Live Results: Iowa midterm primaries

Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/live-results-iowa-midterm-primaries Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Live Results: Iowa midterm primaries Politics Jun 2, 2026 9:00 AM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The retirements of two of Iowa's most prominent Republican officeholders, Gov. Kim Reynolds and U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, have had ripple effects throughout Tuesday's state primary, creating competitive nomination contests to replace them and a chain reaction of open seats down the ballot. READ MORE: Democrats look for a foothold in Iowa as Vance visits to boost GOP candidate The winners will compete in November's critical midterm elections, in which Iowa's U.S. Senate and House seats could determine control of the narrowly divided chambers. The next governor could also play a pivotal role in the 2028 election, given the state's long history of making or breaking presidential hopefuls. Two Republicans and two Democrats are competing in primaries to replace Ernst, who announced in 2025 that she would not seek a third term. U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson faces former state Sen. Jim Carlin in the Republican primary, while state Rep. Josh Turek and state Sen. Zach Wahls compete for the Democratic nomination. Carlin ran for Iowa's other U.S. Senate seat in 2022, receiving about 27% of the primary vote against U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Reynolds also announced in 2025 that she would not seek a third term. Vying for the GOP nomination are state Rep. Eddie Andrews, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, entrepreneur and private school co-founder Zach Lahn, former state Rep. Brad Sherman and former state administrative services director Adam Steen. President Donald Trump has endorsed Feenstra. The winner will face Democratic state Auditor Rob Sand, who is unopposed in his primary. Sand is Iowa's only Democrat in elected statewide office. READ MORE: Trump is getting the Republican candidates he wants, but can he win in the midterms? Hinson's and Feenstra's statewide campaigns have created open seat contests in the state's 2nd and 4th Congressional Districts, respectively. Feenstra's district is heavily Republican and is unlikely to play a major role in determining control of the chamber. Hinson's district is more competitive, although she won reelection in 2024 with 57% of the vote. In Iowa's most competitive congressional seats, Republican U.S. Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of the 1st District and Zach Nunn of the 3rd District are both seeking reelection. Miller-Meeks faces a rematch with her 2024 primary opponent, advertising executive David Pautsch, who received about 44% of the vote. The Democratic field includes former state Rep. Christina Bohannan, who came within 1 percentage point of defeating Miller-Meeks in one of the closest U.S. House races of 2024. In the 3rd Congressional Dist