Iowa primary – Iowa voters chose new candidates for governor and Senate on Tuesday, June 2, setting up high-stakes fights in November’s midterms. Zach Lahn won Iowa’s Republican governor primary after incumbent Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she would not seek reelection in 202
When Iowa Republicans walked into Tuesday’s primary. they knew they were hunting for a nominee who could survive a bruising general election. By nightfall. the path had narrowed—Zach Lahn won the Republican governor contest with 37.8% of votes as about 99% of votes were counted. and the race they have to defend in November now looks very different than it did just days ago.
The stakes are immediate. Iowa’s primary results send winners toward the November midterm elections as President Donald Trump and Republicans work to maintain control of Congress. The state has open races for governor and U.S. Senate, and it will also see two of its four U.S. House races become heavily targeted pickup opportunities for Democrats.
The governor’s race, in particular, unsettled Republicans after incumbent Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she would not seek reelection in 2026.
In that wide-open contest, Iowa’s Republican primary produced a head-to-head matchup for November against Democratic state Auditor Rob Sand, who won uncontested.
Republicans picked Zach Lahn as their standard-bearer, while he defeated Rep. Randy Feenstra, who ended with 37% of votes. Feenstra conceded the race Tuesday evening.
Democrats, meanwhile, had no contested primary fight. Rob Sand won uncontested.
The House primaries delivered their own momentum heading into November. In District 1, incumbent Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meek won the Republican nomination with 71.6% of the vote. defeating David Pautsch. who finished with 28.4% as an estimated 99% of votes were counted. On the Democratic side in District 1. Christina Bohannan won with 81.5% of votes. defeating Travis Terrell with 18.5% as an estimated 99% of votes were counted.
In District 2, the Republican nominee was Joe Mitchell, who won with 61.4% against Charlie McClintock at 38.6%, with about 99% of votes counted. Democrats chose Lindsay James. winning with 57.3% of votes against a crowded field: Clint Twedt-Ball finished with 24.3% and Kath Dolter finished with 18.4% as an estimated 98% of votes were counted.
District 3 showed a different pattern. Republicans selected incumbent Rep. Zach Nunn uncontested, and Democrats picked Sarah Trone Garriott uncontested.
District 4 brought a rare contested Democratic primary. Republicans chose Chris McGowan uncontested. Democrats selected Dave Dawson, who won with 39.1% of votes, defeating Stephanie Steiner with 30.5% and Ashley Wolf Tornabane with 30.4%, with an estimated 99% of votes counted.
The Senate contest is also in flux. The Iowa Senate primary will select candidates from both parties for the November ballot. The winner in the fall election will replace Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, who announced she is not seeking reelection in September 2025.
Democrats framed their pitch around taking on Republican frontrunner U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson in a year when party voters are looking for someone who can win a tough election and stand up to President Donald Trump’s administration.
On the Republican side. Hinson won her primary with 74.2% of the vote. defeating Jim Carlin. who finished with 25.9%. as an estimated 99% of votes were counted. On the Democratic side. Josh Turek won with 62.6% of votes against Zach Wahls. who received 37.4%. also with an estimated 99% of votes counted.
The sequence is straightforward: open seats pulled attention in governor and Senate races, and both parties used their primaries to lock in nominees ahead of November, with Iowa’s House districts also setting up more battles for control of the agenda.
Iowa primary governor race Zach Lahn Rob Sand Kim Reynolds Senate primary Ashley Hinson Josh Turek Joni Ernst midterm elections U.S. House races Iowa House District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4