Iowa Democrats will decide their nominee for a competitive U.S. Senate race Tuesday. The state also has surprisingly competitive elections for U.S. House and the governor’s office in November.
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Tuesday’s primary election will see Democrats in Iowa decide their nominee for a competitive U.S. Senate race, among other contests. NPR’s Stephen Fowler has this report on how the Iowa Democratic Party is doing.
STEPHEN FOWLER, BYLINE: In a high school auditorium in Iowa City, Democratic Party faithful gathered for the 1st Congressional District convention and party business in early May.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: A report on your practice…
FOWLER: The 1st District was home to the second-closest House race in 2024, where Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks won by less than 800 votes against Christina Bohannan. Now in a midterm environment more favorable to Democrats, it’s a top target. And speaking to delegates during the convention’s lunch, many feel the state party is…
PETER FLYNN: On the upward swing – that may not be saying much because it’s been 15 years of complete Republican control of our state government. And so there’s nowhere to go but up.
FOWLER: That’s Peter Flynn, who’s been volunteering with the party for nearly two decades. He’s seen a lot, including recent times when Iowa Democrats were definitely in disarray.
FLYNN: At the same time, there is an opportunity with the midterm sort of pushback that occurs all too often in our politics here in America. It happens in Iowa too. And so I think that there’s a good chance of flipping some things, getting some things back.
FOWLER: Iowa has an open governor’s race where state auditor Rob Sand has outraised his Republican opponents and an open Senate race that Democrats see as a potential seat that could give them control of the chamber next year. Since Trump returned to office last year, Iowa Democrats have recorded high-profile electoral overperformances in special elections, mirroring national trends. Some of that has to do with behind-the-scenes infrastructure changes.
RITA HART: We have good candidates. We’ve got the organizational structure to get the job done, and we’ve been working really hard to gain all the resources to put that organization to work. And that’s where we are right now.
FOWLER: Rita Hart is chair of the Iowa Democratic Party. At a time where people don’t care for the national party brand but love their local Democrats, she sees value in what Iowa Democrats bring to the table.
HART: The national Democrats, we can’t look to them to come in on a white steed and save the day. We’ve got to save our own day here.
FOWLER: So what does that look like? There’s a coordinated campaign strategy, the largest effort the state has seen in a decade, canvassing, training and support for the party’s nominees up and down the ballot speaking with one voice. Beyond the midterms, Iowa Democrats are making the case to the Democratic National Committee that they should stay first on the 2028 presidential calendar. Here’s part of a presentation last week.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SCOTT BRENNAN: To put it simply, the path to a Democratic majority at all levels comes through Iowa. That is why this committee should also consider holding off making a decision about the calendar until after the midterms.
FOWLER: Speaking of decisions, the most-watched contest in Tuesday’s primary will be who wins the U.S. Senate nomination between Josh Turek and Zach Wahls, and what it says about the party’s direction. Turek flipped a Republican-held seat in the state House and has the backing of establishment figures like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
(SOUNDBITE OF JOSH TUREK CAMPAIGN AD, “UNDERDOG”)
JOSH TUREK: Iowans deserve a senator who works for them again.
FOWLER: Wahls represents a deep blue state Senate seat and touts more progressive support like Senator Elizabeth Warren.
(SOUNDBITE OF ZACH WAHLS CAMPAIGN AD, “I’M RUNNING FOR U.S. SENATE”)
ZACH WAHLS: I’ll stand up to leaders of both parties because they’re not delivering for us.
FOWLER: Both say they have the right strategy for winning in a state run by Republicans. Stephen Fowler, NPR News, Iowa City, Iowa.
(SOUNDBITE OF SHABOOZEY SONG, “MY FAULT (FEAT. NOAH CYRUS)”)
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