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United States Senate election in Iowa, 2026
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← 2022
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| U.S. Senate, Iowa |
|---|
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 13, 2026 |
| Primary: June 2, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
7 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Race ratings |
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending 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, 2026 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th Iowa elections, 2026 U.S. Congress elections, 2026 U.S. Senate elections, 2026 U.S. House elections, 2026 |
Voters in Iowa will elect one member to the U.S. Senate in the general election on November 3, 2026. The primary is June 2, 2026. The filing deadline is March 13, 2026. The election will fill the Class II Senate seat held by Joni Ernst (R), who first took office in 2015. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- United States Senate election in Iowa, 2026 (June 2 Democratic primary)
- United States Senate election in Iowa, 2026 (June 2 Republican primary)
Candidates and election results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for U.S. Senate Iowa
The following candidates are running in the general election for U.S. Senate Iowa on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Chris Henry (D) | ||
| Nathan Sage (D) | ||
| Josh Turek (D) | ||
| Zach Wahls (D) | ||
| John Berman (R) | ||
| Jim Carlin (R) | ||
| Ashley Hinson (R) | ||
| Joshua Smith (R) | ||
= 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Joni Ernst (R)
- J.D. Scholten (D)
- Jackie Norris (D)
Candidate profiles
There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here. You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Iowa
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
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 has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Henry | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Nathan Sage | Democratic Party | $1,119,898 | $851,129 | $268,769 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Josh Turek | Democratic Party | $1,008,592 | $356,611 | $651,981 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Zach Wahls | Democratic Party | $1,303,295 | $718,251 | $585,045 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| John Berman | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Jim Carlin | Republican Party | $170,893 | $169,165 | $1,728 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Ashley Hinson | Republican Party | $3,212,895 | $1,087,489 | $4,053,481 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Joshua Smith | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Thomas Laehn | Libertarian Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. 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." |
|||||
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.[1]
- 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.[2][3][4]
| Race ratings: U.S. Senate election in Iowa, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 12/23/2025 | 12/16/2025 | 12/9/2025 | 12/2/2025 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | |||||
| Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely 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 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Iowa, click here.
| Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3/13/2026 | Source |
| Iowa | U.S. Senate | Unaffiliated | 3,500, including at least 100 signatures from at least 19 counties. | N/A | 8/22/2026 | Source |
Election history
The section below details election results for this state's U.S. Senate elections dating back to 2016.
2022
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 | ||
| ✔ | Chuck Grassley (R) | 56.0 | 681,501 | |
| Michael Franken (D) | 43.8 | 533,330 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 1,815 | ||
| Total votes: 1,216,646 | ||||
= 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
Michael Franken defeated Abby Finkenauer and Glenn Hurst in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Iowa on June 7, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Michael Franken | 55.2 | 86,527 | |
| Abby Finkenauer | 39.9 | 62,581 | ||
Glenn Hurst ![]() | 4.8 | 7,571 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 158 | ||
| Total votes: 156,837 | ||||
= 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
- Bob Krause (D)
- Dave Muhlbauer (D)
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 | ||
| ✔ | Chuck Grassley | 73.3 | 143,634 | |
| Jim Carlin | 26.5 | 51,891 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 312 | ||
| Total votes: 195,837 | ||||
= 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
- Andrew Foster (R)
2020
General election
General election for U.S. Senate Iowa
Incumbent Joni Ernst defeated Theresa Greenfield, Rick Stewart, and Suzanne Herzog in the general election for U.S. Senate Iowa on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joni Ernst (R) | 51.7 | 864,997 | |
| Theresa Greenfield (D) | 45.2 | 754,859 | ||
Rick Stewart (L) ![]() | 2.2 | 36,961 | ||
Suzanne Herzog (Independent) ![]() | 0.8 | 13,800 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 1,211 | ||
| Total votes: 1,671,828 | ||||
= 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
Theresa Greenfield defeated Michael Franken, Kimberly Graham, Eddie Mauro, and Cal Woods (Unofficially withdrew) in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Iowa on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Theresa Greenfield | 47.7 | 132,001 | |
Michael Franken ![]() | 24.9 | 68,851 | ||
Kimberly Graham ![]() | 15.0 | 41,554 | ||
| Eddie Mauro | 11.0 | 30,400 | ||
Cal Woods (Unofficially withdrew) ![]() | 1.2 | 3,372 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 514 | ||
| Total votes: 276,692 | ||||
= 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Iowa
Incumbent Joni Ernst advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Iowa on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joni Ernst | 98.6 | 226,589 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.4 | 3,132 | ||
| Total votes: 229,721 | ||||
= 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
- Paul Rieck (R)
2016
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | 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 | ||||
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.
Cook PVI by congressional district
| District | Incumbent | PVI |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa's 1st | Mariannette Miller-Meeks | R+4 |
| Iowa's 2nd | Ashley Hinson | R+4 |
| Iowa's 3rd | Zach Nunn | R+2 |
| Iowa's 4th | Randy Feenstra | R+15 |
2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines
| District | Kamala Harris |
Donald Trump |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa's 1st | 45.0% | 54.0% |
| Iowa's 2nd | 44.0% | 54.0% |
| Iowa's 3rd | 47.0% | 52.0% |
| Iowa's 4th | 34.0% | 65.0% |
| Source: The Downballot | ||
2016-2024
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 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2024 presidential election, 59.6% of Iowans lived in one of the state's 93 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2016 to 2024, and 34.9% lived in one of 5 Solid Democratic counties. Overall, Iowa was Solid Republican, having voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016, Donald Trump (R) in 2020, and Donald Trump (R) in 2024. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Iowa following the 2024 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| Iowa county-level statistics, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Republican | 93 | 59.6% | |||||
| Solid Democratic | 5 | 34.9% | |||||
| New Republican | 1 | 5.4% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 5 | 34.9% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 94 | 65.1% | |||||
Historical voting trends
Iowa presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 11 Democratic wins
- 21 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 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | R |
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.
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of Iowa
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Iowa.
- See also: Party control of Iowa state government
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Iowa's congressional delegation as of October 2025.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Iowa | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 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 October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | |
| Lieutenant Governor | |
| Secretary of State | |
| Attorney General |
State legislature
Iowa State Senate
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 16 | |
| Republican Party | 33 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 1 | |
| Total | 50 | |
Iowa House of Representatives
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 33 | |
| Republican Party | 66 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 1 | |
| Total | 100 | |
Trifecta control
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 |
The table below details demographic data in Iowa and compares it to the broader United States as of 2023.
| Demographic Data for Iowa | ||
|---|---|---|
| Iowa | United States | |
| Population | 3,190,369 | 331,449,281 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 55,853 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 85.6% | 63.4% |
| Black/African American | 3.9% | 12.4% |
| Asian | 2.4% | 5.8% |
| Native American | 0.3% | 0.9% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.2% | 0.4% |
| Other (single race) | 2% | 6.6% |
| Multiple | 5.6% | 10.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7% | 19% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 93.2% | 89.4% |
| College graduation rate | 30.9% | 35% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $73,147 | $78,538 |
| Persons below poverty level | 11% | 12.4% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2018-2023). | ||
| **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
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
= candidate completed the