Voters in Iowa Senate district 35 will soon elect a new senator, now that Chris Cournoyer has resigned from that role to become Iowa’s lieutenant governor.
Under state law, when a vacancy in the Iowa House or Senate arises within 45 days of the next legislative session convening, “the governor shall order such special election at the earliest practical time, giving at least eighteen days’ notice.” Governor Kim Reynolds’ spokesperson Mason Mauro said on December 16 he could not answer questions about the timing of the special election. But it’s likely to happen sometime in January. The winner will serve out the remainder of Cournoyer’s term, which runs through 2026.
Republicans will be heavily favored to hold the seat, which would give them a 35-15 majority in the chamber.
Senate district 35 covers all of Clinton County, some areas in northern Scott County, and part of Jackson County including the city of Maquoketa.
For many years, this area leaned strongly to Democrats. But Clinton is among Iowa’s mid-sized cities and Mississippi River communities that have moved sharply toward Republicans over the past decade.
According to the latest official figures, Senate district 35 contains 12,278 registered Democrats, 15,560 Republicans, 19,296 no-party voters, and 270 Libertarians.
Recent voting history points to an even steeper climb for Democratic candidates.
Democrat Rita Hart represented an Iowa Senate district covering much of the same area for six years. She opted not to seek re-election in 2018, when she became the party’s nominee for lieutenant governor. Cournoyer picked up the open seat with about 55 percent of the vote in 2018, and was re-elected in 2022 with about 61 percent of the vote.
Republicans hold both of the state House seats contained within Senate district 35. Norlin Mommsen has represented much of rural Clinton County and northern Scott County (now House district 70) since 2015, and gained part of Jackson County following redistricting in 2021. When Democrat Mary Wolfe retired in 2022 after serving twelve years in the House, the GOP’s Tom Determann picked up House district 69, covering the cities of Clinton and Camanche and some rural precincts. Both Republicans were re-elected this year by comfortable margins: about 61 percent of the vote for Mommsen and 57 percent for Determann.
Cournoyer wasn’t up for re-election in 2024, but Bleeding Heartland’s analysis of precinct-level results show voters in Senate district 35 favored former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris by 20,045 votes to 12,952 (59.7 percent to 38.6 percent). They favored U.S. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks over Democratic challenger Christina Bohannan by 17,873 votes to 14,785 (54.6 percent to 45.2 percent).
Delegates at district nominating conventions will select the Democratic and Republican candidates for the upcoming special election. The Iowa Democratic Party confirmed on December 16 that Hart is seeking to remain state party chair for another two years and will not be a candidate in Senate district 35. Wolfe and Randy Meier, who was Determann’s challenger in 2024, likewise confirmed to Bleeding Heartland that they will not run for the Senate seat, as did outgoing Clinton County Auditor Eric Van Lancker, who was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2022.
I will update this post as needed with the special election date and announced candidates.