Week in Iowa, Nov. 3, 2024: Recap of news from across the state

Trump's largest margin yet in Iowa: As expected for most of the campaign — despite a surprising poll last weekend — former President Donald Trump carried Iowa again in Tuesday’s election.

The Associated Press called Iowa for Trump, the Republican candidate, at 9:40 p.m. In unofficial results, Trump earned 55.7 percent of the vote in Iowa, compared to 42.5 percent for Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate.

Trump’s 13.2 percentage point margin in Iowa surpassed his previous victories here: Trump won Iowa by 9.3 points over Hillary Clinton in 2016 and by 8.2 points over Joe Biden in 2020.

The weekend before Election Day, the Iowa Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll delivered a shocker, showing Harris with a 3 point lead over Trump. The election results painted a much different picture.

Another close race for Miller-Meeks: Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks declared victory this past week but said she expects a recount — which would be the second time in three elections that her narrow victory went through a recount.

The 69-year-old former ophthalmologist, state lawmaker and state public health director led Iowa City Democrat Christina Bohannan by 799 votes out of more than 413,000 cast in a rematch for southeast Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, according to unofficial results.

Constitutional amendments pass: Iowa voters Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a pair of proposed state constitutional amendments: one on voting eligibility and one on the gubernatorial line of succession.

GOP extends grip on Iowa Legislature: Several tight Statehouse races in Iowa went to Republicans on Tuesday, increasing their hold on the House and Senate.

Unofficial election results show that Republicans — who already had among their largest majorities in decades going into the election — gained one seat in the Senate and three in the House.

The wins will give Republicans a 35-15 majority in the Senate and a 67-33 majority in the House when legislators convene next year.

Republicans picked up two seats in the Senate but lost one notable incumbent: Sen. Brad Zaun, an Urbandale Republican who was seeking a sixth term. Sen. Nate Boulton, a Des Moines Democrat, narrowly lost his Senate District 20 seat to his challenger, Republican Mike Pike, in unofficial results.

Court allows Pate's challenges: A federal judge denied a request Sunday from two Iowa groups that advocate for voting rights to put a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in place to halt Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate from challenging the ballots of more than 2,000 Iowans whose citizenship status was called into doubt. Some of those voters were challenged Tuesday by poll workers.

Odds and ends

Old Capitol Town Center: With the University of Iowa’s $20.6 million purchase of 45 percent of the Old Capitol Town Center — making it full owner of the nearly two-block former mall — the campus will nearly double what it already has spent buying the first 55 percent. Purchase documents provided to The Gazette show the campus since first inking ownership deals with the Old Capitol Group in 2005 has paid more than $20.8 million through three deals — a total that doesn’t include update and maintenance expenses for the 206,558 square feet it owns.

Death by suicide declines: The number of deaths by suicide in Iowa decreased in 2023 for the first time, significantly, in almost 10 years, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported, citing updated data from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. Fewer than 500 Iowans died by suicide in 2024 — the first time the number declined since 2018. The state's teenage suicide rate, however, climbed to 5.2 percent.

Water cooler

Kratom ban in I.C.: The Iowa City Council, which has voted twice to approve readings of an ordinance that would ban the sale of kratom, on Monday voted to defer a third vote, opting instead to put the issue on its list of priorities for the Iowa Legislature to address.

Best tenderloin: Dairy Sweet, located in Dunlap and owned by Lori and Greg Thomsen, has claimed the title of Iowa’s Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin in 2024. It's the first restaurant to have won twice. It won its first title from the Iowa Pork Producers Association in 2005 under the ownership of Lori’s parents.

They said ...

“After four years under Kamala Harris, Hawkeye state voters are eager for President Trump to fix what Kamala Harris broke. Starting on Day 1, President Trump and Vice President JD Vance will help to ease costs, secure the border, and protect Social Security for retirees like Ann Selzer (director of the Iowa Poll).” — Alex Latcham, Trump campaign senior deputy political director

"We may have to add onto the Capitol so there's a room big enough to hold all the Iowa House Republicans that we're going to have this upcoming session.“ — Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford