Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
Iowa 2010 legislative election results
Senate
 |
|
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan• Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming |
| Other 2010 Election information |
Iowa State Senate Election Results
This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the Iowa State Senate. For results in individual contests see our Iowa State Senate elections, 2010 page. The following is a breakdown of the state senate before and after the election:
| Iowa State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 32 | 27 | |
| Republican Party | 18 | 23 | |
| Total | 50 | 50 | |
What You'll See on This Page
This page displays the following lists of candidates
- Incumbents who ran on November 2
- Incumbents who were defeated
- Challengers who defeated an incumbent
- Newly elected senators
- List of all winners
- Unopposed candidates
- Third party candidates
State Senate Overview:
- There were 21 incumbents who ran in the November 2 general election. Only 5 incumbents lost, and thus 16 incumbents were re-elected to the Iowa State Senate.
- No Republican incumbents lost in the general election, while 5 Democratic incumbents lost.
- There will be 9 new senators sworn-in. Of those 9, 1 is a Democrat and 8 are Republicans
- Of the 25 seats up for election, 13 were won by Democrats and 12 by Republicans.
- 7 candidates were unopposed, 4 Democrat and 3 Republicans.
- Only 2 candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate in the general election.
Incumbency Analysis
Of the 1,167 state senate seats up for election in 2010, incumbents ran for 894 (76.6%) of them. Of these 894, 94 lost their re-election bids, 89 Democrats and 5 Republicans. In Iowa, three incumbent senators did not run for re-election on the November 2 ballot, while 22 incumbents (88%) ran for re-election. Of these 22 incumbents, 5 were defeated. All 5 were Democrats.
Incumbents who ran on November 2
The following is a list of all of the incumbents who ran on the November 2 general election ballot:
Incumbents defeated
The following is a list of incumbents defeated on November 2:
| Candidate | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Becky Schmitz | ||
| Bill Heckroth | ||
| Keith Kreiman | ||
| Rich Olive | ||
| Staci Appel |
Challengers who beat an incumbent
The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent on November 2:
| Candidate | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Kent Sorenson | ||
| Bill Dix | ||
| Robert Bacon (Iowa) | ||
| Sandra Greiner |
New State Senators and General Election Winners
388 new senators were elected across the country. This includes challengers who defeated incumbents as well as candidates who won open seats. Of these 388, 278 were Republicans and 110 were Democrats. In Iowa, 9 new senators will be sworn-in. Of those 9, 1 is a Democrat and 8 are Republicans. In the 4 open seat contests, Republicans won 3 and Democrats 1. In total, Iowa elected 50 senators, 13 Democrats and 12 Republicans.
Newly elected senators
The following are the newly-elected members of the Iowa State Senate:
Democratic
Republican
Open Seat Winners
The following is a list of candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:
Democratic
Republican
Candidates who won election
The following is a list of all candidates elected to the Iowa State Senate:
Democratic
Republican
Competitiveness
Across the nation, 1,167 state senate seats were up for election in 2010. 1,143 of those seats were partisan seats (24 seats were up for election in Nebraska's nonpartisan unicameral legislature). In 320 (28.0%) of these state senate contests, there was a major party candidate with no major party opposition. In Iowa, 7 candidates (28.0% of seats) faced no major party opposition. Of these 7, 5 were Democrats and 2 were Republicans.
Unopposed candidates in general election
The following candidates did not face major party competition:
Democratic
Republican
Ballot Access
Across the nation, 140 independent or third party candidates ran for state senate. In Iowa, 2 (4.5%) of the 44 senate candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate. None won election in the November 2 general election.
Third party candidates
The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who ran in 2010:
House
|
|
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan• Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming |
| Other 2010 Election information |
Iowa State House Election Results
This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the Iowa House of Representatives. For results in individual contests, see our Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2010. The following is a breakdown of the state house before and after the election:
| Iowa House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 56 | 42 | |
| Republican Party | 44 | 58 | |
| Total | 100 | 100 | |
What You'll See on This Page
This page displays the following lists of candidates
- Incumbents who ran on November 2
- Incumbents who were defeated
- Challengers who defeated an incumbent
- Newly elected senators
- List of all winners
- Unopposed candidates
- Third party candidates
State House Overview:
- There were 96 incumbents who ran in the November 2 general election. Only 12 incumbents lost, and thus 84 incumbents were re-elected to the Iowa House of Representatives.
- No Republican incumbents lost in the general election, while 12 incumbent Democratic incumbent lost.
- There will be 29 new representatives sworn-in. Of those 29, 7 are Democrats and 22 are Republicans
- Of the 100 seats up for election, 40 were won by Democrats and 60 by Republicans.
- 33 candidates were unopposed, 8 Democrats and 25 Republicans.
- Only 7 candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate in the general election.
Incumbency Analysis
Of the 4,958 state house seats up for election, incumbents ran in the general election for 4,091 (79.5%) of them. Of these 4,091 incumbents, 413 lost their re-election bids, 403 Democrats and 10 Republicans. In Iowa, 96 (96.0%) incumbents ran for re-election. Of these 96, 12 incumbent representatives were defeated. All 12 incumbents were Democrats.
Incumbents who ran on November 2
The following is a list of all of the incumbents who ran on the November 2 general election ballot:
- Brian Quirk
- Andrew Wenthe
- Deborah Berry
- Roger Thomas
- Patrick Murphy (Iowa)
- Nate Willems
- Kirsten Running-Marquardt
- Todd Taylor (Iowa)
- Tyler Olson
- Mark Smith (Iowa)
- Lisa Heddens
- Helen Miller
- Jo Oldson
- Bruce Hunter
- Janet Petersen
- Kevin McCarthy (Iowa)
- Mary Mascher
- Vicki Lensing
- Jim Lykam
- Cindy Winckler
- Curt Hanson
- Jerry Kearns
- Mary Gaskill
- Kurt Swaim
- Chuck Soderberg
- Dwayne Alons
- Royd Chambers
- Henry Rayhons
- Linda Upmeyer
- Steven Lukan
- Kraig Paulsen
- Renee Schulte
- Dawn Pettengill
- Lance Horbach
- Annette Sweeney
- Ralph Watts
- David Tjepkes
- Gary Worthan
- Daniel Huseman
- Jason Schultz
- Clel Baudler
- Chris Hagenow
- Peter Cownie
- Scott Raecker
- Erik Helland
- Kevin Koester
- Jim Van Engelenhoven
- Richard Arnold (Iowa)
- Betty DeBoef
- Jeff Kaufmann
- Linda Miller (Iowa)
- Steven Olson (Iowa)
- Thomas Sands
- David Heaton
- Cecil Dolecheck
- Greg Forristall
- John Beard (Iowa)
- Donovan Olson
- Eric Palmer
- Gene Ficken
- Larry Marek
- Michael Reasoner
- Geri Huser
- Ray Zirkelbach
- Paul Shomshor, Jr.
- Nathan Reichert
- McKinley Bailey
- Doris Kelley
- Richard Anderson (Iowa)
- Jack Drake
- Matt Windschitl
- Beth Wessel-Kroeschell
- Bob Kressig
- David Jacoby
- Rick Olson (Iowa)
Incumbents defeated
The following is a list of incumbents defeated on November 2:
| Candidate | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| John Beard (Iowa) | ||
| Donovan Olson | ||
| Eric Palmer | ||
| Gene Ficken | ||
| Larry Marek | ||
| Michael Reasoner | ||
| Geri Huser | ||
| Ray Zirkelbach | ||
| Paul Shomshor, Jr. | ||
| Nathan Reichert | ||
| McKinley Bailey | ||
| Doris Kelley |
Challengers who beat an incumbent
The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent on November 2:
| Candidate | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Stewart Iverson, Jr. | ||
| Bob Hager | ||
| Walt Rogers | ||
| Dan Rasmussen | ||
| Kim Pearson | ||
| Chip Baltimore | ||
| Guy Vander Linden | ||
| Mark Lofgren | ||
| Jarad Klein | ||
| Mark A. Brandenburg |
New Representatives and General Election Winners
1,345 new representatives were elected across the country. This includes challengers who defeated incumbents as well as candidates who won open seats. Of these 1,345, 988 were Republicans and 357 were Democrats. In Iowa, 29 new representatives will be sworn-in. Of those 29, 7 are Democrats and 22 are Republicans. In the 33 open seat contests, Republicans won 25 and Democrats 8. In total, Iowa elected 100 representatives, 60 Republicans and 40 Democrats.
Newly elected representatives
The following are the newly-elected members of the Iowa House of Representatives:
Democratic
Republican
- Jeremy Taylor (Iowa)
- Jeff Smith (Iowa)
- Tom W. Shaw
- Stewart Iverson, Jr.
- Josh Byrnes
- Bob Hager
- Walt Rogers
- Dan Rasmussen
- Brian Moore, Iowa politician
- Kim Pearson
- Chip Baltimore
- Ron Jorgensen
- Julian B. Garrett
- Glen H. Massie
- Guy Vander Linden
- Mark Lofgren
- Ross C. Paustian
- Jarad Klein
- Mary Ann Hanusa
- Mark A. Brandenburg
Open Seat Winners
The following is a list of candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:
Democratic
Republican
Candidates who won election
The following is a list of all candidates elected to the Iowa State Senate:
Democratic
- Brian Quirk
- Andrew Wenthe
- Deborah Berry
- Roger Thomas
- Patrick Murphy (Iowa)
- Nate Willems
- Kirsten Running-Marquardt
- Todd Taylor (Iowa)
- Tyler Olson
- Mark Smith (Iowa)
- Lisa Heddens
- Helen Miller
- Jo Oldson
- Bruce Hunter
- Janet Petersen
- Kevin McCarthy (Iowa)
- Mary Mascher
- Vicki Lensing
- Jim Lykam
- Cindy Winckler
- Curt Hanson
- Jerry Kearns
- Mary Gaskill
- Kurt Swaim
- Chris Hall (Iowa)
- John Wittneben
- Anesa Kajtazovic
- Mary Lynn Wolfe
- Dan Kelley
- Dan Muhlbauer
- Beth Wessel-Kroeschell
- Bob Kressig
- David Jacoby
- Rick Olson (Iowa)
- Ruth Ann Gaines
Republican
- Chuck Soderberg
- Dwayne Alons
- Royd Chambers
- Henry Rayhons
- Linda Upmeyer
- Steven Lukan
- Kraig Paulsen
- Renee Schulte
- Dawn Pettengill
- Lance Horbach
- Annette Sweeney
- Ralph Watts
- David Tjepkes
- Gary Worthan
- Daniel Huseman
- Jason Schultz
- Clel Baudler
- Chris Hagenow
- Peter Cownie
- Scott Raecker
- Erik Helland
- Kevin Koester
- Jim Van Engelenhoven
- Richard Arnold (Iowa)
- Betty DeBoef
- Jeff Kaufmann
- Linda Miller (Iowa)
- Steven Olson (Iowa)
- Thomas Sands
- David Heaton
- Cecil Dolecheck
- Greg Forristall
- Jeremy Taylor (Iowa)
- Jeff Smith (Iowa)
- Tom W. Shaw
- Stewart Iverson, Jr.
- Josh Byrnes
- Bob Hager
- Walt Rogers
- Dan Rasmussen
- Brian Moore, Iowa politician
- Kim Pearson
- Chip Baltimore
- Ron Jorgensen
- Julian B. Garrett
- Glen H. Massie
- Guy Vander Linden
- Mark Lofgren
- Ross C. Paustian
- Jarad Klein
- Mary Ann Hanusa
- Mark A. Brandenburg
- Richard Anderson (Iowa)
- Jack Drake
- Matt Windschitl
Competitiveness
Across the nation, 4,958 state house seats were up for election in 2010. In 1,680 (33.9%) of these state house contests, there was a major party candidate with no major party opposition. In Iowa, 33 candidates (33.3% of all seats) faced no major party opposition. Of these 33, 8 were Democrats and 25 were Republicans.
Unopposed candidates in general election
The following candidates did not face major party competition:
Democratic
Republican
- Dawn Pettengill
- Cecil Dolecheck
- Chuck Soderberg
- Clel Baudler
- Daniel Huseman
- David Tjepkes
- Linda Upmeyer
- Dwayne Alons
- Erik Helland
- Greg Forristall
- Jason Schultz
- Jeff Smith (Iowa)
- Kevin Koester
- Kraig Paulsen
- Lance Horbach
- Linda Miller (Iowa)
- Matt Windschitl
- Royd Chambers
- Steven Lukan
- Steven Olson (Iowa)
- Thomas Sands
- Richard Anderson (Iowa)
- Jack Drake
Ballot Access
In Iowa, 7 (7.0%) of the 100 house candidates ran as independent or third party candidates. None won election in the November 2 general election.
Third party candidates
The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who ran in 2010:
National Partisan Trends
|
|
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan• Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming |
| Other 2010 Election information |
National Partisan Trends
The following tables detail the partisan breakdown of national election results. These results provide context for Republican gains in Iowa.
Incumbents who were defeated in the general election
Across the nation, only 15 Republican incumbents were defeated while 492 Democratic incumbents were defeated. In total, 507 (10.4%) of the 4,872 incumbents running in the general election were defeated. The following is a breakdown of incumbent defeats in the 2010 general election:
The following is the breakdown of incumbents who lost.
| Incumbents defeated in 2010 legislative elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Senate | House | Total |
| Democratic | 89 | 403 | 492 |
| Republican | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| TOTALS | 94 | 413 | 507 |
Total new legislators elected
In total, 1,733 (28.3%) new legislators were elected in 2010. Of these 1,733, 1,266 (73.1%) are Republicans and 467 (26.9%) are Democrats.
The following is the breakdown of new legislators.
| New Legislators after the 2010 legislative elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Senate | House | Total |
| Democratic | 110 | 357 | 467 |
| Republican | 278 | 988 | 1,266 |
| TOTALS | 388 | 1,345 | 1,733 |
Winners of Open Seats
Open seats contests made up 1,178 (19.2%) of the 6,125 seats on November 2. Of these 1,178 open seats, Republicans won 729 (61.9%) while Democrats won 449 (38.1%). Going into the election, the number of open seats formerly held by each party was quite similar. Estimates prior to the election suggest that approximately 52% of the open seats were previously held by Republicans and 48% were held by Democrats.
The following is the breakdown of open seat winners.
| Open Seat Winners in 2010 legislative elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Senate | House | Total |
| Democratic | 108 | 341 | 449 |
| Republican | 191 | 538 | 729 |
| TOTALS | 299 | 879 | 1,178 |
Impact on legislative majorities
- See also: Partisan balance of state legislatures
Heading into the November 2 elections, the Democratic Party held a commanding lead in state houses in the 88 legislative chambers that held elections in 2010. 52 of the 88 chambers, or nearly 60% of them, had a Democratic majority, while only 33 of them had a Republican majority. (Two chambers had an exactly equal number of Democrats and Republicans and one is officially nonpartisan.) The following is a partisan breakdown of state legislatures prior to the November 2 election:
| Partisan breakdown before the November 2010 Election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legislative chamber | 
|
|
|
|
| State senates | 23 | 18 | 1 | 1 |
| State houses | 29 | 15 | 1 | - |
| Totals: | 52 | 33 | 2 | 1 |
As a result of the election, Republicans picked up 20 legislative chambers while Democrats lost 20. Republicans won 53 total chambers on November 2, while Democrats won only 32. The following is a partisan breakdown of state legislatures after the November 2 election:
| Partisan breakdown after the November 2010 Election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legislative chamber |
|
|
|
|
| State senates | 16 | 25 | 1 | 1 |
| State houses | 16 | 28 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals: | 32 | 53 | 2 | 1 |
Another way to examine the data is to gauge how many chambers had gains for the Democratic Party versus the Republican Party. Using this variable, the wide-sweeping Republican victory is further amplified. Democrats bolstered their majorities in only 7 of 88 (7.96%) state chambers. These legislatures are as follows:
| State legislative chambers where Democrats gained seats on November 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| State | Chamber | Number of seats gained by Democrats |
| California | Assembly | + 2 |
| Delaware | House | + 2 |
| Hawaii | Senate | + 1 |
| Maryland | Senate | + 2 |
| Massachusetts | Senate | + 1 |
| Missouri | Senate | + 1 |
| West Virginia | Senate | + 1 |
In 7 chambers, the GOP kept their current number of seats. In one chamber, the California State Assembly, both major parties gained seats by filling 2 vacancies and defeating an incumbent independent. Overall, the Republican Party picked up legislative seats in 75 (85.2%) of the 88 legislative chambers that held elections on November 2.
Impact on State Politics
Along with the GOP capture of the U.S. House of Representatives, state Republicans gained trifectas (control of the governorship, house, and senate) in 12 states. The following is a breakdown of trifectas across the nation, before and after the 2010 election:
| Trifectas before and after the 2010 Election | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Before election | U.S. House seats | After election | U.S. House seats | Gain/loss states | Gain/loss congressional seats |
| 16 | 131 | 11 | 115 | -5 | -16 | |
| 8 | 66 | 20 | 198 | +12 | +132 | |
Before the election, 131 U.S House seats were in states with Democratic trifectas, while 66 districts were in states with Republican trifectas. After the election, Republicans trifectas control redistricting for 198 U.S. House seats while Democrats control only 115. Additionally, California, the strongest Democratic trifecta with 53 U.S. House representatives, passed propositions that take redistricting power away from state government.
