Republicans currently enjoy large majorities of 64-36 in the Iowa House and 34-16 in the Iowa Senate. But seven Democrats got a boost last week from the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), which works to elect Democrats to state legislatures around the country.
Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst joined the DLCC’s board of directors in January—a signal that the group is not giving up on Iowa, despite the losses over the past decade. Although Democrats are not in a position to regain control of the House or Senate this year, making up ground in every cycle matters—especially in the House, where GOP leaders struggled to find 51 votes for some of this year’s controversial bills.
The DLCC’s seven “spotlight” candidates in Iowa include a mix of incumbents and challengers. They are running in different types of communities, from suburbs trending blue to onetime Democratic strongholds that turned red during the Trump era. They share a commitment “to combat Republican extremism” in the legislature. Attention from a national group should help them raise money and recruit volunteers looking to make a difference in a competitive election.
Key facts about the featured candidates and their districts are enclosed below. Bleeding Heartland will profile these races in more depth as the campaigns develop. All voter registration totals come from the Iowa Secretary of State’s website. Voting history for 2020 comes from the maps Josh Hughes created in Dave’s Redistricting App for Iowa’s current state House and Senate districts.
TWO INCUMBENTS IN COMPETITIVE DISTRICTS
With the Democratic contingent in the Iowa House and Senate at their lowest points since the early 1970s, it’s important for the party not to suffer further losses. The DLCC spotlight candidates include two incumbents seeking re-election in challenging territory.
ERIC GIDDENS IN SENATE DISTRICT 38
When Eric Giddens won a special election in 2019 to replace a retiring Democratic senator and was re-elected to a full four-year term in 2020, his district was entirely located within Black Hawk County, containing the city of Cedar Falls, part of Waterloo, Hudson, and a few rural precincts. Even Republicans conceded the area was trending toward Democrats.
The redistricting plan adopted in 2021 changed Giddens’ turf dramatically. He still represents Cedar Falls, but Senate district 38 no longer covers neighborhoods in Waterloo. It picked up more rural areas in Black Hawk County, as well as portions of Tama and Benton counties.
No current Iowa Senate Democrat represents a district that voted for Donald Trump in 2020, but Giddens is one of three whose constituents split nearly evenly between Trump and Joe Biden. (The others are Sarah Trone Garriott in Senate district 14 and Nate Boulton in Senate district 20.) Republicans have a small voter registration advantage, but no-party voters outnumber those affiliated with either party.
Giddens is best known in the Cedar Falls area, where he served on the school board and “was previously a program manager at the Center for Energy and Environmental Education at the University of Northern Iowa.” His son is a UNI student as well.
He has worked hard to connect with voters in all parts of his district and told me last week he has knocked almost 7,000 doors, “with thousands of good conversations.” The top concerns he hears from voters include support for education at all levels (K-12 schools, Area Education Agencies, UNI), “tax relief for working families,” and opposition to Republican-led changes to state boards and commissions, “particularly as they relate to professional licensing and industry health and safety standards.”
Asked how support from the DLCC would affect his campaign, Giddens said,
I’m grateful for the DLCC’s recognition of the hard work I do representing my constituents in SD-38. They are highlighting my race simply to increase awareness of the importance of winning this election so that I can continue working hard for everyday Iowans across my district and advocating for high quality educational opportunities from pre-K through college.
Giddens faces Dave Sires, who won a three-way GOP primary this month with nearly 59 percent of the vote. Sires is a lifelong Cedar Falls resident and business owner who served a term on the city council.
Latest voter registration totals: 13,842 registered Democrats, 14,217 Republicans, 16,183 no-party voters, and 315 Libertarians
2020 election results: 49.1 percent for Biden, 48.8 percent for Trump; 49.3 percent for Joni Ernst, 48.2 percent for Theresa Greenfield in the U.S. Senate race
To follow Giddens’ campaign: website, Facebook, Twitter/X
JOSH TUREK IN HOUSE DISTRICT 20
Josh Turek is unique in several ways. The first-term Iowa House Democrat is the only permanently disabled member of the Iowa legislature, as well as the only Paralympian ever to serve in that role. Of the 100 Iowa House members, Turek won his 2022 election by the smallest margin: just six votes (3,403 to 3,397). He is also the only current Democratic lawmaker in Iowa elected in a district that voted for Trump.
House district 20 covers Carter Lake and part of Council Bluffs in Pottawattamie County. It was an open seat last cycle, when Turek ran for the first time.
Voter registration numbers and turnout tend to be lower in less well-off communities, and that has been the case in this blue-collar area. Neither party has a clear advantage in registrations. When voter engagement is low, GOTV is even more important. Turek prioritized canvassing last cycle—often crawling up steps to reach voters’ front doors—and will do so again this year. He also attends many local events, not only political ones.
In a telephone interview over the weekend, Turek said he hears a lot of “frustration” about the national political environment when he speaks to voters at the door or at community gatherings. People are dissatisfied by the two main political options. Other issues raised include inflation and the high cost of living for working families, the state diverting public funds to private schools, this year’s changes to Area Education Agencies, health care costs, substance abuse and mental health challenges, and abortion rights.
Turek also mentioned that when he speaks to Iowans in rural areas, people are upset about the prospect of eminent domain being used to take land for CO2 pipelines. That’s not as salient an issue within his urban district, which isn’t on Summit Carbon Solutions’ pipeline route.
As for the DLCC endorsement, Turek said he’s “incredibly grateful for any amount of support” for his re-election campaign. He hopes it will raise awareness about his race across the state and beyond, not only for donors but also for volunteers to help him reach more voters this fall.
The Republican nominee in House district 20 is James Wassell, a Marine Corps veteran and first-time candidate who won an incredibly low-turnout GOP primary by 219 votes to 143.
Latest voter registration totals: 6,033 registered Democrats, 6,068 Republicans, 7,088 no-party voters, and 297 Libertarians
2020 election results: 50.5 percent for Trump, 47.1 percent for Biden; 48.2 percent for Greenfield, 46.5 percent for Ernst
To follow Turek’s campaign: website, Facebook, Twitter/X
FOUR CHALLENGERS IN GOP-HELD DISTRICTS
In the context of large Republican majorities, individual races may seem insignificant. But every seat flipped matters, especially in the Senate, where Republicans now hold 34 seats—exactly the number needed to confirm the governor’s appointees without any Democratic support.
The DLCC recognized two challengers taking on GOP senators and two vying for House seats.
MATT BLAKE IN SENATE DISTRICT 22
All other things being equal, it’s usually easier to beat a first-term legislator than an entrenched incumbent. This race is the exception that proves the rule.
Brad Zaun is the longest-serving current Iowa Senate Republican, having won his first legislative race in 2004. He’s also the only one up for re-election this year who represents a blue district.
As noted in Bleeding Heartland’s preview of this campaign last year, Senate district 22 is the top target for Democrats. The current map is less favorable to Zaun than it was in 2020, when he survived a strong challenge from Rhonda Martin. Like many similar suburbs, Johnston and Urbandale have trended toward Democrats over the past decade. Zaun lost Grimes, which provided his margin of victory in 2020, and picked up precincts on the northwest side of Des Moines.
Urbandale City Council member Matt Blake kicked off his campaign last August and has been running hard.
Neither major party has an edge in voter registrations here, but the 2020 election results point to an advantage for Democrats. Zaun has continued to embrace Trump while representing a district that voted for Biden. That said, the incumbent has outperformed the top of the GOP ticket before and may do so again this November.
Blake told me last week his team has knocked more than 2,000 doors, “and we are planning to ramp that up now that the primaries are over with consistent days of action in Urbandale, Johnston, and Saylorville.” A small army of volunteers will be available to help. Urbandale has a well-organized GOTV network, and activists are replicating the model in Johnston.
Blake said education has been the top issue he hears about while canvassing. “Voters are worried about the future of education and the long term impact the Republican policies are having on our communities. Voters also seem very tired of the vitriol that is coming from the Iowa Capitol and are seeking out leaders who will bring a more positive message about the future of Iowa.”
At this writing, Republicans have not nominated a candidate in House district 44, an open seat making up half of this Senate district. (Democratic State Representative John Forbes chose to run for Polk County supervisor instead of for another term in the legislature.) The Democratic nominee, Larry McBurney, will be able to dedicate much of his energy to GOTV for the Senate race if his only competition in November comes from Libertarian candidate Jake Heard.
Asked how the DLCC spotlight will help his Senate campaign, Blake told me,
I hope the highlight shows Iowans and folks nationally that this is a race that is worth the attention and investment. There is an incredible chance to beat the longest serving Republican Senator in Iowa who was the first elected official in the nation to endorse Donald Trump. A Senator who has consistently voted against the interest of public education and presided over the Senate when they voted to take away women’s reproductive freedoms in Iowa. Redistricting and the changing political landscapes in the Des Moines suburbs makes this a top flip opportunity in Iowa.
Latest voter registration totals: 15,852 registered Democrats, 15,301 Republicans, 14,156 no-party voters, and 350 Libertarians
2020 election results: 53.2 percent for Biden, 44.7 percent for Trump; 51.4 percent for Greenfield, 46.4 percent for Ernst
To follow Blake’s campaign: website, Facebook, Twitter/X
NANNETTE GRIFFIN IN SENATE DISTRICT 50
This district is almost a mirror image of the one where Blake is challenging Zaun. Whereas the northwest suburbs of Des Moines were solidly Republican for decades, the southeast corner of Iowa was ancestral Democratic territory for generations. Many longtime observers of Iowa politics would be shocked to learn a Republican represents a Senate district that includes the cities of Burlington, Keokuk, and Fort Madison.
State Senator Jeff Reichman was elected for the first time in 2020, when his district included Lee County and some surrounding areas, but not the city of Burlington in Des Moines County.
The DLCC is backing Nannette Griffin, who grew up in Burlington and became a successful small business owner in Fort Madison.
Democrats maintain a small voter registration advantage in this area, but voters in precincts now part of Senate district 50 preferred Trump to Biden by a 10-point margin in 2020. Griffin will need to outperform the top of the Democratic ticket–which should be an attainable goal. Theresa Greenfield, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 2020, outpolled Republican incumbent Joni Ernst here.
This district is hard to reach through television, because the Burlington area is part of the Quad Cities media market, while Lee County is the only part of Iowa that receives stations from Quincy, Illinois. That will make other campaign methods like direct mail, radio, and canvassing even more important for the challenger.
Griffin told me she and volunteers have already knocked hundreds of doors. The top themes from her conversations with voters include “the lack of opportunity and freedom in the state, which coincides with my message of going to Des Moines to deliver a better deal for Southeast Iowa.”
I would say that Iowans are looking for the opportunity to send their children to a world-class public school like we used to be able to do as a state and that people want the freedom to make health care decisions without interference from Des Moines politicians.
Asked about the impact of the DLCC’s spotlight, Griffin said,
I think it’s recognition of the hard work we are putting into winning in November. I have been bucking the trend my entire life as an award-winning small businesswoman who owns a muffler and brake auto repair shop, so it’s appreciated to get the attention for the work we are doing to spread our message to Southeast Iowans before the elections in November!
Latest voter registration totals: 15,004 registered Democrats, 12,399 Republicans, 16,127 no-party voters, and 329 Libertarians
2020 election results: 53.9 percent for Trump, 43.5 percent for Biden; 48.0 percent for Greenfield, 47.7 percent for Ernst
To follow Griffin’s campaign: website, Facebook
HEATHER SIEVERS IN HOUSE DISTRICT 40
Governor Kim Reynolds’ plan to overhaul Iowa’s Area Education Agencies was an explosive issue during the 2024 legislative session, generating thousands of messages to legislators. Democratic candidates around the state say the issue still resonates with many voters. But the AEA controversy could be particularly important in House district 40. Before Heather Sievers decided to run for the legislature, she founded the group Advocates for Iowa’s Children and became personally involved in efforts to stop the governor’s bill.
House district 40 covers part of eastern Polk County, including the fast-growing suburb of Altoona and some neighborhoods on the east side of Des Moines.
Voter registrations don’t skew toward either party here, but the 2020 election results point to a slight edge for the GOP.
That said, Republican incumbent Bill Gustoff is just finishing his first term, so he’s not an entrenched incumbent. He won the district by a 421-vote margin in 2022; a Libertarian candidate received 469 votes in that race.
Gustoff’s biggest advantage may be that Republicans are willing to spend heavily to defend his seat. He’s well-connected in social conservative circles and formerly served on the Republican Party of Iowa’s State Central Committee. During the last election cycle, the Iowa GOP spent more than $400,000 on positive advertising about Gustoff or negative messages about his Democratic opponent. Spending this year should exceed that level; Governor Kim Reynolds has already helped raise money for the incumbent’s campaign.
Sievers told me she has connected with approximately 1,800 voters, combining door knocking, phone calls, and in-person community events. “At nearly all doors, education is a top priority. This is a topic that brings Republicans and Democrats in our community together because we care about the foundation of what Iowa is built on…our public schools and top of class education.”
In particular, Sievers said people are upset to see public schools underfunded, even though they serve more than 500,000 children, while Iowa spends an escalating amount on private school vouchers for fewer than 50,000, most of whom don’t need the taxpayer dollars.
People have been upset about the fact that the legislation for the voucher programs in year 3 has zero restrictions to who can access the taxpayer dollars that ultimately shift funding from our public schools to support private schools. Children already in private schools can access this money, almost like a private school scholarship, on the public’s dime. People are upset. I am upset. We should be and our children deserve better.
In addition, Sievers hears from women (Republicans as well as Democrats) who are upset about restrictions on reproductive freedom and the loss of bodily autonomy. “Legislators shouldn’t be in the middle of doctors, women and their families.”
Sievers continues to meet Iowans whose friends or relatives have children with special needs, who have received AEA services.
The AEA has changed so many children’s lives and serves 75,000 of our Iowa children with special needs. The dismantling of the AEAs during the last legislative session and the $32.5 million dollars in special education cuts was a breaking point for loss of trust in the Governor, including republican-leaning voters. People care about our children here and want the best for them.
Just like me, and the reason I put my name on the ballot as a mother of a child with rare disabilities. The AEAs and our public education teachers treated my own daughter like gold, like a human with potential. She has risen to the challenge and overcame challenges that even her doctors said she would not because of their support, their services, and their dedication. I heard many stories about the AEAs and how they have become family for so many others like mine. The AEA has been the group of loving providers and specialists that showed up, came into homes, and helped kids when no one else did.
Finally, Sievers told me voters are tired of “the extremism in the legislation that isn’t serving Iowans,” and “the focus on restricting people’s liberties instead of focusing on real needs of Iowans.”
As for the DLCC endorsement, Sievers said she was “honored to be recognized as a national spotlight candidate in my first year running for office. I believe they see how hard I am working to help people here.” The support at the national level will help her “reach a more diverse donor base,” which she will need to reach more voters while facing an “extremely well-funded opponent who promotes extreme legislation.”
Latest voter registration totals: 7,115 registered Democrats, 7,081 Republicans, 7,791 no-party voters, and 195 Libertarians
2020 election results: 50.9 percent for Trump, 46.7 percent for Biden; 49.4 percent for Ernst, 47.1 percent for Greenfield
To follow Sievers’ campaign: website, Facebook, Instagram
TIARA MAYS-SIMS IN HOUSE DISTRICT 43
Tiara Mays-Sims describes herself as “an Autism parent and advocate from Central Iowa.” She has served in many community roles, including as an elected member of the Heartland Area Education Agency. She has said that repealing the AEA changes and the school voucher bill would be among her top priorities.
The AEA issue may be less potent in this race because the incumbent, two-term Republican State Representative Eddie Andrews, voted against both versions of the plan that came to the Iowa House floor. However, Andrews has voted for many other unpopular bills, including the governor’s school voucher plan and the near-total abortion ban approved during the July 2023 special legislative session.
House district 43 covers the suburb of Johnston and a few neighborhoods in Des Moines. It makes up half of Senate district 22 (discussed above), so any investment here has the potential to help both Mays-Sims and Blake.
While Republicans have a small voter registration advantage in House district 43, the recent voting history suggests this electorate is up for grabs, and Trump at the top of the ballot may not be an asset for Andrews.
Incidentally, Brittany Ruland is managing Mays-Sims’ campaign. She managed Sarah Trone Garriott’s successful 2020 Iowa Senate campaign in a different part of the Des Moines suburbs.
Mays-Sims “has knocked several hundred doors so far,” Ruland told me, and is canvassing “almost every day when she’s not fundraising, attending events and being Mom to her twins.”
The top issues the Democrat has heard from Iowans “consistently have been 1) Public education, 2) Reproductive rights and 3) The Economy.”
Regarding the DLCC endorsement, Mays-Sims said via email,
This spotlight will help us reach a more diverse donor base to be sure we can reach enough voters and we do that by meeting people right where they are at without expectations. We will also be able to use this spotlight as a way to illuminate and invest in these communities that have too long been ignored by their representative(s). We are working hard to show voters that Iowa is still a purple state and these seats can be flipped as our opponent only won by 300 votes in the midterm elections. Your vote can literally be the change maker you want to see, your vote matters!!
Latest voter registration totals: 7,620 registered Democrats, 8,127 Republicans, 7,290 no-party voters, and 174 Libertarians
2020 election results: 51.4 percent for Biden, 46.6 percent for Trump; 49.4 percent for Greenfield, 48.5 percent for Ernst
To follow Mays-Sims’ campaign: website, Facebook, Twitter/X
ONE CANDIDATE IN A DEMOCRATIC-HELD OPEN SEAT
Aime Wichtendahl stands out from this group as the only non-incumbent seeking to keep a Democratic-held seat blue, rather than flip a Republican-held seat. House district 80 includes part of Cedar Rapids and the suburbs of Hiawatha and Robins in Linn County.
Bleeding Heartland profiled Wichtendahl and her campaign earlier this month. If she wins, she will break the “lavender ceiling” as the first transgender state legislator in Iowa.
Since this post already covered the candidate and key issues in her race, as well as the political lean of House district 80, I’ll focus here on Wichtendahl’s comments about the DLCC spotlight:
It is amazing, and a little humbling, to know that our message is resonating so far and wide. It speaks to the importance of how we can’t leave the state legislatures in extremists’ hands. Unchecked, one party rule, is not working for Iowa. It is only making our schools worse, the water dirtier, and eroding our fundamental freedoms.
My message has always been if we want change and a government that works for the people, we can’t just elect a president and expect everything to be okay. We have to have people in Des Moines that are willing to put people over politics and deliver for our communities.
Latest voter registration totals: 7,772 registered Democrats, 6,974 Republicans, 8,222 no-party voters, 191 Libertarians
2020 election results: Biden 53.9 percent, Trump 43.7 percent; Greenfield 52.1 percent, Ernst 45.3 percent