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United States Senate election in Iowa, 2022

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2026
2020
U.S. Senate, Iowa
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 18, 2022
Primary: June 7, 2022
General: November 8, 2022
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Voting in Iowa
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
Inside Elections: Likely Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
See also
U.S. Senate, Iowa
U.S. Senate1st2nd3rd4th
Iowa elections, 2022
U.S. Congress elections, 2022
U.S. Senate elections, 2022
U.S. House elections, 2022

Voters in Iowa elected one member to the U.S. Senate in the general election on November 8, 2022. The primary was scheduled for June 7, 2022. The filing deadline was March 18, 2022.

The election filled the Class III Senate seat held by Chuck Grassley (R), who first took office in 1981. The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. Senate in 2022. Democrats retained their majority and gained one net seat, with the Senate's post-election partisan balance at 51 Democrats and 49 Republicans.

Thirty-five of 100 seats were up for election, including one special election.[1] At the time of the election, Democrats had an effective majority, with the chamber split 50-50 and Vice President Kamala Harris (D) having the tie-breaking vote.[2] Of the seats up for election in 2022, Democrats held 14 and Republicans held 21.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Iowa

Incumbent Chuck Grassley defeated Michael Franken in the general election for U.S. Senate Iowa on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Chuck Grassley
Chuck Grassley (R)
 
56.0
 
681,501
Image of Michael Franken
Michael Franken (D)
 
43.8
 
533,330
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
1,815

Total votes: 1,216,646
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Iowa

Michael Franken defeated Abby Finkenauer and Glenn Hurst in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Iowa on June 7, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Michael Franken
Michael Franken
 
55.2
 
86,527
Image of Abby Finkenauer
Abby Finkenauer
 
39.9
 
62,581
Image of Glenn Hurst
Glenn Hurst Candidate Connection
 
4.8
 
7,571
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
158

Total votes: 156,837
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Iowa

Incumbent Chuck Grassley defeated Jim Carlin in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Iowa on June 7, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Chuck Grassley
Chuck Grassley
 
73.3
 
143,634
Image of Jim Carlin
Jim Carlin
 
26.5
 
51,891
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
312

Total votes: 195,837
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates


See more

See more here: United States Senate election in Iowa, 2022 (June 7 Democratic primary)

Voting information

See also: Voting in Iowa

Election information in Iowa: Nov. 8, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: Oct. 24, 2022
  • By mail: Received by Oct. 24, 2022
  • Online: Oct. 24, 2022

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: Oct. 24, 2022
  • By mail: Received by Oct. 24, 2022
  • Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
  • By mail: Received by Nov. 8, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 19, 2022 to Nov. 7, 2022

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

N/A


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. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.


Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[3] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[4] Click here to view the reporting schedule for candidates for U.S. Congress in 2022.

U.S. Congress campaign reporting schedule, 2022
Report Close of books Filing deadline
Year-end 2021 12/31/2021 1/31/2022
April quarterly 3/31/2022 4/15/2022
July quarterly 6/30/2022 7/15/2022
October quarterly 9/30/2022 10/15/2022
Pre-general 10/19/2022 10/27/2022
Post-general 11/28/2022 12/08/2022
Year-end 2022 12/31/2022 1/31/2023


Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Chuck Grassley Republican Party $11,131,685 $11,696,416 $441,424 As of December 31, 2022
Abby Finkenauer Democratic Party $4,204,898 $4,186,967 $17,931 As of December 31, 2022
Michael Franken Democratic Party $11,468,780 $11,417,544 $51,236 As of December 31, 2022
Glenn Hurst Democratic Party $134,843 $105,982 $28,626 As of December 31, 2022
Jim Carlin Republican Party $583,857 $583,842 $16 As of December 31, 2022

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2022. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[5]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[6][7][8]

Race ratings: U.S. Senate election in Iowa, 2022
Race trackerRace ratings
November 8, 2022November 1, 2022October 25, 2022October 18, 2022
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterSolid RepublicanLikely RepublicanLikely RepublicanLikely Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesLikely RepublicanLikely RepublicanLikely RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallLikely RepublicanLikely RepublicanLikely RepublicanSafe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Iowa in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Iowa, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Iowa U.S. Senate Ballot-qualified party 3,500, including at least 100 signatures from at least 19 counties N/A 3/18/2022 Source
Iowa U.S. Senate Unaffiliated 3,500, including at least 100 signatures from at least 19 counties N/A 8/19/2022[9] Source

Election history

2020

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Iowa

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Joni Ernst
Joni Ernst (R)
 
51.7
 
864,997
Image of Theresa Greenfield
Theresa Greenfield (D)
 
45.2
 
754,859
Image of Rick Stewart
Rick Stewart (L) Candidate Connection
 
2.2
 
36,961
Image of Suzanne Herzog
Suzanne Herzog (Independent) Candidate Connection
 
0.8
 
13,800
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
1,211

Total votes: 1,671,828
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Iowa

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Theresa Greenfield
Theresa Greenfield
 
47.7
 
132,001
Image of Michael Franken
Michael Franken Candidate Connection
 
24.9
 
68,851
Image of Kimberly Graham
Kimberly Graham Candidate Connection
 
15.0
 
41,554
Image of Eddie Mauro
Eddie Mauro
 
11.0
 
30,400
Image of Cal Woods
Cal Woods (Unofficially withdrew) Candidate Connection
 
1.2
 
3,372
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
514

Total votes: 276,692
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

U.S. Senate, Iowa General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngChuck Grassley Incumbent 60.1% 926,007
     Democratic Patty Judge 35.7% 549,460
     Libertarian Charles Aldrich 2.7% 41,794
     New Independent Party Iowa Jim Hennager 1.1% 17,649
     Independent Michael Luick-Thrams 0.3% 4,441
     N/A Write-in 0.1% 1,685
Total Votes 1,541,036
Source: Iowa Secretary of State
U.S. Senate, Iowa Democratic Primary, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngPatty Judge 47.7% 46,322
Rob Hogg 38.9% 37,801
Thomas Fiegen 6.8% 6,573
Bob Krause 6.6% 6,425
Total Votes 97,121
Source: Iowa Secretary of State

Incumbent Chuck Grassley faced no opponent in the Republican primary on June 7, 2016.[10]

2014

U.S. Senate, Iowa General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJoni Ernst 52.1% 588,575
     Democratic Bruce Braley 43.8% 494,370
     Independent Rick Stewart 2.4% 26,815
     Libertarian Douglas Butzier 0.7% 8,232
     Independent Ruth Smith 0.5% 5,873
     Independent Bob Quast 0.4% 4,724
     Write-in Other 0.1% 1,111
Total Votes 1,129,700
Source: Iowa Secretary of State Official Results


Incumbent Bruce Braley ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate.

U.S. Senate, Iowa Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngJoni Ernst 56.2% 88,535
Sam Clovis 18% 28,418
Mark Jacobs 16.8% 26,523
Matt Whitaker 7.5% 11,884
Scott Schaben 1.4% 2,233
Total Votes 157,593
Source: Iowa Secretary of State

2010

U.S. Senate, Iowa General Election, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngChuck Grassley Incumbent 64.4% 718,215
     Democratic Roxanne Conlin 33.3% 371,686
     Libertarian John Heiderscheit 2.3% 25,290
Total Votes 1,115,191
United States Senate Democratic Primary, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngROXANNE CONLIN 77.5% 52,715
     Democratic BOB KRAUSE 12.8% 8,728
     Democratic THOMAS L. FIEGEN 9.4% 6,357
     Democratic Write-in votes 0.3% 177
Total Votes 67,977
Source: Iowa Secretary of State
United States Senate Republican Primary, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngCHUCK GRASSLEY Incumbent 98% 197,194
     Republican Write-in votes 2% 3,926
Total Votes 201,120
Source: Iowa Secretary of State

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
  • Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
  • State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
  • Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections

See also: Presidential voting trends in Iowa and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Iowa, 2022
District Incumbent Party PVI
Iowa's 1st Mariannette Miller-Meeks Ends.png Republican R+3
Iowa's 2nd Ashley Hinson Ends.png Republican R+4
Iowa's 3rd Cindy Axne Electiondot.png Democratic R+3
Iowa's 4th Randy Feenstra Ends.png Republican R+16


2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Iowa[11]
District Joe Biden Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
Iowa's 1st 47.6% 50.5%
Iowa's 2nd 46.9% 51.3%
Iowa's 3rd 48.9% 49.3%
Iowa's 4th 36.2% 62.2%


2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:


Following the 2020 presidential election, 40.1% of Iowans lived in one of the state's six Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 31.6% lived in one of 61 Solid Republican counties. Overall, Iowa was Trending Republican, having voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Iowa following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Historical voting trends

Iowa presidential election results (1900-2020)

  • 11 Democratic wins
  • 20 Republican wins
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
Winning Party R R R D R R R R D D R R D R R R D R R R R R D D D D R D D R R

Statewide elections

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Iowa

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Iowa.

U.S. Senate election results in Iowa
Race Winner Runner up
2020 51.8%Republican Party 45.2%Democratic Party
2016 60.1%Republican Party 35.7%Democratic Party
2014 52.1%Republican Party 43.8%Republican Party
2010 64.5%Republican Party 33.2%Democratic Party
2008 62.7%Democratic Party 37.3%Republican Party
Average 58.2 39.0

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Iowa

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Iowa.

Gubernatorial election results in Iowa
Race Winner Runner up
2018 50.3%Republican Party 47.5%Democratic Party
2014 59.0%Republican Party 37.3%Democratic Party
2010 52.8%Republican Party 43.2%Republican Party
2006 54.0%Democratic Party 44.4%Republican Party
2002 52.7%Democratic Party 44.5%Republican Party
Average 53.8 43.4

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Iowa's congressional delegation as of November 2022.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Iowa, November 2022
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 0 1 1
Republican 2 3 5
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 4 6

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Iowa's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in Iowa, November 2022
Office Officeholder
Governor Republican Party Kim Reynolds
Lieutenant Governor Republican Party Adam Gregg
Secretary of State Republican Party Paul Pate
Attorney General Democratic Party Thomas John Miller

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Iowa General Assembly as of November 2022.

Iowa State Senate

Party As of November 2022
     Democratic Party 18
     Republican Party 32
     Vacancies 0
Total 50

Iowa House of Representatives

Party As of November 2022
     Democratic Party 40
     Republican Party 60
     Vacancies 0
Total 100

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, Iowa was a Republican trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

Iowa Party Control: 1992-2022
Four years of Democratic trifectas  •  Eight 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
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
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
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

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in Iowa and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

Demographic Data for Iowa
Iowa United States
Population 3,046,355 308,745,538
Land area (sq mi) 55,853 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White 90% 72.5%
Black/African American 3.7% 12.7%
Asian 2.4% 5.5%
Native American 0.4% 0.8%
Pacific Islander 0.1% 0.2%
Other (single race) 1.2% 4.9%
Multiple 2.1% 3.3%
Hispanic/Latino 6% 18%
Education
High school graduation rate 92.1% 88%
College graduation rate 28.6% 32.1%
Income
Median household income $60,523 $62,843
Persons below poverty level 11.5% 13.4%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


See also

Iowa 2022 primaries 2022 U.S. Congress elections
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External links

Footnotes

  1. The special Senate election in California was for the same seat up for regular election. There were, then, 36 total Senate elections for 35 total seats.
  2. Two independents who caucus with Democrats are included with Democrats in the 50-50 split count.
  3. Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
  4. Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
  5. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  6. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  7. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  8. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  9. Ballot Access News, "Iowa Secretary of State Now Considers the Old August Petition Deadline for Independent Candidates to be in Force," April 21, 2022
  10. The New York Times "Iowa Caucus Results," June 7, 2016
  11. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed September 9, 2022


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
Zach Nunn (R)
District 4
Republican Party (6)