Iowa Democrats scored an upset in a state Senate special election on Tuesday, months after being wiped out in the Hawkeye State in the presidential contest.
Democrat Mike Zimmer narrowly defeated Republican Katie Whittington, 51.7%-48.1%, in a race to fill the seat vacated by now-Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer, a Republican, according to results posted by the Iowa secretary of state. The result lowers the GOP majority in the state Senate to 34-16.
The district was flipped from Democrat to Republican in 2018 by Cournoyer, and she won reelection over a Democratic challenger by a 61%-39% margin in 2022. Zimmer will serve the rest of Cournoyer’s term and be up for reelection in 2026. Tuesday’s special election had significantly fewer votes cast than the last general election, with only roughly 9,304 votes on Tuesday compared to 23,850 votes in 2022.
Democrats are hoping the upset is a good sign after a dismal showing in the Hawkeye State last November. President Donald Trump handily defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris, 55.7%-42.5%, despite a late poll suggesting Harris had a 3-point lead in the state.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams heralded the special election win in Iowa as an “earthquake victory” that puts “Republicans across the country on notice.”
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“The DLCC is starting the new cycle strong just a month into 2025 — from battlegrounds to Republican territory. We have dozens more special elections on the horizon — we’re only just getting started,” Williams said in a statement on Tuesday.
Democrats also defended a state Senate seat in Minnesota on Tuesday, while in Florida, both of Trump’s picks to fill the seats vacated by former GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz and Michael Waltz advanced to the general special elections in April.
