(Des Moines) Democrat Renee Hardman was elected to the Iowa Senate Tuesday in a year-end byelection, preventing Republicans from regaining control of the upper chamber with a two-thirds majority.
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Mme Hardman comfortably beat Republican Lucas Loftin to win the seat representing part of the Des Moines suburbs. This seat has been vacant since the death on October 6 of Democratic Senator Claire Celsi.
Executive Director of the nonprofit Lutheran Services of Iowa and West Des Moines City Councilwoman, Mme Hardman becomes the first black woman elected to the Senate.
This victory is part of a series of Democratic successes in by-elections in Iowa. Democrats picked up two Senate seats this year, breaking the supermajority that allowed Republicans to easily confirm Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds’ appointments to state agencies and commissions.
A victory for Mr. Loftin would have restored the Republicans to a supermajority, just months after Democrat Catelin Drey’s victory in a by-election in August, bringing the number of Democratic seats to 17 to the Republicans’ 33. The death of Mme Celsi brought that number down to 16.
Without a supermajority, Republicans will need to obtain the support of at least one Democrat to approve M’s candidates.me Reynolds.
Ken Martin, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, called M’s victoryme Hardman of “major brake on Republican power”, confirming that 2025 will be a year of victories and exceptional results for the Democrats.
In this district, Democratic voters outnumbered Republicans by about 3,300 votes, or 37% to 30%.
Hannah Schoenbaum reported from Salt Lake City
