A Democrat has won today’s special election for a seat the Iowa Senate.
Unofficial results show West Des Moines City Councilman Renee Hardman won with 73% of the vote. She will be the first black woman to serve in the Iowa Senate. The seat had been vacant since State Senator Claire Celsi’s death in October.
Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner notes this is the third special election this year for a state senate seat and Democrats have won all three. Weiner said it shows “Iowa have said loud and clear: they want change.” Iowa GOP chairman Jeff Kaufmann said Tuesday’s election was in “a very tough district” for Republicans and the party “is focused expanding (Republican) majorities” in the state legislature next year.
There will be 17 Democrats and 33 Republicans serving in the Iowa Senate in January — one vote short of a GOP supermajority. It means Republicans will need at least one Democrat to vote to confirm any people Governor Reynolds nominates for state government positions.
Unofficial results posted on the Iowa Secretary of State’s website show Hardman received 7341 votes, Republican Lucas Loftin received 2930 and there were 11 write-in votes.
Voter registration data indicated there were nearly 17,000 Democrats, over 14,000 independent or “no party” voters and over 13,000 Republicans registered to vote in the district on December 1.