Public policy made simple. Dive into our information hub today!

Iowa State Senate elections, 2022

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search



2022 Iowa
Senate Elections
Flag of Iowa.png
PrimaryJune 7, 2022
GeneralNovember 8, 2022
Past Election Results
2020・2018・2016・2014
2012・2010・2008
2022 Elections
Choose a chamber below:

Elections for the Iowa State Senate took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for June 7, 2022. The filing deadline was March 18, 2022.

The chamber's Republican majority increased from 32-18 to 34-16.

The Iowa State Senate was one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2022. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.

Party control

See also: Partisan composition of state senates and State government trifectas
Iowa State Senate
Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
     Democratic Party 18 16
     Republican Party 32 34
Total 50 50

Candidates

General

   font-size: 16px !important;

} .thirdpartyname:not(:first-child) { padding-top: 5px; } .thirdpartyname { margin:0; } .candidate:last-child { padding-bottom: 5px; } @media only screen and (max-width: 600px) { .candidateListTablePartisan td { font-size: 12px !important; vertical-align: top; } 

 }




Primary




   font-size: 16px !important;



}
.thirdpartyname:not(:first-child) {
			padding-top: 5px;
}
.thirdpartyname {
	margin:0;
}
.candidate:last-child {
	padding-bottom: 5px;
}
@media only screen and (max-width: 600px) {
	.candidateListTablePartisan td {
		font-size: 12px !important;
		vertical-align: top;
	}



 }





Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses


Candidate Connection Logo.png


Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Click a link below to read survey responses from candidates in that district:








Incumbents who were not re-elected
See also: Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report: Vol. 12, 2022

Incumbents defeated in general elections

Three incumbents lost in the Nov. 8 general election.

Name Party Office
Jackie Smith Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 1
Jake Chapman Ends.png Republican Senate District 14
Kevin Kinney Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 46

Incumbents defeated in primary elections

No incumbents lost in primaries.

Retiring incumbents

Eleven incumbents were not on the ballot in 2022.[1] Those incumbents were:

Name Party Office Reason
Jim Carlin Ends.png Republican Senate District 3 Other office
Craig Williams[2] Ends.png Republican Senate District 6 Retired
Zach Nunn Ends.png Republican Senate District 15 Other office
Amanda Ragan Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 27 Retired
Craig Johnson[2] Ends.png Republican Senate District 32 Other office
Robert Hogg Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 33 Retired
Liz Mathis[2] Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 34 Other office
Joe Bolkcom Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 43 Retired
Tim Goodwin[2] Ends.png Republican Senate District 44 Retired
Jim Lykam Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 45 Retired
Roby Smith Ends.png Republican Senate District 47 Other office

Primary election competitiveness

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2022

This section contains data on state legislative primary election competitiveness in Iowa. These totals include data from all regularly-scheduled House and Senate elections. For more information about Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.

Iowa state legislative competitiveness, 2014-2022
Office Districts/
offices 		Seats Open seats Candidates Possible primaries Contested Democratic primaries Contested Republican primaries % of contested primaries Incumbents in contested primaries % of incumbents in contested primaries
2022 134 134 46 254 268 13 31 16.4% 14 15.1%
2020 125 125 17 242 250 12 16 11.2% 6 5.6%
2018 125 125 22 256 250 14 17 12.4% 4 3.9%
2016 125 125 14 231 250 13 15 11.2% 9 8.1%
2014 125 125 15 212 250 14 15 11.6% 8 7.3%


Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in Iowa in 2022. Information below was calculated on May 20, 2022, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Forty-six state legislative districts up for election this year in Iowa were open, meaning no incumbents filed to run. That equals 33% of the 134 districts up for election in 2022 and 31% of all 150 districts in the Iowa General Assembly.

Since no incumbents were present, open districts were guaranteed to be won by newcomers to the assembly. This was the largest guaranteed influx of newcomers to the Iowa General Assembly since 2014.

The percentage of newcomers to the assembly can change throughout an election cycle. Open districts are the first indicator, but newcomers can also defeat incumbents in primary or general elections. Incumbents who filed for re-election could also withdraw from the race later in the cycle.

This year, 41 districts were open because incumbents either retired or chose to run for some other office. Five other districts were open due to redistricting moving incumbents into districts with other incumbents. This can lead to incumbent versus incumbent contests if multiple incumbents choose to run in the same district.

There were four incumbent versus incumbent contests in Iowa this year. In these races, since only one candidate can win, one incumbent was guaranteed to lose:

The total number of contested primaries—including those featuring incumbents and those in open districts—reached its highest point since 2014.

In 2022, there are 44 contested primaries—13 Democratic primaries and 31 for Republicans. For Democrats, this was up from 12 in 2020, an 8% increase. For Republicans, the number increased 94% from 13 in 2020 to 31 in 2022.

Overall, 254 major party candidates filed: 112 Democrats and 142 Republicans. That equals 1.9 candidates per district, the same as in 2020, and down from 2.0 in 2018.

Open seats

The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the Iowa State Senate from 2010 to 2022.[3] It will be updated as information becomes available following the state’s candidate filing deadline.

Open Seats in Iowa State Senate elections: 2010 - 2022
Year Total seats Open seats Seats with incumbents running for re-election
2022 34 13 (38 percent) 21 (62 percent)
2020 25 7 (28 percent) 18 (72 percent)
2018 25 7 (28 percent) 18 (72 percent)
2016 25 1 (4 percent) 24 (96 percent)
2014 25 5 (20 percent) 20 (80 percent)
2012 26 8 (31 percent) 18 (69 percent)
2010 25 3 (12 percent) 22 (88 percent)

Incumbents running in new districts

When an incumbent files to run for re-election in the same chamber but a new district, it leaves his or her original seat open. This may happen for a variety of reasons ranging from redistricting to a change in residences. This may result in instances where multiple incumbents face each other in contested primaries or general elections if the incumbent in the new district also seeks re-election.

Iowa rearranged its Senate districts during the redistricting process after the 2020 census. As a result, 22 of the 23 incumbents seeking re-election at the time of the primary filed to run in new districts different from those they represented before the election. Click [show] on the header below to view a table showing all 34 districts in the leftmost column along with all legislators representing those districts at the time of the 2022 filing deadline. The "Filed in 2022 in ..." column lists the districts, in which incumbents filed to run. The "New district open?" column indicates whether the incumbent running was the only incumbent seeking re-election in that district.

Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Iowa

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Title II of the Iowa Code

There are four ways in which a candidate can gain access to the general election ballot: by primary election, by political party convention, by Non-party Political Organization (NPPO) convention, or by petition. These are detailed below.

Iowa allows any registered voter to challenge a candidate's nominating petition, as long as the challenge is made in writing and within 74 days of the corresponding election.[4][5]

By primary election

A candidate seeking the nomination of a state-recognized political party in a primary election must be a member of that party. Non-party Political Organizations (NPPOs) are not permitted to participate in primary elections. A primary election candidate must file an affidavit of candidacy and nomination petition with the Iowa Secretary of State during the primary election filing period, which begins 99 days before the primary and ends at 5 p.m. on the 81st day before the primary. The affidavit of candidacy and the nomination petition must be filed simultaneously.[6][7]

For the number of signatures required for nomination petitions, see the table below.[6][8][9]

Formulas for determining signature requirements for political party candidates in primary elections
Office sought Number of signatures needed
Governor or U.S. Senator 3,500 signatures, including at least 100 from 19 different counties.[6][9]
State executive office (other than governor and lieutenant governor) 2,500 signatures, including at least 77 from 18 different counties.[9]
United States Representative 1,726 signatures, including at least 47 from half of the counties in the district.[6][9]
State Senator 100 signatures from the district.[6][9]
State Representative 50 signatures from the district.[6][9]

By political party convention

If a political party fails to nominate a candidate at the primary election, the party may hold a convention after the primary to nominate a candidate. That candidate must then file a political party convention certificate and an affidavit of candidacy. The deadline to file the convention certificate and affidavit of candidacy is the same as the general election filing deadline. However, a political party convention candidate may file his or her documents before the filing period begins for general election candidates.[10]

By Non-party Political Organization (NPPO) convention

Non-party Political Organizations (NPPOs) are permitted to hold conventions to nominate their candidates. However, in order to qualify their nominations, NPPOs must meet the following requirements:[10][11][12]

  • To nominate a candidate to a state executive office or the United States Senate, 500 eligible electors, meaning people who meet all the requirements to register to vote, must attend the convention, and 25 counties must be represented by at least one eligible elector each.
  • To nominate a candidate to the United States House of Representatives, 200 eligible electors who are residents of the congressional district the candidate seeks to represent must attend, including one eligible elector from at least half of the counties in the district.
  • To nominate a candidate to the Iowa State Senate, 50 eligible electors who are residents of the senatorial district must attend, including one eligible elector from one-half of the precincts in the senatorial district.
  • To nominate a candidate to the Iowa House of Representatives, 25 eligible electors who are residents of the representative district must attend, including one eligible elector from one-half of the precincts in the representative district.
  • A convention may be held at any time as long as it is before the general election filing deadline.[13]
  • After the convention, the NPPO must provide a list of those who attended the convention, including their addresses, to the Iowa Secretary of State, along with a convention certificate and an affidavit of candidacy for the candidate nominated. These documents must be filed together during the general election filing period, which begins 99 days before the general election and ends at 5 p.m. 81 days before the general election.[13][10][5]

By petition

A candidate who is not affiliated with any political party or NPPO can be nominated by petition. A NPPO candidate can gain ballot access in this manner if the NPPO cannot meet the convention attendance requirements described above. A petition candidates must file an affidavit of candidacy and nomination petition with the Iowa Secretary of State. These forms must be filed together by 5 p.m. 81 days before the general election.[5][11]

The table below details the signature requirements necessary for obtaining ballot access by petition.

Formulas for determining signature requirements for NPPO candidates
Office sought Number of signatures needed
United States Senator or governor 3,500 eligible electors, including at least 100 from at least 19 counties[10][11]
Otherwise statewide executive offices 2,500 eligible electors, including at least 77 from at least 18 counties[10][11]
United States Representative 1,726 eligible electors who are residents of the congressional district, including at least 47 eligible electors each from at least one-half of the counties in the congressional district[10][11]

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

The Iowa Constitution states, "Senators shall be chosen for the term of four years, at the same time and place as representatives; they shall be twenty-five years of age, and possess the qualifications of representatives as to residence and citizenship."[14]

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2024[15]
SalaryPer diem
$25,000/year$178/day for legislators who live outside of Polk County. $133.50/day for legislators who live within Polk County.

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Iowa state senators assume office on the first day of January which is not a Sunday or legal holiday.[16][17]

Iowa political history

Trifectas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.

Iowa Party Control: 1992-2025
Four years of Democratic trifectas  •  Eleven years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Senate D D D D D R R R R R R R R S S D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R
House D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

Presidential politics in Iowa

2020 Presidential election results


Presidential election in Iowa, 2020
 
Candidate/Running mate
%
Popular votes
Electoral votes
✔
Image of
Image of
Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R)
 
53.1
 
897,672 6
Image of
Image of
Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D)
 
44.9
 
759,061 0
Image of
Image of
Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L)
 
1.2
 
19,637 0
Image of
Image of
Ye/Michelle Tidball (Unaffiliated)
 
0.2
 
3,210 0
Image of
Image of
Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G)
 
0.2
 
3,075 0
Image of
Image of
Don Blankenship/William Mohr (Constitution Party)
 
0.1
 
1,707 0
Image of
Image of
Roque De La Fuente/Darcy Richardson (Alliance Party)
 
0.1
 
1,082 0
Image of
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Ricki Sue King/Dayna Chandler (Genealogy Know Your Family History Party)
 
0.0
 
546 0
Image of
Image of
Brock Pierce/Karla Ballard (Unaffiliated)
 
0.0
 
544 0
  Other write-in votes
 
0.3
 
4,337 0

Incumbents are bolded and underlined The results have been certified.

Total votes: 1,690,871



Voting information

See also: Voting in Iowa

Election information in Iowa: Nov. 8, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: Oct. 24, 2022
  • By mail: Received by Oct. 24, 2022
  • Online: Oct. 24, 2022

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: Oct. 24, 2022
  • By mail: Received by Oct. 24, 2022
  • Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
  • By mail: Received by Nov. 8, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 19, 2022 to Nov. 7, 2022

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

N/A


Redistricting following the 2020 census

On November 4, 2021, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed new congressional and state legislative maps into law after the state's Legislative Services Agency had proposed them on October 21, 2021. The Iowa legislature approved the maps on October 28, 2021, by a vote of 48-1 in the state Senate and 93-2 in the state House.[18] The legislature could only vote to approve or reject the maps and could not make any amendments. These maps took effect for Iowa's 2022 congressional and legislative elections.

Below is the state Senate map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle.

Iowa State Senate Districts
until January 2, 2023

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Iowa State Senate Districts
starting January 3, 2023

Click a district to compare boundaries.


See also

Iowa State Legislative Elections News and Analysis
Seal of Iowa.png
SLP badge.png
Ballotpedia RSS.jpg
Iowa State Executive Offices
Iowa State Legislature
Iowa Courts
State legislative elections:
2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014
Iowa elections:
2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015
Primary elections in Iowa
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
Partisan composition of state legislatures
Partisan composition of state senates
Partisan composition of state houses

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 This incumbent was redistricted into a district holding elections in 2022.
  3. ↑ Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
  4. ↑ Iowa Code, "Title II, Section 43.24," accessed February 28, 2025
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Iowa Code, "Title II, Section 44.4," accessed February 28, 2025
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Iowa Secretary of State, "Candidate’s Guide to the Primary Election 2024," June 4, 2024 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "iaprimarycandidateguide" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "iaprimarycandidateguide" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "iaprimarycandidateguide" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "iaprimarycandidateguide" defined multiple times with different content
  7. ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Iowa Code 2024, Section 43.11," accessed February 28, 2025
  8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named iacode4320
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Iowa Secretary of State, "Iowa Code 2024, Section 45.1," accessed February 28, 2025 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "iacode451" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "iacode451" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "iacode451" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "iacode451" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "iacode451" defined multiple times with different content
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Iowa Secretary of State, "Iowa Candidate's Guide to the General Election 2024," accessed February 28, 2025
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 The Iowa Legislature, "SF413," accessed February 28, 2025 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "sf413" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "sf413" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "sf413" defined multiple times with different content
  12. ↑ Iowa Code, "Title II, Section 44.1," accessed February 28, 2025
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Iowa Secretary of State Website, "Forming a Political Party in Iowa," accessed February 28, 2025
  14. ↑ "Iowa Constitution," accessed December 16, 2013
  15. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
  16. ↑ JUSTIA US Law, "Iowa Code, Section 39.8 - Term of office," accessed November 1, 2021
  17. ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Terms of Offices for Elected Officials," accessed November 1, 2021
  18. ↑ Des Moines Register, "Iowa lawmakers accept second redistricting plan, setting up next decade of politics," October 28, 2021


Current members of the Iowa State Senate
Leadership
Senate President:Amy Sinclair
Minority Leader:Janice Weiner
Senators
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
Mike Pike (R)
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
Art Staed (D)
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
District 48
District 49
District 50
Republican Party (34)
Democratic Party (16)


v • e
2022 Elections to State legislatures
State Senate elections
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kentucky • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
SLP badge.png
State House elections
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Iowa_State_Senate_elections,_2022&oldid=10279951"