Democrat Angel Ramirez will soon be the first Latina to serve in the Iowa legislature, after winning the April 29 special election in House district 78 by a commanding margin.
Ramirez outperformed the partisan lean of the district, defeating Republican Bernie Hayes by 2,742 votes to 721 (79.0 percent to 20.8 percent), according to unofficial results from all precincts. Voters in House district 78 preferred Kamala Harris to Donald Trump by 65.2 percent to 32.7 percent in the 2024 presidential election.
It’s the third special Iowa legislative election of 2025, and Democrats greatly improved on the Harris benchmark in all three races. According to a spreadsheet compiled by “elections nerd” Ethan C7, Democrats have outperformed in most of this year’s special elections around the country, with Ramirez, Iowa Senate district 35 candidate Mike Zimmer, and Iowa House district 100 candidate Nannette Griffin putting up the largest swings compared to the 2024 presidential results in their areas.
Low-turnout special elections do not always foreshadow the next general election, but they can be an indicator of each party’s enthusiasm level.
Campaign finance disclosures show the Iowa Democratic Party spent about $6,000 supporting Ramirez through digital advertising, campaign literature, and printing and mailing postcards. Hayes did not report any in-kind spending by the Republican Party of Iowa to support his candidacy.
Ramirez came to Cedar Rapids to attend Coe College and stayed after graduating, co-founding Our Future, a nonprofit fellowship for young leaders. She is also a Youth Peace Project Facilitator with the Kids First Law Center.
Speaking to supporters at her victory party on April 29, Ramirez said her win “is a testament that America, that Iowa, our community is ready for something more, something greater, something more joyful. That is who we are.” She told Cedar Rapids Gazette reporter Grace Nieland, “Our campaign has really been about joy, hope and progress,” adding that she will “lead with hope” in the legislature “because I believe in our community and I know that we can build a better future together.”
In a written statement, Ramirez said she was “deeply honored and humbled” by the trust voters placed in her.
You embraced me when I arrived as a college student, and I’ve embraced it right back. As your new Representative, I will work tirelessly to keep Iowa a place where young people want to build their lives, where public education is properly funded, and where you can thrive. You shared your stories with me at your doorsteps, and I promise to bring your voices to the State Capitol.
House district 78 covers much of southeast Cedar Rapids. The seat became vacant when Democratic State Representative Sami Scheetz, who was the first Arab American to serve in the Iowa legislature, resigned on April 1 to become an appointed Linn County supervisor. After Ramirez is sworn in, the chamber will have 67 Republicans and 33 Democrats, 62 men and 28 women, and three Latino or Latina representatives (the others are Republican Mark Cisneros and Democrat Adam Zabner).
Top graphic was first published on the Facebook page for the Angel Ramirez campaign.