Democrat Renee Hardman wins Iowa state Senate seat, blocking GOP from reclaiming a supermajority [View all]
Source: AP
Updated 1:31 AM EST, December 31, 2025
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democrat Renee Hardman was elected to the Iowa state Senate on Tuesday in a year-end special election, denying Republicans from reclaiming two-thirds control of the chamber. Hardman bested Republican Lucas Loftin by an overwhelming margin to win a seat representing parts of the Des Moines suburbs. The seat became vacant after the Oct. 6 death of state Sen. Claire Celsi, a Democrat.
Hardman, the CEO of nonprofit Lutheran Services of Iowa and a member of the West Des Moines City Council, becomes the first Black woman elected to the 50-member Senate. “I want to recognize that while my name was the one on the ballot, this race was never just about me,” Hardman told a room of supporters in West Des Moines after declaring victory.
With 99% of votes counted, Hardman led by about 43 percentage points.
Her win is the latest in a string of special election victories for Iowa Democrats, who flipped two Senate seats this year to break up a supermajority that had allowed Republicans to easily confirm GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds’ appointments to state agencies and commissions.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/iowa-special-election-state-senate-supermajority-32ecda723de7a58d0da7d1d701dbc980
Definition of a blowout.
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