Iowa Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer won the Republican Party nomination for Iowa state auditor, edging out Abigail Maas.
The Associated Press projected Cournoyer’s win in the Republican Primary Tuesday, June 2.
Cournoyer led Maas 54% to 46% with 98 of 99 counties reporting. She will go on to face Democrat Taylor Wettach, a lawyer from Muscatine, in November.
Republicans view this race as a chance to reclaim the only statewide seat currently held by a Democrat, with current State Auditor Rob Sand running for governor.
“I’m relieved that the primary is over, I had a formidable opponent in the primary, and we both worked hard,” Cournoyer told the Register. “It was a great win, and I’m really appreciative of all the people that supported the campaign. I’m looking forward to working with the other people up and down the ticket.”
Cournoyer, of Le Claire, previously served in the Iowa Senate and ran a technology business. She had both fundraising and endorsement advantages over Maas, with the backing of Gov. Kim Reynolds and Republican Iowa U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst.
The lieutenant governor joined the race in 2025 shortly after Reynolds announced she would not seek reelection.
Maas of South Amana, who framed herself as the grassroots candidate, ran to the right of Cournoyer and garnered support in rural counties across the state.
Both candidates focused their campaigns on increasing transparency around state and local government spending to help reduce Iowans’ property taxes.
The Iowa State Auditor’s Office is responsible for scrutinizing the finances and spending of counties, cities, universities, school districts and other governmental subdivisions in the state. It also investigates potential fraud, waste and abuse of taxpayer dollars and public funds.
Rapid Response Politics Reporter Maya Marchel Hoff can be reached at mmarchelHoff@usatodayco.com. You can find her on X (formerly Twitter) at @mmarchelhoff.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Chris Cournoyer wins Republican primary for Iowa state auditor
Reporting by Maya Marchel Hoff, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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