List of special elections to the Iowa Senate
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Special elections to the Iowa Senate are called by the Governor of Iowa when a vacancy arises within the State Senate. If there is a vacancy in the Iowa General Assembly (i.e., the Iowa state legislature), the vacant seat must be filled by special election. If the vacancy occurs while the General Assembly is in session, the Governor must call within five days of the occurrence of the vacancy for an election as expeditiously as feasible, with a minimum 18-day notice. If the vacancy happens while the General Assembly is out of session, the special election must follow a 45-day notice, as long as the election does not coincide with a school election. All special elections must be held on a Tuesday.[1]
List of special elections
| District | Election Date | Predecessor | Special Election Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39th | February 17, 1913 | Charles Gates (R) | F. P. Hagemann (D) |
| 37th | March 31, 1923 | Daniel Cady Chase (R) | William Schmedika (D) |
| 4th | February 1, 1933 | John Henry Judd (D) | Joseph E. Doze (D) |
| 29th | March 24, 1933 | Oliver Perry Myers (D) | D. Myron Tripp (D) |
| 35th | August 22, 1933 | Matt D. Cooney (D) | Howard C. Baldwin (D) |
| 45th | October 3, 1933 | Harry Cook White (D) | Richard V. Leo (R) |
| 2nd | January 17, 1944 | Sanford Zeigler (R) | Charles W. Wade (R) |
| 5th | January 17, 1944 | Stephen Ray Emerson (R) | T. M. Thompson (R) |
| 28th | January 26, 1945 | Benjamin Chase Whitehill (R) | Robert A. Rockhill (R) |
| 37th | January 6, 1947 | George Raymond Hill (R) | Rex R. Bateson (R) |
| 15th | January 10, 1963 | L. C. Shivvers (R) | Vera H. Shivvers (R) |
| 18th | June 20, 1969 | Kenneth Benda (R) | Joann Yessler Orr (D) |
| 1st | September 9, 1969 | Seeley G. Lodwick (R) | Wilson L. Davis (R) |
| 45th | October 28, 1969 | Walter B. Hammer (R) | S. J. Brownlee (R) |
| 14th | November 15, 1969 | David M. Stanley (R) | W. R. Rabedeaux (R) |
| 6th | November 18, 1969 | Charles Vernon Lisle (R) | Earl Bass (R) |
| 12th | December 16, 1969 | Joseph Flatt (R) | Glen E. Bortell (R) |
| 22nd | December 1970 | J. Donald Weimer (D)[a] | Cloyd E. Robinson (D) |
| 47th | December 1972 | James B. Turner (R)[b] | Richard R. Ramsey (R) |
| 10th | November 5, 1974 | Mike Blouin (D) | Robert M. "Bob" Carr (D) |
| 15th | November 2, 1976 | Steve Sovern (D) | Bob Rush (D) |
| 11th | December 28, 1976 | Richard John Norpel (D) | Steve Bisenius (R) |
| 41st | December 28, 1976 | Bill Gluba (D) | Forrest F. Ashcraft (R) |
| 36th | November 8, 1983 | Michael R. Lura (R) | John Soorholtz (R) |
| 45th | September 10, 1985 | Norman Rodgers (D) | James R. Riordan (D) |
| 34th | December 17, 1985 | John A. Neighbour (D) | John A. Peterson (D) |
| 31st | January 7, 1986 | Lowell Junkins (D) | Gene Fraise (D) |
| 13th | January 28, 1986 | Thomas A. Lind (R) | Jim Lind (R) |
| 18th | September 26, 1989 | Robert M. Carr (D) | Mike Connolly (D) |
| 12th | December 18, 1990 | Joy Corning (R) | Harry G. Slife (R) |
| 44th | December 17, 1991 | Jack Nystrom (R) | Albert Sorensen (D) |
| 12th | August 31, 1993 | Harry G. Slife (R) | Donald Redfern (R) |
| 5th | February 22, 1994 | Linn Fuhrman (R) | Mary Lou Freeman (R) |
| 25th | February 22, 1994 | Richard J. Varn (D) | Robert Dvorsky (D) |
| 26th | December 20, 1994 | Paul Pate (R) | Mary Lundby (R) |
| 13th | April 1997[c] | Jim Lind (R) | Patricia M. "Pat" Harper (D) |
| 8th | February 3, 1998 | James E. Black (R) | E. Thurman Gaskill (R) |
| 46th | January 12, 1999 | Patty Judge (D) | John Judge (D) |
| 43rd | June 12, 2001 | Derryl McLaren (R) | Hubert Houser (R) |
| 39th | February 19, 2002 | Jo Ann M. Johnson (R) | David G. Lord (R) |
| 10th | March 12, 2002 | Merlin Bartz (R) | Amanda Ragan (D) |
| 26th | January 14, 2003 | Steve King (R)[d] | Steve Kettering (R) |
| 30th | February 3, 2004 | Mary Kramer (R) | Pat Ward (R) |
| 48th | January 4, 2011 | Kim Reynolds (R) | Joni Ernst (R) |
| 35th | January 18, 2011 | Larry Noble (R) | Jack Whitver (R) |
| 18th | November 8, 2011 | Swati Dandekar (D) | Liz Mathis (D) |
| 22nd | December 11, 2012 | Pat Ward (R)[e] | Charles Schneider (R) |
| 13th | November 19, 2013 | Kent Sorenson (R) | Julian Garrett (R) |
| 12th | December 30, 2014 | Joni Ernst (R) | Mark Costello (R) |
| 45th | December 27, 2016 | Joe Seng (D) | Jim Lykam (D) |
| 3rd | December 12, 2017 | Bill Anderson (R) | Jim Carlin (R) |
| 25th | April 10, 2018 | Bill Dix (R) | Annette Sweeney (R) |
| 30th | March 19, 2019 | Jeff Danielson (D) | Eric Giddens (D) |
| 41st | January 26, 2021 | Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) | Adrian Dickey (R) |
| 35th | January 28, 2025 | Chris Cournoyer (R) | Mike Zimmer (D) |
| 1st | August 26, 2025 | Rocky De Witt (R) | Catelin Drey (D) |
| 16th | December 30, 2025 | Claire Celsi (D) | Renee Hardman (D) |
Results
1913: District 39
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | F. P. Hagemann | 2,670 | 53.50% | |
| Republican | Benjamin Boardman | 1,490 | 29.85% | |
| Progressive | Harry A. Morey | 831 | 16.65% | |
| Total votes | 4,991 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
1923: District 37
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William Schmedika | 2,006 | 54.88% | |
| Republican | Rube McFeren | 1,649 | 45.12% | |
| Total votes | 3,655 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
1933: District 4
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joseph E. Doze | 3,047 | 54.2 | |
| Republican | H. C. Condra | 2,579 | 45.8 | |
| Total votes | 5,626 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
1933: District 29
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | D. Myron Tripp | 3,756 | 55.6 | |
| Republican | John E. Cross | 2,999 | 44.4 | |
| Total votes | 6,755 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
1933: District 35
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Howard Baldwin | 936 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 936 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
1933: District 45
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Richard V. Leo | 6,718 | 52.1 | |
| Democratic | M. W. Hyland | 6,181 | 47.9 | |
| Total votes | 12,899 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
1944: District 2
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Charles W. Wade | 1,464 | 73.1 | |
| Democratic | S.C. Simmons | 540 | 26.9 | |
| Total votes | 2,004 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
1944: District 5
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | T.M. Thompson | 904 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 904 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
1945: District 28
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert A. Rockhill | 1,783 | 72.9 | |
| Democratic | C. E. Wicklund | 663 | 27.1 | |
| Total votes | 2,446 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
1947: District 37
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | R. R. Bateson | 2,440 | 47.8 | |
| Democratic | Frank J. Lund | 2,258 | 44.2 | |
| Independent | William Schmedika | 409 | 8.0 | |
| Total votes | 5,107 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
1963: District 15
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Vera H. Shivvers | 2,921 | 53.0 | |
| Democratic | Howard H. Myers | 2,586 | 47.0 | |
| Total votes | 5,507 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
1970: District 22
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Cloyd E. Robinson[f] | 2,782 | 55.8 | |
| Republican | Jesse G. Hunter | 2,201 | 44.2 | |
| Total votes | 4,983 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
1972: District 47
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Richard Ramsey | 4,016 | 50.2 | |
| Democratic | Arlo Hullinger | 3,989 | 49.8 | |
| Total votes | 8,005 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
1974: District 10
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert M. "Bob" Carr | 6,273 | 59.5 | |
| Republican | James L. Esmoil | 4,270 | 40.5 | |
| Total votes | 10,543 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
1976: District 15
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bob Rush | 13,777 | 59.8 | |
| Republican | Andrew Gordon Holmes | 9,254 | 40.2 | |
| Total votes | 23,031 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
1976: District 11
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Steve Bisenius | 3,925 | 50.8 | |
| Democratic | Maurice Hennessey | 3,800 | 49.2 | |
| Total votes | 7,725 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
1976: District 41
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Forrest F. Ashcraft | 3,028 | 61.6 | |
| Democratic | Michael McDonald | 1,886 | 38.4 | |
| Total votes | 4,914 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
1983: District 36
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Soorholtz | 6,525 | 50.1 | |
| Democratic | Tom Swartz | 6,492 | 49.9 | |
| Total votes | 13,017 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
1985: District 45
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim R. Riordan | 6,720 | 51.2 | |
| Republican | Don Lienemann | 5,931 | 45.2 | |
| Populist | Johnny E. Vogel | 472 | 3.6 | |
| Total votes | 13,123 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
1985: District 34
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John A. Peterson | 3,709 | 60.5 | |
| Republican | Bill G. Anders | 2,423 | 39.5 | |
| Total votes | 6,132 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
1986: District 31
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Gene Fraise | 3,972 | 55.3 | |
| Republican | Judson B. Seeley | 3,212 | 44.7 | |
| Total votes | 7,184 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
1986: District 13
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jim Lind | 5,947 | 53.5 | |
| Democratic | Steve Rapp | 5,159 | 46.5 | |
| Total votes | 11,106 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
1989: District 18
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mike Connolly | 4,601 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 4,601 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
1990: District 12
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Harry Slife | 4,734 | 58.8 | |
| Democratic | Rose Angel | 3,313 | 41.2 | |
| Total votes | 8,047 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
1991: District 44
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Albert Sorensen | 4,588 | 59.3 | |
| Republican | George Maybee | 3,143 | 40.7 | |
| Total votes | 7,731 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
1993: District 12
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Donald Redfern | 6,863 | 54.3 | |
| Democratic | Sandra Glenn | 5,776 | 45.7 | |
| Total votes | 12,639 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
1994: District 5
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mary Lou Freeman | 4,212 | 61.1 | |
| Democratic | Donald Schossow | 2,680 | 38.9 | |
| Total votes | 6,892 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
1994: District 25
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Dvorsky | 2,073 | 54.0 | |
| Republican | Rosie Dalton | 1,763 | 46.0 | |
| Total votes | 3,836 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
1994: District 26
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mary Lundby | 4,170 | 59.1 | |
| Democratic | Charlie Brown | 2,890 | 40.9 | |
| Total votes | 7,060 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
1998: District 8
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | E. Thurman Gaskill | 5,647 | 54.7 | |
| Democratic | Christine G. Louscher | 3,907 | 37.8 | |
| Independent | Paul Bernhard | 770 | 7.5 | |
| Total votes | 10,324 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
1999: District 46
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Judge | 4,494 | 47.9 | |
| Republican | Claude Neill | 4,377 | 46.6 | |
| Reform | Garry Lee Klicker | 514 | 5.5 | |
| Total votes | 9,385 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2001: District 43
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Hubert Houser | 4,144 | 71.8 | |
| Democratic | John J. O'Brien | 1,630 | 28.2 | |
| Total votes | 5,774 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2002: District 39
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | David G. Lord | 3,475 | 70.8 | |
| Democratic | Steve Shelley | 1,433 | 29.2 | |
| Total votes | 4,908 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2002: District 10
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Amanda Ragan | 6,453 | 62.8 | |
| Republican | Mary Ellen Miller | 3,554 | 34.6 | |
| Independent | Kevin Smith | 262 | 2.6 | |
| Total votes | 10,269 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
2003: District 26
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Steve Kettering | 4,461 | 59.8 | |
| Democratic | Don Mason | 3,000 | 40.2 | |
| Total votes | 7,461 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2004: District 30
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pat Ward | 4,037 | 55.0 | |
| Democratic | Alicia Claypool | 3,073 | 41.8 | |
| Independent | Eric Kinman | 192 | 2.6 | |
| Independent | Satro Narayan | 42 | 0.6 | |
| Total votes | 7,344 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2011: District 48
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joni Ernst | 4,990 | 67.5 | |
| Democratic | Ruth Smith | 2,407 | 32.5 | |
| Total votes | 7,397 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2011: District 35
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jack Whitver | 4,773 | 63.5 | |
| Democratic | John Calhoun | 2,739 | 36.5 | |
| Total votes | 7,512 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2011: District 18
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Liz Mathis | 13,324 | 56.0 | |
| Republican | Cindy Golding | 10,322 | 43.4 | |
| Constitution | Jon Tack | 151 | 0.6 | |
| Total votes | 23,797 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2012: District 22
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Charles Schneider | 5,378 | 56.5 | |
| Democratic | Desmund Adams | 4,136 | 43.5 | |
| Total votes | 9,514 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2013: District 13
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Julian Garrett | 4,908 | 58.2 | |
| Democratic | Mark Davitt | 3,522 | 41.8 | |
| Total votes | 8,430 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2014: District 12
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mark Costello | 3,138 | 74.7 | |
| Democratic | Steven L. Adams | 932 | 22.2 | |
| Libertarian | Don W. Brantz | 132 | 3.1 | |
| Total votes | 4,202 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2016: District 45
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Lykam | 3,803 | 73.2 | |
| Republican | Michael Gonzales | 1,315 | 25.3 | |
| Libertarian | Severin B. Gilbert | 77 | 1.5 | |
| Total votes | 5,195 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2017: District 3
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jim Carlin | 3,707 | 54.6 | |
| Democratic | Todd Wendt | 3,083 | 45.4 | |
| Total votes | 6,790 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2018: District 25
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Annette Sweeney | 5,211 | 60.5 | |
| Democratic | Tracy Freese | 3,397 | 39.5 | |
| Total votes | 8,608 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2019: District 30
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Eric Giddens | 7,611 | 56.8 | |
| Republican | Walt Rogers | 5,635 | 42.1 | |
| Libertarian | Fred Perryman | 143 | 1.1 | |
| Total votes | 13,389 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2021: District 41
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Adrian Dickey | 5,091 | 55.32% | |
| Democratic | Mary Stewart | 4,111 | 44.68% | |
| Total votes | 9,202 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
2025: District 35
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mike Zimmer | 4,812 | 51.72% | ||
| Republican | Katie Elizabeth Whittington | 4,473 | 48.08% | ||
| Write-in | 19 | 0.20% | |||
| Total votes | 9,304 | 100.0% | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
2025: District 1
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Catelin Drey | 4,212 | 55.21% | ||
| Republican | Christopher A. Prosch | 3,412 | 44.72% | ||
| Write-in | 5 | 0.07% | |||
| Total votes | 7,629 | 100.0% | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
2025: District 16
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Renee Hardman | 7,341 | 71.40% | |
| Republican | Lucas Loftin | 2,930 | 28.50% | |
| Write-in | 11 | 0.11% | ||
| Total votes | 10,282 | 100.0% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
Notes
- J. Donald Weimer won the general election in district 22 in 1970; however, Weimer did not take office. Robinson won a special election to the seat.
- James Turner won the general election in district 47 in 1972; however, Turner was deceased and this necessitated a special election.
- Senator Jim Lind (R) resigned in March 1997. In a special election in April 1997, Patricia "Pat" Harper (D) won a special election in Iowa Senate, District 13. The Iowa General Assembly's website notes Lind's resignation & Harper's elevation to the position, but the Iowa Secretary of State's website does not list election data for this seat as of April 11, 2020. I can only find an article in the Waterloo, IA local newspaper documenting the special election victory for Harper.[2]
- Following the 2000 Census and 2002 redistricting, King would have been redistricted from state senate district 6 to district 26; however, he was elected to the US Congress in 2002, thus necessitating a special election in the Iowa Senate.
- Senator Ward had been redistricted from district 30 to 22 following the 2010 Census and 2011 redistricting process. She was running for re-election to in the newly-numbered district 22 when she died less than a month before the 2012 general election. She 'won' the 2012 general election for district 22 posthumously. Thus necessitating this special election. This explains why the election of Senator Schneider is considered a hold for Republicans, even though the immediately preceding senator from district 22 was technically a Democrat. Given the intricacies of renumbering after the redistricting process, he technically succeeded the posthumously re-elected Senator Ward.
- Democratic Senator J. Donald Weimer was redistricted from district 24 to 22 and Weimer won the 22nd district general election in November 1970. However, he did not take office. In a special election in December, Democrat Cloyd E. Robinson won and kept the seat for the Democratic Party.