Iowa voters head to the polls for fierce races

By Andrew Rice
The Center Square

Voters in Iowa will head to the polls Tuesday to elect candidates in several high-profile primary races that will be watched across the country.

Many of Iowa’s races for the U.S. House are highly anticipated as midterm general elections approach. An open U.S. Senate seat has also brought in fierce competition from both parties control of Congress hangs in the balance.

Here are some of the races to watch in Iowa

U.S. Senate

Sen. Joni Ernst announced she would not seek a third term in 2026. She announced she would step down from the Senate after first being elected in 2014.

Ernst’s decision to step down has brought in several candidates vying for the highly desired seat.

Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, is seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate against former state Sen. Jim Carlin. President Donald Trump endorsed Hinson for the Senate seat in 2025.

“Ashley is a wonderful person, has ALWAYS delivered for Iowa, and will continue doing so in the United States Senate,” Trump wrote on social media.

Hinson has sponsored legislation to allow veterans to avoid extensive background checks when obtaining a firearm and a bill to increase funding for domestic fertilizer production.

“We do need to take some quick action here to make sure we’re improving price transparency around fertilizer in [the] markets,” Hinson said.

Hinson has received more than $6.4 million in contributions through her “Ashley for Iowa” campaign. She has received contributions from the Verizon political action committee, Boeing and the National Turkey Federation, according to filings from the Federal Elections Commission.

Carlin trails significantly in fundraising with $134,000 in contributions, according to the FEC. He has received donations from the car rental company Enterprise, small individual donations, and personal loans.

Carlin has focused his campaign on easing affordability concerns and has attacked Hinson over the sources of her campaign funds.

“My opponent, Ashley Hinson is deeply ingrained in the Washington establishment,” Carlin wrote in a column for the Times-Republican. “Iowa deserves leadership grounded in conviction, not political calculation or Washington consultants.”

Two Democrats are also competing for the party’s nomination to the U.S. Senate general election. Iowa Sen. Zach Wahls and Iowa Rep. Josh Turek are vying for the Democratic nomination in a race the Cook Political Report describes as a toss up.

Wahls was endorsed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and has called for more progressive policies if elected. He called for raising the federal minimum wage to at least $15 and removing caps on payments for welfare programs, including Social Security.

“Right now, wealthy Americans stop paying Social Security taxes after their first $160,000 in earnings. Someone making $50,000 pays on every dollar,” Wahls’ website reads. “That’s not fair. End that loophole and use the revenue to extend Social Security’s solvency for generations.”

Turek is seen as the more moderate candidate in Iowa’s Democratic primary. He received endorsements from Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Maggie Hassan, D-Mass., both seen as moderates.

Turek has highlighted his bipartisan support of legislation in the Iowa House. He highlighted his support for bills to increase homestead tax credits for veterans and use Medicaid funds for wheelchair and mobility assistance.

“Josh is one of the most bipartisan members of the Iowa legislature,” Turek’s website reads. “He is running on a platform that is laser-focused on benefiting the working class and addressing corruption in Washington.”

U.S. House

District 1

U.S. Rep. Marianette Miller-Meeks is looking to defend her seat in one of Iowa’s most competitive elections, which could determine the makeup of Congress. Miller-Meeks first ran for the seat in 2020, and barely secured a victory after multiple recounts.

Miller-Meeks will face off against marketing consultant David Pautsch for the Republican nomination. She has been endorsed by President Donald Trump to defend her seat.

Miller-Meeks has focused her campaign on lowering taxes, cutting government spending and protecting welfare programs.

“I’ll always fight to protect Social Security and Medicare because Iowa seniors earned those benefits through a lifetime of hard work,” Miller-Meeks wrote.

Pautsch has focused on supporting the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts and increasing domestic energy production.

“I will restore energy independence, reduce inflation by slashing government spending and eliminating bureaucratic departments,” Pautsch said.

Democrats Christina Bohannan and Travis Terrell are vying for the party’s nomination in the first congressional district. Bohannan, a former Iowa Representative, has criticized Miller-Meeks’ voting record, including on the “One Big Beautiful Bill” and called for more affordable policies.

“Mariannette Miller-Meeks is making things worse because she puts her special interest and corporate donors ahead of us,” Bohannan said. “She makes sure that they profit, and we pay for it.”

Terrell has focused his campaign on increasing the affordability of health care and expanding Medicare for All.

“I’ll fight to expand programs that recruit and retain doctors and nurses in underserved areas and bring federal support directly where it’s needed most,” Terrell’s website reads.

Bohannan and Miller-Meeks lead their respective races in campaign donations. Bohannan has more than $4.8 million in campaign contributions compared to Miller-Meeks with $4.5 million.

The Cook Political Report lists the race for Iowa’s first congressional district as a toss up, meaning either party has a good chance of winning.

District 3

Incumbent Rep. Zach Nunn is also looking to defend his seat in a race many analysts are labeling a toss-up. Nunn is the sole Republican seeking a nomination in the third congressional district.

He has sponsored legislation in Congress to support children in foster care programs and prevent them from becoming homeless. He has called for eliminating bureaucratic red tape to secure funds for children in foster care.

“Housing vouchers are sitting unused while foster youth go homeless,” Nunn wrote. “Not because they aren’t eligible, but because the rules allow them to become homeless before they can get help.”

Nunn has more than $2.4 million in campaign contributions, according to FEC filings.

“Zach needs our full support to win Iowa-03. He is fighting for the Farmer, and everything else that Iowa stands for, including, of course, Lower Taxes, and our always under siege Second Amendment,” Trump wrote in a 2025 social media post.

Nunn is expected to face stiff competition from the Democratic candidate in November. State Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott and Xavier Carrigan will face off on Tuesday to challenge Nunn.

Carrigan called for implementing Medicare for All and banning stock trading for members of Congress.

“Medicare for All is not negotiable,” Carriagn told Ballotpedia. “It is the baseline for a country that claims to care about its people. No one should be choosing between their health and their finances.”

Trone Garriott has focused on reforming the immigration system and fighting back against the Trump administration.

“I’ll push for comprehensive immigration reform that fixes our broken system: secures the border, streamlines legal pathways, protects Dreamers, and invests in preventing human trafficking and drug smuggling,” Trone Garriott’s website reads.

She has raised more than $3.8 million in contributions, including funds from Sen. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the National Postal Mail Handlers Union and JStreetPAC.

Polling locations in Iowa are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 2.