Trump-backed candidate loses in Iowa governor’s race as Democrats look to flip Senate seat

Establishment Democrat beats Zach Wahls in primary as party eyes success in Republican-dominated state

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Iowa voters cast their ballots in Tuesday’s heated primaries, setting up for months of fervent campaigning ahead of the November midterms in contests that could determine the balance of power in Congress.

A red state that the GOP has dominated for the past decade, Democrats believe they can be competitive in three of its four House races, its Senate election, and the contest to replace Kim Reynolds, the retiring Republican governor.

Here’s who came out ahead in the primary according to results verified by the Associated Press:

US Senate

Josh Turek , the state house representative who benefited from millions of dollars in outside spending and the endorsement of a slew of top Democrats, won the Democratic primary in a race to replace retiring Republican senator Joni Ernst.

In a proxy battle for which direction the party would take, he defeated Zach Wahls, the state senator who pitched himself to voters as an outsider who would stand up to party elites including Chuck Schumer, the US Senate minority leader whom he blamed for weakening the party.

The primary between the two men became contentious, as Wahls alleged that his opponent was the favorite of the Democratic establishment, pointing to more than $5m in spending to promote Turek by VoteVets, a Pac that has previously received money from Schumer’s campaign fund.

Turek countered that he was the more electable candidate since he had won office in a western Iowa district that leaned conservative, while Wahls represented a liberal area in eastern Iowa.

Turek will face Ashley Hinson, a Republican US representative who Donald Trump endorsed to replace Ernst.

Governor

In the gubernatorial race, Democrats believe they have a historically strong candidate in Rob Sand, the auditor who is the last member of the party holding statewide elected office. Sand ran unopposed in the primary.

Five candidates vied for the Republican nomination, with Zach Lahn emerging as the winner. Feenstra, who came in second, had been endorsed by Trump. His loss marks an end to Trump’s streak of winning endorsements – until Tuesday, every candidate Trump backed since March had won their primary.

Republicans have held Iowa’s governor’s mansion since 2011.

US House of Representatives

Democrats believe they have a shot at winning three of Iowa’s four House seats, putting the state at the center of their hopes to retake control of the chamber.

In south-eastern Iowa’s first congressional district, the vulnerable incumbent Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks won her primary, beating rightwing challenger David Pautsch.

Christina Bohannan won the Democratic primary, setting the University of Iowa law professor up for her third run against Miller-Meeks, whom she lost to in 2024 by about 800 votes.

In the third congressional district around Des Moines, incumbent Zach Nunn won the Republican primary, while state senator Sarah Trone Garriott won the Democratic nomination.

With Hinson running for Senate, her seat in north-eastern Iowa’s second congressional district is open. Republicans nominated former state representative Joe Mitchell to replace her, while Democrats picked state representative Lindsay James.

In north-west Iowa’s fourth congressional district, Republicans nominated Chris McGowan to replace incumbent Randy Feenstra, who is running for governor. Democrats chose Dave Dawson, who faces long odds in winning the heavily Republican seat.