Iowa voters have now made their choices between nominees in an open race for governor, an open US Senate seat, three competitive US House districts and four down-ballot statewide offices. Polls closed as of 8 p.m., and absentee ballots had to be received by county auditors by that time to count.
The results of Tuesday’s midterm elections will begin to become available as ballots are counted and Iowa Starting Line will update this article with the results as trusted sources like the Associated Press call each race.
Below are the key races we are tracking as the ballots are tallied.
Iowa Governor
Democrat Rob Sand, the state auditor since 2019, is facing Republican Zach Lahn in the race to become Iowa’s next governor. If Sand wins, he’ll be the first Democrat elected to the office since Chet Culver in 2006. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and is leaving behind the auditor’s office, which is also on the ballot.
Lahn narrowly won a five-person Republican primary over US Rep. Randy Feenstra. A Lahn victory would keep the office in Republican hands and would come as a surprise after Sand led in most October polls.
Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds first took office in 2017 and is not seeking reelection. Her exit left the governor’s office without an incumbent on the ballot for the first time since 2006.
It’s also been the most expensive governor’s race in state history. Sand and Lahn raised a combined $81 million through mid-October, roughly $54 million for Sand and $27 million for Lahn. Lahn loaned his campaign $2.5 million.
Both candidates named cancer rates and affordability as top priorities.
US Senate
Republican US Rep. Ashley Hinson, who had Trump’s endorsement, is facing Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek, a Paralympian, in a battle to succeed Republican US Sen. Joni Ernst who did not run for reelection. A Hinson win would keep the seat in GOP hands.
Turek beat state Sen. Zach Wahls in the Democratic primary. A Turek win would mark the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Iowa since Tom Harkin in 2008.
Sen. Ernst’s retirement created Iowa’s first open US Senate seat in a decade. The Associated Press notes that Republicans considered the seat pivotal to keeping their Senate majority.
Outside groups spent more than $137 million on the race, according to a Des Moines Register analysis, and AdImpact projected that total ad spending could reach $195 million. The Senate Leadership Fund, led by Majority Leader John Thune, was the largest spender.
Iowa’s 1st Congressional District
Democrat Christina Bohannan is challenging incumbent Republican US Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District.
This year marks Bohannan’s third attempt to beat Miller-Meeks, who won in 2024 by fewer than 800 votes. A Bohannan win would flip a seat Democrats have targeted as key to winning the US House.
Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District
Democratic state Rep. Lindsay James of Dubuque is facing off with Republican Joe Mitchell, a former state representative, for the open seat in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District vacated by Hinson in her US Senate run.
A James win would flip the northeast Iowa seat for Democrats.
Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District
Republican US Rep. Zach Nunn is running for reelection in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District and he’s being challenged by Democratic state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott.
A Nunn win would herald a third term in a district that, Iowa Public Radio reported, has not been held by any incumbent for more than two terms since 2010.
Iowa Attorney General
Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird is aiming to win a second term and is facing Democrat Nate Willems, a Mount Vernon labor attorney and former state representative. Bird was first elected in 2022, unseating longtime Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller.
Willems campaigned on holding polluters accountable and suing employers over wage theft.
Iowa Secretary of State
Republican Secretary of State Paul Pate is angling for another term. Democrat Ryan Peterman, a Navy veteran from Davenport, is challenging him.
A win would give Pate a fifth overall and fourth consecutive term as Iowa’s chief elections official. While a Peterman upset would mark the first Democrat elected to the office since Michael Mauro in 2006.
Peterman ran on a promise of nonpartisan election administration and criticized Pate for sharing Iowa voter data with the federal government.
Iowa Auditor
Republican Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer is hoping to flip an office that Democrat Rob Sand has held since 2019. He’s being challenged by Democrat Taylor Wettach, a Muscatine lawyer.
The auditor’s office was the only statewide office held by a Democrat before Sand ran for governor.
Iowa Treasurer
Republican State Treasurer Roby Smith, a Davenport Republican and former state senator, is hoping to win a second term. To do so, he’ll have to beat Democrat John Norwood, a West Des Moines business adviser.
Smith first won in 2022 with 51.3%, defeating longtime Democratic Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald. Norwood campaigned on protecting IPERS, the public pension system.
