Iowa State Senate elections, 2022
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| 2022 Iowa Senate Elections | |
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| Primary | June 7, 2022 |
| General | November 8, 2022 |
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Elections for the Iowa State Senate took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for June 7, 2022. The filing deadline was March 18, 2022.
The chamber's Republican majority increased from 32-18 to 34-16.
The Iowa State Senate was one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2022. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
Party control
| Iowa State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 8, 2022 | After November 9, 2022 | |
| Democratic Party | 18 | 16 | |
| Republican Party | 32 | 34 | |
| Total | 50 | 50 | |
Candidates
General
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection
Primary
Iowa State Senate Primary 2022 |
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| Office |  Democratic |
 Republican |
Other |
| District 1 |
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| District 3 |
No candidates filed for the Democratic primary |
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| District 4 |
No candidates filed for the Democratic primary |
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| District 5 |
No candidates filed for the Democratic primary |
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| District 6 |
No candidates filed for the Democratic primary |
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| District 7 |
No candidates filed for the Democratic primary |
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| District 9 |
No candidates filed for the Democratic primary |
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| District 11 |
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| District 13 |
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| District 14 |
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| District 15 |
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No candidates filed for the Republican primary |
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| District 16 |
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| District 17 |
No candidates filed for the Republican primary |
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| District 19 |
Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 21 |
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| District 23 |
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| District 25 |
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No candidates filed for the Republican primary |
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| District 27 |
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| District 29 |
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| District 30 |
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| District 31 |
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No candidates filed for the Republican primary |
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| District 33 |
Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 35 |
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| District 37 |
No candidates filed for the Republican primary |
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| District 39 |
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| District 40 |
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| District 41 |
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| District 42 |
Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 43 |
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No candidates filed for the Republican primary |
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| District 44 |
No candidates filed for the Democratic primary |
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| District 45 |
No candidates filed for the Republican primary |
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| District 46 |
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| District 47 |
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| District 49 |
No candidates filed for the Republican primary |
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Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Click a link below to read survey responses from candidates in that district:
- District 1
- District 3
- District 4
- District 5
- District 6
- District 7
- District 9
- District 11
- District 13
- District 14
- District 15
- District 16
- District 17
- District 19
- District 21
- District 23
- District 25
- District 27
- District 29
- District 30
- District 31
- District 33
- District 35
- District 37
- District 39
- District 40
- District 41
- District 42
- District 43
- District 44
- District 45
- District 46
- District 47
- District 49
Incumbents who were not re-elected
Incumbents defeated in general elections
Three incumbents lost in the Nov. 8 general election.
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Jackie Smith |  Democratic |
Senate District 1 |
| Jake Chapman |  Republican |
Senate District 14 |
| Kevin Kinney | Democratic |
Senate District 46 |
Incumbents defeated in primary elections
No incumbents lost in primaries.
Retiring incumbents
Eleven incumbents were not on the ballot in 2022.[1] Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Office | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Carlin | Republican |
Senate District 3 | Other office |
| Craig Williams[2] | Republican |
Senate District 6 | Retired |
| Zach Nunn | Republican |
Senate District 15 | Other office |
| Amanda Ragan | Democratic |
Senate District 27 | Retired |
| Craig Johnson[2] | Republican |
Senate District 32 | Other office |
| Robert Hogg | Democratic |
Senate District 33 | Retired |
| Liz Mathis[2] | Democratic |
Senate District 34 | Other office |
| Joe Bolkcom | Democratic |
Senate District 43 | Retired |
| Tim Goodwin[2] | Republican |
Senate District 44 | Retired |
| Jim Lykam | Democratic |
Senate District 45 | Retired |
| Roby Smith | Republican |
Senate District 47 | Other office |
Primary election competitiveness
This section contains data on state legislative primary election competitiveness in Iowa. These totals include data from all regularly-scheduled House and Senate elections. For more information about Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in Iowa in 2022. Information below was calculated on May 20, 2022, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
Forty-six state legislative districts up for election this year in Iowa were open, meaning no incumbents filed to run. That equals 33% of the 134 districts up for election in 2022 and 31% of all 150 districts in the Iowa General Assembly.
Since no incumbents were present, open districts were guaranteed to be won by newcomers to the assembly. This was the largest guaranteed influx of newcomers to the Iowa General Assembly since 2014.
The percentage of newcomers to the assembly can change throughout an election cycle. Open districts are the first indicator, but newcomers can also defeat incumbents in primary or general elections. Incumbents who filed for re-election could also withdraw from the race later in the cycle.
This year, 41 districts were open because incumbents either retired or chose to run for some other office. Five other districts were open due to redistricting moving incumbents into districts with other incumbents. This can lead to incumbent versus incumbent contests if multiple incumbents choose to run in the same district.
There were four incumbent versus incumbent contests in Iowa this year. In these races, since only one candidate can win, one incumbent was guaranteed to lose:
- House District 66: Reps. Steven Bradley (R) v. Lee Hein (R) in a primary.
- House District 53: Reps. Dean Fisher (R) v. David Maxwell (R) in a primary.
- House District 87: Reps. Joe Mitchell (R) v. Jeff Shipley (R) in a primary.
- Senate District 14: Sens. Sarah Trone Garriott (D) v. Jake Chapman (R) in the general.
The total number of contested primaries—including those featuring incumbents and those in open districts—reached its highest point since 2014.
In 2022, there are 44 contested primaries—13 Democratic primaries and 31 for Republicans. For Democrats, this was up from 12 in 2020, an 8% increase. For Republicans, the number increased 94% from 13 in 2020 to 31 in 2022.
Overall, 254 major party candidates filed: 112 Democrats and 142 Republicans. That equals 1.9 candidates per district, the same as in 2020, and down from 2.0 in 2018.
Open seats
The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the Iowa State Senate from 2010 to 2022.[3] It will be updated as information becomes available following the state’s candidate filing deadline.
| Open Seats in Iowa State Senate elections: 2010 - 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2022 | 34 | 13 (38 percent) | 21 (62 percent) |
| 2020 | 25 | 7 (28 percent) | 18 (72 percent) |
| 2018 | 25 | 7 (28 percent) | 18 (72 percent) |
| 2016 | 25 | 1 (4 percent) | 24 (96 percent) |
| 2014 | 25 | 5 (20 percent) | 20 (80 percent) |
| 2012 | 26 | 8 (31 percent) | 18 (69 percent) |
| 2010 | 25 | 3 (12 percent) | 22 (88 percent) |
Incumbents running in new districts
When an incumbent files to run for re-election in the same chamber but a new district, it leaves his or her original seat open. This may happen for a variety of reasons ranging from redistricting to a change in residences. This may result in instances where multiple incumbents face each other in contested primaries or general elections if the incumbent in the new district also seeks re-election.
Iowa rearranged its Senate districts during the redistricting process after the 2020 census. As a result, 22 of the 23 incumbents seeking re-election at the time of the primary filed to run in new districts different from those they represented before the election. Click [show] on the header below to view a table showing all 34 districts in the leftmost column along with all legislators representing those districts at the time of the 2022 filing deadline. The "Filed in 2022 in ..." column lists the districts, in which incumbents filed to run. The "New district open?" column indicates whether the incumbent running was the only incumbent seeking re-election in that district.
Process to become a candidate
See statutes: Title II of the Iowa Code
There are four ways in which a candidate can gain access to the general election ballot: by primary election, by political party convention, by Non-party Political Organization (NPPO) convention, or by petition. These are detailed below.
Iowa allows any registered voter to challenge a candidate's nominating petition, as long as the challenge is made in writing and within 74 days of the corresponding election.[4][5]
By primary election
A candidate seeking the nomination of a state-recognized political party in a primary election must be a member of that party. Non-party Political Organizations (NPPOs) are not permitted to participate in primary elections. A primary election candidate must file an affidavit of candidacy and nomination petition with the Iowa Secretary of State during the primary election filing period, which begins 99 days before the primary and ends at 5 p.m. on the 81st day before the primary. The affidavit of candidacy and the nomination petition must be filed simultaneously.[6][7]
For the number of signatures required for nomination petitions, see the table below.[6][8][9]
| Formulas for determining signature requirements for political party candidates in primary elections | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office sought | Number of signatures needed | |
| Governor or U.S. Senator | 3,500 signatures, including at least 100 from 19 different counties.[6][9] | |
| State executive office (other than governor and lieutenant governor) | 2,500 signatures, including at least 77 from 18 different counties.[9] | |
| United States Representative | 1,726 signatures, including at least 47 from half of the counties in the district.[6][9] | |
| State Senator | 100 signatures from the district.[6][9] | |
| State Representative | 50 signatures from the district.[6][9] | |
By political party convention
If a political party fails to nominate a candidate at the primary election, the party may hold a convention after the primary to nominate a candidate. That candidate must then file a political party convention certificate and an affidavit of candidacy. The deadline to file the convention certificate and affidavit of candidacy is the same as the general election filing deadline. However, a political party convention candidate may file his or her documents before the filing period begins for general election candidates.[10]
By Non-party Political Organization (NPPO) convention
Non-party Political Organizations (NPPOs) are permitted to hold conventions to nominate their candidates. However, in order to qualify their nominations, NPPOs must meet the following requirements:[10][11][12]
- To nominate a candidate to a state executive office or the United States Senate, 500 eligible electors, meaning people who meet all the requirements to register to vote, must attend the convention, and 25 counties must be represented by at least one eligible elector each.
- To nominate a candidate to the United States House of Representatives, 200 eligible electors who are residents of the congressional district the candidate seeks to represent must attend, including one eligible elector from at least half of the counties in the district.
- To nominate a candidate to the Iowa State Senate, 50 eligible electors who are residents of the senatorial district must attend, including one eligible elector from one-half of the precincts in the senatorial district.
- To nominate a candidate to the Iowa House of Representatives, 25 eligible electors who are residents of the representative district must attend, including one eligible elector from one-half of the precincts in the representative district.
- A convention may be held at any time as long as it is before the general election filing deadline.[13]
- After the convention, the NPPO must provide a list of those who attended the convention, including their addresses, to the Iowa Secretary of State, along with a convention certificate and an affidavit of candidacy for the candidate nominated. These documents must be filed together during the general election filing period, which begins 99 days before the general election and ends at 5 p.m. 81 days before the general election.[13][10][5]
By petition
A candidate who is not affiliated with any political party or NPPO can be nominated by petition. A NPPO candidate can gain ballot access in this manner if the NPPO cannot meet the convention attendance requirements described above. A petition candidates must file an affidavit of candidacy and nomination petition with the Iowa Secretary of State. These forms must be filed together by 5 p.m. 81 days before the general election.[5][11]
The table below details the signature requirements necessary for obtaining ballot access by petition.
| Formulas for determining signature requirements for NPPO candidates | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office sought | Number of signatures needed | |
| United States Senator or governor | 3,500 eligible electors, including at least 100 from at least 19 counties[10][11] | |
| Otherwise statewide executive offices | 2,500 eligible electors, including at least 77 from at least 18 counties[10][11] | |
| United States Representative | 1,726 eligible electors who are residents of the congressional district, including at least 47 eligible electors each from at least one-half of the counties in the congressional district[10][11] | |
Qualifications
The Iowa Constitution states, "Senators shall be chosen for the term of four years, at the same time and place as representatives; they shall be twenty-five years of age, and possess the qualifications of representatives as to residence and citizenship."[14]
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[15] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $25,000/year | $178/day for legislators who live outside of Polk County. $133.50/day for legislators who live within Polk County. |
When sworn in
Iowa state senators assume office on the first day of January which is not a Sunday or legal holiday.[16][17]
Iowa political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
Iowa Party Control: 1992-2025
Four years of Democratic trifectas • Eleven years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | S | S | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Presidential politics in Iowa
2020 Presidential election results
Presidential election in Iowa, 2020
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
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| ✔ |
 
| Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) |
53.1
|
897,672 | 6 |
 
| Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) |
44.9
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759,061 | 0 | |
 
| Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L) |
1.2
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19,637 | 0 | |
 
| Ye/Michelle Tidball (Unaffiliated) |
0.2
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3,210 | 0 | |
 
| Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G) |
0.2
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3,075 | 0 | |
 
| Don Blankenship/William Mohr (Constitution Party) |
0.1
|
1,707 | 0 | |
 
| Roque De La Fuente/Darcy Richardson (Alliance Party) |
0.1
|
1,082 | 0 | |
 
| Ricki Sue King/Dayna Chandler (Genealogy Know Your Family History Party) |
0.0
|
546 | 0 | |
 
| Brock Pierce/Karla Ballard (Unaffiliated) |
0.0
|
544 | 0 | |
| Other write-in votes |
0.3
|
4,337 | 0 | ||
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Total votes: 1,690,871 |
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Iowa
Redistricting following the 2020 census
On November 4, 2021, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed new congressional and state legislative maps into law after the state's Legislative Services Agency had proposed them on October 21, 2021. The Iowa legislature approved the maps on October 28, 2021, by a vote of 48-1 in the state Senate and 93-2 in the state House.[18] The legislature could only vote to approve or reject the maps and could not make any amendments. These maps took effect for Iowa's 2022 congressional and legislative elections.
Below is the state Senate map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle.
Iowa State Senate Districts
until January 2, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Iowa State Senate Districts
starting January 3, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
See also
| Iowa | State Legislative Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 This incumbent was redistricted into a district holding elections in 2022.
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
- ↑ Iowa Code, "Title II, Section 43.24," accessed February 28, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Iowa Code, "Title II, Section 44.4," accessed February 28, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Iowa Secretary of State, "Candidate’s Guide to the Primary Election 2024," June 4, 2024 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namediacode4320 - ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Iowa Secretary of State, "Iowa Code 2024, Section 45.1," accessed February 28, 2025 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 The Iowa Legislature, "SF413," accessed February 28, 2025 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "sf413" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "sf413" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "sf413" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Iowa Code, "Title II, Section 44.1," accessed February 28, 2025
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Iowa Secretary of State Website, "Forming a Political Party in Iowa," accessed February 28, 2025
- ↑ "Iowa Constitution," accessed December 16, 2013
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ JUSTIA US Law, "Iowa Code, Section 39.8 - Term of office," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Terms of Offices for Elected Officials," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ Des Moines Register, "Iowa lawmakers accept second redistricting plan, setting up next decade of politics," October 28, 2021
