Democrat Renee Hardeman wins the Senate seat in Iowa, preventing the GOP from regaining the outright majority

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democrat Renee Hardeman was elected to the Iowa Senate on Tuesday in a year-end special election, denying Republicans the chance to regain control of two-thirds of the chamber.

Hardman beat Republican Lucas Loftin by a wide margin to win a seat representing parts of suburban Des Moines. The seat became vacant after the Oct. 6 death of state Sen. Claire Celce, a Democrat.

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Hardman, CEO of the nonprofit Lutheran Services of Iowa and a West Des Moines City Council member, became the first Black woman elected to the 50-member Senate.

“I want to realize that even though my name was the name on the ballot, this race was not just about me,” Hardman told a crowd of supporters in West Des Moines after his victory was announced.

After 99% of the votes were counted, Hardeman led by about 43 percentage points.

Her win is the latest in a string of special election victories for Democrats in Iowa, who flipped two Senate seats this year to dismantle the supermajority that allowed Republicans to easily confirm GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds’ appointments to state agencies and commissions.

Democrat Mike Zimmer flipped his seat for the first time in January, winning a district that strongly favored Republican President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. In August, Democrat Caitlyn Drey easily defeated her GOP opponent in the Republican stronghold of northwest Iowa, giving Democrats 17 seats to Republicans’ 33. With Celsie’s death, this number decreased to 16 seats.

Republicans would have regained two-thirds control with a Loftin win on Tuesday. Without a supermajority, the party would need to get support from at least one Democrat to approve Reynolds’ nominees. The Republican Party still has large majorities in both legislative chambers.

Ken Martin, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, called Hardeman’s victory “a major impediment to Republican power.”

“With the last special election set for the year, one thing is clear: 2025 was a year of Democratic victories and overperformance, and Democrats are on track to make a big midterm election,” Martin said.

In November, the party dominated the first major election day since Trump returned to the White House, significantly winning the governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey. Democrats retained a seat in the Kentucky Senate this month in a special election. While Republican Matt Van Epps won the special election in Tennessee for a seat in the US House of Representatives, the relatively small margin of victory gave Democrats hope in next year’s midterm elections. The party must gain three seats in the House of Representatives in 2026 to regain the majority and block Trump’s agenda.

Loftin, a logger turned data manager, congratulated Hardman and told The Associated Press that he is praying for her as she begins this important chapter.

Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufman praised Loftin and his supporters for putting up a fight in what he called a “very tough district.” Democrats outnumber Republicans by about 3,300 voters, or 37% to 30%.

“Even though we failed this time, the Iowa Republican Party remains laser-focused on expanding our majorities in the Iowa Legislature and keeping Iowa red,” Coffman said.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee pledged Tuesday to help defend the party’s gains in Iowa and prevent the return of a Republican supermajority next year.

Schoenbaum reported from Salt Lake City.