Linn, Johnson incumbents retain their seats

Incumbents from Linn and Johnson County and surrounding areas largely held onto their seats in the Iowa House of Representatives.

Republican Ashley Hinson handily beat Democrat Mark Seidl with 62.6 percent of the vote to represent Robins, Hiawatha and parts of Marion in District 67.

'I feel great. I obviously worked so hard, I pretty much knew hard work is usually rewarded, and I knocked on over 10,000 doors …

. I'm just ready to get to work,” she said.

'I'm ready to start learning about the budget and seeing where we're at.”

Republican Louis Zumbach beat Democrat Richard Whitehead in District 95, which includes Palo, Center Point, Mount Vernon, Lisbon, Springville, Central City, Alburnett and Prairieburg.

'I guess I'm looking forward to working hard for the hard working people of House District 95,” Zumbach said. 'I thought our campaign went really well. I knocked on a lot of doors, met a lot of people. It's been a good experience.”

Incumbent Republican Ken Rizer defended his seat against Democrat Molly Donahue with 54.2 percent of the vote in District 68 - that includes Bertram, Ely and eastern Marion.

'I am thrilled. It's been a tough race, as it always is in this district,” Rizer said.

He said his goals for the next term include tax reform, water quality and education, with other priorities, depending partly on whether or not Republicans won the House Senate.

He would like to pass a Constitutional amendment to protect electronic communications and data from unreasonable search and seizure as well as cut the time for rape kit processing.

Incumbent Republican Lee Hein beat Democrat Matt Hanlon with 65.1 percent of the vote in District 96, representing Delaware County and portions of northwest Jones County.

With 22 of 24 precincts reporting, incumbent Republican Dawn Pettengill was beating Democrat Paula Denison with 69.8 percent of the vote in District 75, which includes Benton County and Northern Iowa County.

In District 76, with 18 of 20 precincts reporting, incumbent Republican Dave Maxwell was beating Democrat Jacob Tornholm with 62 percent there. That district covers Poweshiek County and most of Iowa County.

Incumbent Democrat Liz Bennett, of district 65 in Cedar Rapids, easily hung onto her seat with 66.3 percent of the vote, beating Republican challenger Harry Foster.

Incumbent Democrat Todd Taylor, meanwhile, held off both Republican Steven Van Fleet and Libertarian Dave Cork with 56.7 percent of the vote in District 70, representing northwest Cedar Rapids and rural areas of Clinton township.

Reached as races around the state were still being counted, Taylor said he was waiting to see how the balance of power in Des Moines played out.

'I'm feeling very positive about the race we ran here,” he said. 'I'm watching closely to see where do we fit in with the rest of races around the state.”

Incumbent Democrat Bruce Bearinger beat Republican Zach Michael Schulz with 58.2 percent of the vote in District 64, which includes much of Buchanan County and the southern half of Fayette County.

With 18 of 19 precincts reporting, Democrat Amy Nielsen, the mayor of North Liberty, was beating Republican Royce Phillips with 57.7 percent to represent District 77, covering North Liberty, Tiffin, Oxford, Lone Tree, Swisher and Shueyville.

'We're really happy with the results - we worked hard. It's nice to have the campaign season over, quite honestly,” Nielsen said. 'My top priority will be K-12 education funding. It's really what got me involved in my community and my advocacy work. It's what I'd like to start working on day one.”

Gazette reporters Madison Arnold and Michaela Ramm contributed to this story.

Incumbent Republican Jarad Klein beat Libertarian Joshua Miller with 78.2 percent of the vote in District 78, which includes Keokuk County and most of Washington County.

Republican Andy McKean beat Democrat Jessica Kean with 58.9 percent of the vote in District 58 to represent Cascade, Martelle, Olin, Center Junction, Oxford Junction, Maquoketa, Preston and Bellevue.

Kristi Hager, the Republican, came out ahead of Democrat Patti Ruff in District 56, with 54.4 percent to 45.5 percent. That district includes Allamakee and Clayton counties.