Democrats won a closely watched Iowa state Senate special election Tuesday, blocking Republicans from regaining a supermajority in the chamber.
Without the supermajority, the GOP will not have the power to override vetoes and advance appointments.
Democrat Renee Hardman won the seat, preventing Republicans from reclaiming a two-thirds supermajority, according to projections from Decision Desk HQ.
Hardman, the mayor pro tempore of West Des Moines, defeated Republican Lucas Loftin to fill the seat left vacant after the death of state Sen. Claire Celsi, a Democrat, in October.
The outcome leaves Republicans short of the threshold needed to override a governor's veto, call special legislative sessions, and approve gubernatorial appointees on a strict party-line vote.
Iowa Republicans currently hold the governorship and control both legislative chambers, but without a supermajority in the Senate.
Hardman's win caps a series of Democrat gains in Iowa special elections over the past year.
In January, Democrat Mike Zimmer flipped a state Senate district that had voted heavily for President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. In August, Democrat Catelin Drey captured another open Senate seat, breaking a previous Republican supermajority.
Nationally, Democrats have pointed to special election performances in states such as Kentucky and Tennessee as evidence of competitive turnout in off-cycle races. Party leaders have framed those contests as signals of what to expect in future statewide and federal elections.
Hardman also made history with her victory.
She previously became the first Black woman elected to the West Des Moines City Council and is now the first Black woman elected to the Iowa state Senate. The late Celsi, whose seat Hardman now holds, managed Hardman's first City Council campaign nearly a decade ago, according to reporting by KCCI.
Electoral data underscore the district's Democrat leanings. Celsi had won her most recent races there by double-digit margins, and state registration figures show Democrats outnumber Republicans in the district.
While Trump carried Iowa by 13 points in the 2024 presidential election, then-Vice President Kamala Harris won this Senate district by 17 points.
Meanwhile, Republicans retain firm control of the Iowa state government despite the special election loss.
The GOP holds the governorship under Kim Reynolds and maintains majorities in both chambers of the Iowa General Assembly.
The Republican majority increased in 2024 from 64-36 to 67-33. Currently, Iowa holds a Republican trifecta, with the Republican Party controlling the governor's office and both chambers of the state legislature.
All 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, however, will be contested in 2026.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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