IOWA, USA —
You can find live election results at weareiowa.com/elections, by texting RESULTS to 515-457-1026 or downloading the We Are Iowa app.
With recent redistricting and several hot-button issues such as education and women's reproductive health at stake, candidates across central Iowa are looking to win spots in the Iowa House and Senate.
Here's where things stand now: Republicans maintain control of both chambers by a margin of 32-to-18 in the Senate and 60-to-40 in the House.
Along with Gov. Kim Reynolds, the legislative "trifecta" has allowed many GOP priorities to pass through the statehouse and into law.
Here are the statehouse races Local 5 will be watching on Nov. 8.
Iowa Senate
District 14
On the ballot: Jake Chapman (R), Sarah Trone Garriott (D)
Thanks to redistricting, two incumbents will face off in the newly drawn Senate District 14. Located in the ever-growing Dallas County, the district covers Van Meter, Adel, Waukee and parts of West Des Moines and Clive.
Born and raised in Adel, Sen. Jake Chapman (R) currently represents Iowa’s 10th senate district. He was first elected to the Iowa Legislature in 2012 and is now serving as president of the Iowa senate.
Chapman’s campaign has focused on cutting taxes for Iowans, limiting abortion access and school choice.
Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott (D) is currently in her second year in the Iowa Senate. She was elected to a four-year term in 2020, but moved districts to avoid a primary with Sen. Claire Celsi in the newly-drawn Senate District 16.
Core principles of Trone Garriott’s campaign include prioritizing public education, improving access to health care and advancing civil rights.
District 17
On the ballot: Izaah Knox (D), ToyA S. Johnson (Libertarian), Alejandro Murguia-Ortiz (No party)
While no Republican is on the ballot in District 17, which represents a portion of Des Moines, voters will still have choices when they head to the polls.
Democrat Izaah Knox won his primary against Grace Van Cleave this past June with 67% of the vote. Knox is the executive director of Urban Dreams and a member of the Des Moines Civil and Human Rights Commission. Throughout his campaign, Knox has prioritized issues such as access to child care, affordable housing and increased funding for public schools.
ToyA S. Johnson is running as a Libertarian candidate in District 17. Johnson is a longtime Des Moines resident, having grown up in the city and graduating from Roosevelt High School in 1993. As a state senator, Johnson says she would advocate for the removal of income tax, propose legislation legalizing marijuana and work to improve civil rights for all.
The third candidate, Alejandro Murguia-Ortiz, is running without a party affiliation. The son of immigrant meatpacking workers, Murguia-Ortiz has spent the last two years advocating for immigrant and worker’s rights in Iowa.
Murguia-Ortiz's platform includes abolishing ICE, defunding the police and decriminalizing substance use.
District 21
On the ballot: Mike Bousselot (R), Todd Brady (D)
Ankeny is another Des Moines suburb that is sure to be hotly contested this election. Republican Rep. Mike Bousselot and Democrat Todd Brady are competing for this open Ankeny seat.
Bousselot currently serves as a representative in House District 37, which represents Ankeny and north Polk County, after winning a special election in 2021. Previously, Bousselot was chief of staff and advisor for former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad.
Bousselot also briefly served as director of the Iowa Department of Management for Gov. Kim Reynolds. The Ankeny resident has campaigned on promises such as advocating for law enforcement, fighting inflation and lowering taxes.
Brady, his challenger, has also made a name for himself around Iowa.
Originally from Indianola, Brady has lived in Ankeny for five years, running a software consulting company. In 2021, he built the website Vaccine Hunter to help Iowans find locations and appointments to receive COVID-19 vaccinations.
Brady has supported issues such as public education funding, voting rights, public health awareness and civil rights.
District 29
On the ballot: Sandy Salmon (R), Jenn Wolff (D)
A longtime Iowa statehouse member and a local advocate will face off in this senate race encapsulating Floyd, Chickasaw, Butler and Bremer County.
Rep. Sandy Salmon (R) has served in the Iowa House since 2013, representing District 63. A military veteran, Salmon is currently the chair of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. Now, Salmon is turning her aspirations toward the Iowa Senate after competing in an uncontested primary.
If elected, her legislative priorities include balancing the budget, cutting taxes, promoting parental involvement in schools and defending the right to life for unborn children.
Salmon’s challenger, Democrat Jenn Wolff, was a write-in candidate in the June primary. After becoming disabled during graduate school, she began organizing around issues of disability rights.
Wolff has worked with #UpgradeMedicaid to shine a light on the care crisis in Iowa. If elected, Wolff says she will focus on listening to experts when it comes to issues such as Medicaid, the environment and education.
District 46
On the ballot: Dawn Driscoll (R), Kevin Kiney (D)
Two incumbents will face off in District 46.
The newly-drawn district covers Washington and Iowa counties, as well as parts of Johnson County.
Sen. Dawn Driscoll (R) currently represents District 38, which spans all of Iowa, Benton and Poweshiek counties. She first joined the Iowa Senate in 2021.
The sixth-generation farmer lives in rural Iowa County, where she is active in the Iowa County Farm Bureau and in local schools as a coach and volunteer. Driscoll says she is committed to cutting taxes, supporting family farmers and upholding parental rights in education.
Sen. Kevin Kinney (D) entered the Iowa Legislature in 2015 and currently represents Johnson, Washington and Keokuk counties. Previously, Kinney worked as a sheriff’s deputy in Johnson County.
Like his opponent, Kinney is also a farmer. In addition, Kinney is active in the Farm Bureau, Knights of Columbus and the Johnson County Cattlemen’s Association. Key goals if reelected include prioritizing public education, supporting survivors of sexual abuse and participating in bipartisan legislation.
Iowa House
District 28
On the ballot: David Young (R), Sonya Heitshusen (D)
Two candidates are in the running for an open Iowa House seat in Dallas County. District 28 includes southwestern West Des Moines, Van Meter and Adel.
Republican David Young is a former U.S. Representative for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District. He lost to Cindy Axne in 2018, and again in 2020. The Van Meter resident also previously served as chief of staff for Sen. Chuck Grassley for seven years.
If elected to the Iowa House, Young would focus on issues relating to the state’s economy, workforce and education system.
Democrat Sonya Heitshusen is a resident of West Des Moines and serves as Director of Communications for the state auditor’s office. Previously, Heitshusen worked as an anchor and reporter for WOI and WHO.
As a legislator, Heitshusen pledges to invest in Iowa schools, expand health care access and protect reproductive rights.
District 30
On the ballot: Jerry Cheevers (R), Megan Srinivas (D)
Two candidates are running to represent Des Moines’ south side in the Iowa House. The seat was previously held by Democratic state Rep. Bruce Hunter, who was first elected in 2003. The district is one of a few strongly Democratic Des Moines-area districts, according to the Iowa Secretary of State’s office.
Democrat Megan Srinivas won a contentious Democratic primary with 63.5% of the vote, defeating Eddie Mauro. Srinivas currently works as an infectious disease physician at Broadlawns Medical Cener. She also sits on the board of NAMI Iowa. If elected, Srinivas plans to prioritize gun reform, public education, reproductive rights and pandemic readiness.
Republican Jerry Cheevers ran uncontested in the Republican primary. Previously, Cheevers unsuccessfully ran against Rep. Hunter in 2018 and 2020.
District 38
On the ballot: Jon Dunwell (R), Erick Zehr (D), Michael Wood (L)
After Republican state Rep. Jon Dunwell flipped a traditionally blue seat to red in a 2021 special election, he’s now looking to serve his first full term in the house. First, he must face both a Democrat and a Libertarian in the Nov. 8 election.
Dunwell won a special election in District 29 last year with 60% of the vote. The Newton resident currently works as a financial representative and business coach. Previously, Dunwell was a pastor in Orlando for 21 years.
If re-elected, Dunwell plans to continue to prioritize K-12 education and address the workforce shortage.
On the other side of the aisle is Democrat Erick Zehr. Zehr was raised in Iowa City and currently resides in Newton. He is the owner of Han Consulting LLC, which specializes in energy efficiency.
In his free time, he coaches girls' tennis and sings in the choir at First Presbyterian Church. As a legislator, Zehr plans to fight for public schools, access to health care, clean energy and voting rights.
Libertarian Michael Wood is also on the ballot.
The Colfax resident works in manufacturing and has no previous political experience, according to the Des Moines Register. Wood has campaigned on issues such as legalizing recreational marijuana, reducing taxes and protecting individual liberties.
District 41
On the ballot: Marvis Landon (R), Molly Buck (D)
Two women are in the running for an open Iowa House seat in northern Ankeny.
Marvis Landon, a Republican, is the wife of the late State Rep. John Landon.
John held the seat until his death in 2021, at which time Michael Bousselot took over the seat after winning a special election. Now, Bousselot is running for state senate, leaving the seat open.
Marvis works as a real estate agent in central Iowa. She also recently served as a judicial commissioner in Polk County. If elected to the Iowa House, Marvis plans to dedicate her time to improving education, creating safter communities and lowering taxes.
Her opponent, Molly Buck, is a Democrat living in Ankeny. Buck works as a teacher in the Ankeny Community School District. In addition, she is the past president of the Ankeny Education Association.
As an educator, Buck’s platform centers around educational funding, as well as issues such health care, child care and affordable housing.
District 67
On the ballot: Craig Johnson (R), Terry McGovern (D)
State Sen. Craig Johnson is the sole Iowa senator to run for Iowa House after redistricting. He currently represents Senate District 67. He was originally elected to the senate in 2016, and serves as the chair of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Capitals Appropriation subcommittee.
As a state representative, Johnson hopes to continue working to lower taxes for Iowans and support second amendment rights.
Johnson’s opponent, Terry McGovern, is a self-described moderate Democrat.
An Iowa native, McGovern is a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and currently teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
McGovern’s campaign centers on working families. If elected, he plans to advocate for public schools, invest in rural Iowa and serve as a voice for working Iowans.