A national group dedicated to electing Democrats to state legislatures is targeting 15 additional races in Iowa as Democrats look to eat into Republicans’ Iowa House supermajority.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee announced Wednesday, July 29, it is adding 15 races — several in the Des Moines metro — to its target list in Iowa that will determine whether Democrats can gain ground to break Republicans’ supermajority in the 100-member Iowa House.
The campaign arm contributed to a string of special election wins that helped Iowa Democrats bust the state Senate GOP supermajority, pushing Democrats to 17 lawmakers in the 50-member chamber.
Democrats view the fight to end Republicans’ Iowa House supermajority as increasingly important as state Auditor Rob Sand, the lone statewide elected Democrat, mounts a competitive bid for governor against Republican Zach Lahn in a race rated a “toss-up.”
Iowa’s GOP trifecta has passed a landmark law ending transgender and nonbinary civil rights protections against discrimination and implemented historic income and property tax cuts and a ban on most abortions after six weeks, among other priorities.
DLCC is targeting the following state legislative races:
Iowa House races:
Iowa Senate races:
This adds to an initial slate of target races in the Iowa Senate the DLCC announced earlier this year, including state Rep. Heather Matson, who is running in Ankeny’s open Iowa Senate District 21 against Republican John Hollinrake, as well as incumbents Catelin Drey in Sioux City’s Senate District 1 and Mike Zimmer in Clinton County’s Senate District 35.
Drey and Zimmer both prevailed in recent special elections and flipped their seats from GOP control.
In these target races, the DLCC is working with the Iowa House and Senate Democratic caucuses and candidates to deliver resources for data, research, polling, paid communication and direct voter contact.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams in a statement said “the tide is turning in the Hawkeye State” as the group works to break the House GOP supermajority.
“With a competitive governor’s race at the top of the ticket, we have an opportunity to build Democratic power and ensure an incoming Democratic governor can veto the worst of the MAGA agenda,” Williams said. “2026 is a historic opportunity to remake the power dynamics in Iowa, and the DLCC is proud to support this strong slate of candidates every step of the way through November.”
Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. Reach her by email at mjpayne@registermedia.com. Follow her on X at @marissajpayne.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Democrats add 15 Iowa House, Senate races to 2026 midterm target list
Reporting by Marissa Payne, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Marissa Payne, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
