Iowa held its general election on November 8, 2022, deciding 134 legislative seats and 6 statewide offices led by the governorship. No chamber changed party control.
Highlights
- Republicans won a two-thirds Senate supermajority, which ends Democrats' power to block the governor's appointees, and ousted the longtime Democratic attorney general and treasurer, leaving the auditor as the only statewide office in Democratic hands.
- The Senate went from 32-18 to 34-16. Republicans unseated two Democratic senators: Rocky De Witt (R) beat Jackie Smith (D) of Sioux City in SD-1 by about ten points, and Dawn Driscoll (R) beat Kevin Kinney (D) of Oxford in SD-46 by eight. The 34th seat came from Mike Bousselot (R) of Ankeny, who won SD-21 by about 560 votes. Democrats' one bright spot was Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott (D), who beat Senate President Jake Chapman (R) in the western Des Moines suburbs' SD-14 by about 870 votes.
- Republicans grew their House majority from 60-40 going in to 64-36, beating Reps. Steve Hansen (D) in HD-2, Phyllis Thede (D) in HD-94, and Dennis Cohoon (D) in HD-99. Four of the closest races went to recounts:
- Gov. Kim Reynolds (R), who led in polling and fundraising throughout, beat Deidre DeJear (D) by more than 18 points, and Secretary of State Paul Pate (R) won by about 20. Further down the ballot:
- Across the 134 legislative races, 7 seats changed party hands on comparable lines, five toward Republicans and two toward Democrats. Another 6 races finished inside two points, and a single candidate appeared in 45.
- Voters approved Amendment 1 with about 65 percent of the vote. It adds a right to keep and bear arms to the Iowa Constitution and subjects any restriction to strict scrutiny.
Legislature
- House (100 seats): 40 D, 60 R before the election, 36 D, 64 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
- Senate (50 seats): 18 D, 32 R before the election, 16 D, 34 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
Statewide races
Legislative races
Ballot measures
| Measure | Description | Result |
|---|
| Amendment 1 | Provide for a state constitutional right to own and bear firearms | Passed (65% yes) |