Campaign Almanac: National Democrats add Iowa House, Senate to 2026 target map

The campaign arm of Democratic state legislatures is adding both the Iowa House and Iowa Senate to its 2026 target map, signaling that national Democrats see new opportunities to chip away at Republican power in Des Moines.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee said its post-2025 election analysis showed Democrats overperformed in targeted races by an average of 4.5 percentage points — gains the DLCC argued could translate into “the most significant Democratic gains at this ballot level in two decades” if repeated in 2026. The expanded target map, outlined in the group’s strategy memo, highlights efforts to break the GOP supermajority in the Iowa House and prevent Republicans from regaining one in the Iowa Senate.

“2026 is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fundamentally transform state legislative power, including making inroads in Iowa,” DLCC President Heather Williams said in statements announcing both moves.

By adding the Iowa House and Iowa Senate to the DLCC’s target map, “we are expanding our winning strategy to chip away at Republican power and create lasting power in statehouses all across the country,” Williams added.

Iowa Democratic leaders welcomed the attention and resources. House Democratic leader Brian Meyer said, “We are thrilled the DLCC recognizes the opportunity to elect more Democrats in the Iowa House as we hold Republicans accountable for failing voters and raising the costs for everyday Iowans.”

Iowa Senate Democratic leader Janice Weiner pointed to recent special-election gains, saying Democrats “broke the Republican super majority in the Iowa Senate” this year and enter 2026 with “momentum at our backs.”

“Now, with the DLCC as a key partner, we’re ready to recruit strong candidates, contest every seat possible, and reach every voter to turn the tide and make lasting inroads,” Weiner said in a statement.

The DLCC, which supports Democratic state legislative campaigns nationwide, says its 2026 map includes 42 chambers where it sees opportunities to flip seats, build Democratic power or break GOP supermajorities.

Republican Wendy Larson wins special election, preserving Iowa House GOP supermajority

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Republican Wendy Larson won Tuesday’s special election in northwest Iowa’s House District 7, keeping the GOP’s 67-seat supermajority intact in the Iowa House.

Larson, of Odebolt, will succeed former Rep. Mike Sexton, R-Rockwell City, who resigned in September to become state director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Iowa Rural Development office. Unofficial results from the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office show Larson winning 70 percent of the vote, defeating Democrat Rachel Burns, who received 30 percent.

“I'm very blessed to have the opportunity to serve House District 7," Larson said in a statement. "Throughout this campaign, I vowed to be a common-sense, conservative leader for rural Iowa in the Statehouse. I look forward to delivering on promises that I campaigned on, including protecting landowner rights, providing property tax relief, and protecting our children. I'm eager to carry the voices of House District 7 to Des Moines and deliver results for rural Iowa."

House District 7 covers Sac, Pocahontas and Calhoun counties and parts of western Webster County.

Larson, who ran against Sexton in the 2024 GOP primary, is a deaconess at Kiron Baptist Church and a Mobile Food Pantry volunteer, and holds a marketing degree from Colorado State University.

Her campaign this year emphasized landowner rights in eminent-domain disputes, opposing vaccine mandates, strengthening gun rights, fighting illegal immigration and protecting children from “political indoctrination” in schools.

House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, praised Larson’s “resounding victory” in a statement.

“Iowans continue to reject out-of-touch liberal agendas and opt instead for more of the common-sense, freedom-loving approach you’ve come to know from Iowa House Republicans,” Grassley said. “We are proud to have a strong leader for House District 7 in Wendy Larson, and we look forward to her joining us in the Iowa House."

Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart credited Burns, a speech language pathologist, educator and first responder, for outperforming expectations in the heavily Republican district, saying she ran “a gutsy and inspiring campaign … overperforming by 11 points and forcing Republicans to spend over $35,000 in a district that Donald Trump won by 52."

Larson’s victory is the fifth legislative special election in Iowa this year. A final 2025 special election is scheduled for Dec. 30 in Polk County to fill the Senate District 16 seat vacated after Sen. Claire Celsi’s death in October from an undisclosed illness.

Democrat Mike Zimmer, of DeWitt, flipped a GOP-held Eastern Iowa Senate seat in January, while Republicans narrowly held a House district in March after the death of Rep. Martin Graber. In April, Democrat Angelina Ramirez won a Cedar Rapids-area House seat vacated by Sami Scheetz, and in August, Democrat Catelin Drey captured a Sioux City area Senate seat previously held by the late Rocky DeWitt — a win that ended Senate Republicans’ supermajority.

The 2026 Iowa legislative session begins Jan. 12.

Iowa public-worker union backs Rob Sand for governor

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One of the state’s largest public-worker unions is endorsing Rob Sand for governor.

AFSCME Council 61, which represents more than 40,000 public workers in Iowa, Missouri and Kansas, said it would announce the endorsement at a public event Saturday in Des Moines.

In a press release, the union noted it follows Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO — another of the state’s largest public-worker unions — in endorsing Sand.

“Public service workers have kept this state running through crisis after crisis,” AFSCME Council 61 President Todd Copley said in the press release. “Our endorsement reflects a deliberate, member-driven process focused on choosing leaders who respect our work and understand what it takes to strengthen public services in Iowa.”

Sand, Iowa’s state auditor since 2019, is one of two Democrats running for governor, along with West Des Moines political consultant Julie Stauch.

Five Republicans are vying for their party’s nomination for governor: western Iowa U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra; state legislator Eddie Andrews, of Johnston; former state agency director Adam Steen, of Runnells; farmer and business owner Zach Lahn, of Belle Plaine; and former state lawmaker Brad Sherman, of Williamsburg.

Iowa’s 2026 gubernatorial election is open-seat after Republican incumbent Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she will not seek another term.

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