Democrats flip Iowa Senate seat in special election

Democrats Tuesday flipped seat in the Iowa Senate in a special election held to replace Republican Sen. Chris Cournoyer, who was named as Iowa's lieutenant governor, but Democrats still will be far outnumbered in the chamber.

Mike Zimmer, a school board president and retired educator, defeated Republican Katie Whittington, a Republican Party organizer, in a special election for Eastern Iowa’s Senate District 35, which covers all of Clinton County and parts of Scott and Jackson counties.

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Unofficial results Tuesday night showed Zimmer leading with about 52 percent of the vote to Whittington's 48 percent.

The seat became vacant after Gov. Kim Reynolds in December named Cournoyer, of LeClaire, as lieutenant governor, and scheduled the special election.

“I am honored that the residents of Senate District 35 have put their faith in me to represent them in the Iowa Senate," Zimmer said in a statement Tuesday. "Our campaign’s values of hard work and fairness resonated with a bipartisan coalition of voters in Clinton, Jackson, and Scott counties. I‘m looking forward to working on behalf of the people of Eastern Iowa to help working Iowans get ahead, support our public schools and teachers, and help lower the cost of living.”

Zimmer, 64, retired after more than 40 years in education. He got his start as an industrial technology teacher and coach in Miles, and has served in various teaching and administrative roles for the DeWitt, North Scott and Pleasant Valley school districts, including as a principal. He was elected to the Central DeWitt Community school board in 2023. Zimmer also owns a small construction company.

Zimmer campaigned on bringing expertise in education to the state lawmaking processes. Zimmer said he was on the receiving end of legislation that made changes to collective bargaining for public employees, regulated topics taught and books available in schools, and most recently made state funds available for families sending their children to private schools.

Zimmer campaigned on his support for expanding preschool, postsecondary education opportunities and addressing high costs of child care.

Senate Democratic Leader Janet Weiner of Iowa City touted the election results.

“Mike ran on a platform to help working Iowans get ahead, support public schools and teachers, and help lower the cost of living. This win shows that when Democrats fight for Iowa families, we can win anywhere," Weiner said. "This is a victory for Iowans.”

Whittington, 42, is involved in local GOP politic, including serving on the central committee, helping local campaigns and being the Clinton County and Jackson County chair for Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. She worked as a scheduler at Clinton Auto Group in Clinton until she launched her campaign.

Whittington campaigned on her support for more parental rights in decision-making for children in school settings. She has four kids, the oldest of whom is 20. She also campaigned on her opposition to private companies' use of eminent domain, carbon dioxide capture pipelines and industrial wind turbines.

Whittington was sidelined by illness for more than a week of the short campaign, leaving her unable to attend forums and campaign in-person.

Republicans have a voter registration advantage in the district after the last election. As of Jan. 1, according to Iowa Secretary of State records, there are close to 14,000 active registered Republicans in the district, compared with almost 10,000 active registered Democrats. There are also about 14,000 active no-party voters as well.

With the Democratic win, the party will hold 16 seats in the Senate — far less than the 34 held by Republicans. The GOP has controlled the state lawmaking process since 2017, holding the governorship and majorities in the House and Senate.