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Democratic Party primaries in Iowa, 2026
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← 2024
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| Democratic Party primaries, 2026 |
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| Primary Date |
| June 2, 2026 |
| Federal elections |
| Democratic primaries for U.S. House |
| State party |
| Democratic Party of Iowa |
| State political party revenue |
This page focuses on the Democratic primaries that will take place in Iowa on June 2, 2026.
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Iowa, state law provides for a closed primary where every voter must be affiliated with a party in order to participate in its primary. However, a voter can change his or her political party affiliation on the day of the primary.[1][2]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Federal elections
U.S. Senate
A Democratic Party primary takes place on June 2, 2026, in Iowa to determine which Democratic candidate will run in the state's general election on November 3, 2026.
U.S. House
District 1
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 2
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 3
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
District 4
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
State elections
State Senate
- See also: Iowa State Senate elections, 2026
Iowa State Senate elections, 2026 |
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| Office | Democratic |
 Republican |
Other |
| District 1 | |||
| District 3 | |||
| District 5 | |||
| District 7 | |||
| District 9 | |||
| District 11 | |||
| District 13 | |||
| District 15 | |||
| District 17 | |||
| District 19 | |||
| District 21 | |||
| District 23 | |||
| District 25 | |||
| District 27 | |||
| District 29 | |||
| District 31 | |||
| District 33 | |||
| District 35 | |||
| District 37 | |||
| District 39 | |||
| District 41 | |||
| District 43 | |||
| District 45 | |||
| District 47 | |||
| District 49 | |||
House of Representatives
State executive offices
Seven state executive offices are up for election in Iowa in 2026:
Governor
Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General
Secretary of State
Auditor
Agriculture Commissioner
Treasurer
Governor of Iowa
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Lieutenant Governor of Iowa
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Attorney General of Iowa
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Iowa Secretary of State
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Iowa Auditor of State
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Iowa Treasurer of State
Democratic primary candidatesNote: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Iowa
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Context of the 2026 elections
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 |
State party overview
Democratic Party of Iowa
- See also: Democratic Party of Iowa
State political party revenue
State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws.
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following map displays total state political party revenue per capita for the Democratic state party affiliates.
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
Thirty-one of 99 Iowa counties—31 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Allamakee County, Iowa | 24.15% | 4.17% | 14.25% | ||||
| Boone County, Iowa | 13.69% | 6.64% | 7.63% | ||||
| Bremer County, Iowa | 13.68% | 2.68% | 9.31% | ||||
| Buchanan County, Iowa | 15.02% | 13.87% | 18.48% | ||||
| Cedar County, Iowa | 17.78% | 4.59% | 9.64% | ||||
| Cerro Gordo County, Iowa | 7.66% | 13.38% | 20.83% | ||||
| Chickasaw County, Iowa | 22.94% | 11.07% | 20.74% | ||||
| Clarke County, Iowa | 28.02% | 1.47% | 2.25% | ||||
| Clayton County, Iowa | 22.78% | 7.03% | 17.17% | ||||
| Clinton County, Iowa | 5.12% | 22.84% | 23.03% | ||||
| Des Moines County, Iowa | 6.89% | 18.41% | 23.04% | ||||
| Dubuque County, Iowa | 1.23% | 14.71% | 20.77% | ||||
| Fayette County, Iowa | 19.36% | 11.96% | 16.60% | ||||
| Floyd County, Iowa | 14.84% | 14.63% | 21.88% | ||||
| Howard County, Iowa | 20.49% | 20.95% | 25.78% | ||||
| Jackson County, Iowa | 19.27% | 16.89% | 24.39% | ||||
| Jasper County, Iowa | 18.13% | 7.07% | 7.50% | ||||
| Jefferson County, Iowa | 0.47% | 15.97% | 20.23% | ||||
| Jones County, Iowa | 19.08% | 7.78% | 10.40% | ||||
| Lee County, Iowa | 16.02% | 15.49% | 16.01% | ||||
| Louisa County, Iowa | 28.37% | 0.64% | 4.25% | ||||
| Marshall County, Iowa | 8.31% | 9.36% | 9.35% | ||||
| Mitchell County, Iowa | 24.04% | 3.37% | 12.31% | ||||
| Muscatine County, Iowa | 6.26% | 15.88% | 15.64% | ||||
| Poweshiek County, Iowa | 6.53% | 9.35% | 11.75% | ||||
| Tama County, Iowa | 20.28% | 7.43% | 12.19% | ||||
| Union County, Iowa | 27.49% | 3.86% | 3.70% | ||||
| Wapello County, Iowa | 20.60% | 11.88% | 13.53% | ||||
| Webster County, Iowa | 21.52% | 5.84% | 8.51% | ||||
| Winneshiek County, Iowa | 0.79% | 14.74% | 22.65% | ||||
| Worth County, Iowa | 21.68% | 14.53% | 22.42% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Iowa with 51.1 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 41.7 percent. In presidential elections between 1848 and 2016, Iowa voted Republican 69.76 percent of the time and Democratic 30.23 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Iowa voted Democratic three times and Republican the other two times.[3]
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Iowa. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[4][5]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 61 out of 100 state House districts in Iowa with an average margin of victory of 19.1 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 35 out of 100 state House districts in Iowa with an average margin of victory of 18.8 points. Clinton won four districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 39 out of 100 state House districts in Iowa with an average margin of victory of 13.3 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 65 out of 100 state House districts in Iowa with an average margin of victory of 24.5 points. Trump won 10 districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 30.96% | 67.78% | R+36.8 | 22.23% | 73.81% | R+51.6 | R |
| 2 | 41.86% | 56.83% | R+15 | 27.53% | 67.70% | R+40.2 | R |
| 3 | 31.57% | 67.31% | R+35.7 | 20.73% | 74.78% | R+54.1 | R |
| 4 | 15.63% | 83.55% | R+67.9 | 12.95% | 81.67% | R+68.7 | R |
| 5 | 33.00% | 65.90% | R+32.9 | 22.28% | 73.69% | R+51.4 | R |
| 6 | 44.39% | 54.40% | R+10 | 32.54% | 62.36% | R+29.8 | R |
| 7 | 46.87% | 51.82% | R+5 | 31.96% | 62.86% | R+30.9 | R |
| 8 | 43.04% | 55.84% | R+12.8 | 28.52% | 67.11% | R+38.6 | R |
| 9 | 54.26% | 44.65% | D+9.6 | 39.33% | 55.29% | R+16 | D |
| 10 | 40.15% | 58.39% | R+18.2 | 25.64% | 69.78% | R+44.1 | R |
| 11 | 42.76% | 56.17% | R+13.4 | 30.87% | 64.40% | R+33.5 | R |
| 12 | 46.14% | 52.95% | R+6.8 | 30.92% | 64.32% | R+33.4 | R |
| 13 | 54.28% | 44.37% | D+9.9 | 42.30% | 52.03% | R+9.7 | D |
| 14 | 59.33% | 39.34% | D+20 | 47.69% | 47.27% | D+0.4 | D |
| 15 | 57.12% | 41.17% | D+16 | 41.89% | 51.48% | R+9.6 | D |
| 16 | 52.01% | 46.46% | D+5.5 | 41.84% | 51.76% | R+9.9 | R |
| 17 | 41.10% | 57.71% | R+16.6 | 25.76% | 70.01% | R+44.3 | R |
| 18 | 41.98% | 56.88% | R+14.9 | 28.11% | 67.52% | R+39.4 | R |
| 19 | 40.80% | 57.87% | R+17.1 | 36.54% | 56.73% | R+20.2 | R |
| 20 | 48.77% | 49.62% | R+0.9 | 35.39% | 59.04% | R+23.6 | R |
| 21 | 45.01% | 53.64% | R+8.6 | 29.35% | 65.17% | R+35.8 | R |
| 22 | 36.78% | 62.08% | R+25.3 | 29.64% | 65.50% | R+35.9 | R |
| 23 | 40.72% | 57.80% | R+17.1 | 27.37% | 66.81% | R+39.4 | R |
| 24 | 39.86% | 58.79% | R+18.9 | 25.77% | 69.86% | R+44.1 | R |
| 25 | 44.34% | 54.14% | R+9.8 | 34.15% | 59.72% | R+25.6 | R |
| 26 | 50.18% | 48.59% | D+1.6 | 39.62% | 53.52% | R+13.9 | D |
| 27 | 47.15% | 51.07% | R+3.9 | 30.50% | 64.42% | R+33.9 | R |
| 28 | 47.30% | 51.30% | R+4 | 31.76% | 62.81% | R+31.1 | R |
| 29 | 56.05% | 42.50% | D+13.6 | 40.78% | 53.23% | R+12.5 | D |
| 30 | 47.66% | 50.85% | R+3.2 | 38.47% | 54.84% | R+16.4 | R |
| 31 | 61.55% | 36.86% | D+24.7 | 49.75% | 43.99% | D+5.8 | D |
| 32 | 72.88% | 25.37% | D+47.5 | 63.69% | 30.28% | D+33.4 | D |
| 33 | 67.30% | 31.37% | D+35.9 | 59.50% | 34.55% | D+25 | D |
| 34 | 68.16% | 30.10% | D+38.1 | 60.44% | 33.19% | D+27.2 | D |
| 35 | 77.01% | 21.48% | D+55.5 | 70.40% | 23.46% | D+46.9 | D |
| 36 | 65.21% | 33.12% | D+32.1 | 63.13% | 29.46% | D+33.7 | D |
| 37 | 43.30% | 55.35% | R+12 | 42.10% | 50.50% | R+8.4 | R |
| 38 | 49.33% | 49.21% | D+0.1 | 42.85% | 49.84% | R+7 | R |
| 39 | 43.02% | 55.76% | R+12.7 | 43.93% | 48.99% | R+5.1 | R |
| 40 | 49.31% | 49.53% | R+0.2 | 50.25% | 43.32% | D+6.9 | D |
| 41 | 67.93% | 30.50% | D+37.4 | 69.25% | 24.10% | D+45.2 | D |
| 42 | 49.85% | 48.83% | D+1 | 51.15% | 42.19% | D+9 | R |
| 43 | 50.58% | 48.29% | D+2.3 | 52.50% | 41.03% | D+11.5 | R |
| 44 | 42.52% | 56.60% | R+14.1 | 44.97% | 47.76% | R+2.8 | R |
| 45 | 60.66% | 36.80% | D+23.9 | 57.79% | 31.85% | D+25.9 | D |
| 46 | 59.66% | 37.96% | D+21.7 | 57.22% | 33.12% | D+24.1 | D |
| 47 | 52.11% | 46.29% | D+5.8 | 38.31% | 54.96% | R+16.6 | R |
| 48 | 47.95% | 50.46% | R+2.5 | 36.50% | 56.98% | R+20.5 | R |
| 49 | 46.50% | 51.88% | R+5.4 | 36.62% | 55.49% | R+18.9 | R |
| 50 | 42.94% | 55.95% | R+13 | 30.36% | 64.36% | R+34 | R |
| 51 | 55.19% | 43.48% | D+11.7 | 35.67% | 58.91% | R+23.2 | R |
| 52 | 56.04% | 42.88% | D+13.2 | 37.76% | 56.73% | R+19 | D |
| 53 | 60.98% | 37.92% | D+23.1 | 47.69% | 46.65% | D+1 | D |
| 54 | 44.96% | 53.94% | R+9 | 32.11% | 62.71% | R+30.6 | R |
| 55 | 55.19% | 43.44% | D+11.8 | 43.51% | 50.62% | R+7.1 | R |
| 56 | 52.01% | 46.73% | D+5.3 | 34.91% | 59.80% | R+24.9 | R |
| 57 | 49.00% | 49.98% | R+1 | 37.25% | 57.49% | R+20.2 | R |
| 58 | 55.60% | 43.22% | D+12.4 | 37.06% | 57.82% | R+20.8 | R |
| 59 | 56.29% | 42.22% | D+14.1 | 51.94% | 40.87% | D+11.1 | D |
| 60 | 50.15% | 48.91% | D+1.2 | 45.19% | 48.75% | R+3.6 | R |
| 61 | 63.73% | 35.14% | D+28.6 | 52.34% | 42.07% | D+10.3 | D |
| 62 | 76.37% | 22.58% | D+53.8 | 62.14% | 32.64% | D+29.5 | D |
| 63 | 49.95% | 48.93% | D+1 | 39.04% | 55.06% | R+16 | R |
| 64 | 57.83% | 41.00% | D+16.8 | 40.27% | 53.42% | R+13.1 | D |
| 65 | 66.77% | 31.71% | D+35.1 | 61.58% | 31.29% | D+30.3 | D |
| 66 | 57.43% | 41.04% | D+16.4 | 53.11% | 39.91% | D+13.2 | D |
| 67 | 49.18% | 49.50% | R+0.3 | 47.22% | 45.74% | D+1.5 | R |
| 68 | 54.45% | 44.08% | D+10.4 | 48.20% | 44.50% | D+3.7 | R |
| 69 | 65.87% | 32.63% | D+33.2 | 52.73% | 40.24% | D+12.5 | D |
| 70 | 63.00% | 35.67% | D+27.3 | 53.85% | 39.20% | D+14.7 | D |
| 71 | 56.62% | 42.23% | D+14.4 | 48.02% | 46.57% | D+1.5 | D |
| 72 | 50.86% | 47.88% | D+3 | 34.92% | 59.56% | R+24.6 | R |
| 73 | 54.19% | 44.65% | D+9.5 | 43.25% | 51.15% | R+7.9 | R |
| 74 | 67.17% | 31.21% | D+36 | 69.14% | 24.89% | D+44.3 | D |
| 75 | 49.36% | 49.39% | R+0 | 34.09% | 60.12% | R+26 | R |
| 76 | 50.61% | 47.97% | D+2.6 | 40.64% | 53.90% | R+13.3 | R |
| 77 | 58.46% | 40.34% | D+18.1 | 53.49% | 39.62% | D+13.9 | D |
| 78 | 46.21% | 51.69% | R+5.5 | 34.06% | 60.08% | R+26 | R |
| 79 | 35.86% | 62.79% | R+26.9 | 25.96% | 67.84% | R+41.9 | R |
| 80 | 45.03% | 53.56% | R+8.5 | 27.04% | 68.71% | R+41.7 | R |
| 81 | 56.57% | 41.86% | D+14.7 | 39.52% | 55.89% | R+16.4 | D |
| 82 | 49.74% | 47.90% | D+1.8 | 36.54% | 57.76% | R+21.2 | D |
| 83 | 58.67% | 39.72% | D+19 | 40.42% | 53.35% | R+12.9 | D |
| 84 | 46.37% | 52.04% | R+5.7 | 30.59% | 63.23% | R+32.6 | R |
| 85 | 71.79% | 26.07% | D+45.7 | 74.26% | 19.90% | D+54.4 | D |
| 86 | 72.99% | 24.97% | D+48 | 72.34% | 21.06% | D+51.3 | D |
| 87 | 62.60% | 36.08% | D+26.5 | 48.53% | 45.49% | D+3 | D |
| 88 | 50.88% | 47.86% | D+3 | 35.94% | 58.76% | R+22.8 | R |
| 89 | 63.19% | 35.77% | D+27.4 | 52.47% | 40.86% | D+11.6 | D |
| 90 | 73.49% | 24.97% | D+48.5 | 57.98% | 34.93% | D+23.1 | D |
| 91 | 57.61% | 40.97% | D+16.6 | 43.65% | 49.75% | R+6.1 | R |
| 92 | 53.94% | 45.00% | D+8.9 | 42.25% | 51.61% | R+9.4 | R |
| 93 | 56.63% | 42.22% | D+14.4 | 50.96% | 42.21% | D+8.7 | D |
| 94 | 45.18% | 53.87% | R+8.7 | 43.91% | 50.10% | R+6.2 | R |
| 95 | 52.01% | 46.69% | D+5.3 | 41.86% | 51.59% | R+9.7 | R |
| 96 | 51.83% | 47.01% | D+4.8 | 35.42% | 58.91% | R+23.5 | R |
| 97 | 50.63% | 47.95% | D+2.7 | 37.14% | 56.46% | R+19.3 | R |
| 98 | 65.29% | 33.50% | D+31.8 | 48.47% | 45.38% | D+3.1 | D |
| 99 | 59.37% | 39.28% | D+20.1 | 52.61% | 41.12% | D+11.5 | D |
| 100 | 62.95% | 35.58% | D+27.4 | 51.37% | 42.25% | D+9.1 | D |
| Total | 52.23% | 46.40% | D+5.8 | 42.23% | 51.72% | R+9.5 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State Website, "Voter Registration FAQ," accessed October 20, 2025
- ↑ Iowa General Assembly, "Iowa Code § 43.42," accessed October 20, 2025
- ↑ 270towin.com, "Iowa," accessed June 1, 2017
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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