.
Cook doesn’t rate this one as competitive, and covering Ames, Sioux City, and Council Bluffs, it’s the longest of long shots for Democrats on this ballot. But it’s a seat that hasn’t been open in over a decade, in a year when Iowa Republicans are otherwise on defense.
Attorney General (statewide)
Republican incumbent Brenna Bird, who unseated longtime AG Tom Miller in 2022, faces Democrat Nate Willems, a labor attorney endorsed by Miller. An April survey from Global Strategy Group, a Democratic-aligned firm, had Bird up just 45% to 43%, with Willems running strongly among independents. Both parties’ national attorneys general associations have since put money into the race—a sign neither side considers it safe, even without the presence of much public polling.
Secretary of State (statewide)
Republican Paul Pate, first reelected in 2014, is seeking another term against Democrat Ryan Peterman, a Navy veteran from the Quad Cities. Peterman has spent the campaign pressing Pate for records on voter data the state chose to share with the US Department of Justice. This sharing of data was part of a broader national fight over voter roll data that’s landed in Iowa. Pate has said a “potential noncitizen” voter list is unlikely to materialize before the election.
While it is not among the list of close races, the office runs Iowa’s elections making it an important one to watch.
State Auditor (statewide)
The most under-the-radar race on the ballot might be the most structurally important. Auditor is the only statewide office Iowa Democrats currently hold, and it’s open because Sand is running for governor.
Republican Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer beat fellow Republican Abigail Maas in the primary. She now faces Democrat Taylor Wettach, a Muscatine attorney who ran for IA-01 before switching races.
That’s nine races, several of which are genuinely up for grabs. Registration deadlines and early voting details will vary. Check in with your county auditor’s office to make sure you are ready to vote.
