Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“You didn’t see a big ticket thing here. I don’t think it was a Democrat wave or a Republican wave. This was a wave based on the candidates and their messaging. So we’ll watch and see how it unfolds over the next two years.” — Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate on voter turnout after an election that flipped Iowa seats for governor, U.S. Senate and three of the four congressional districts but maintained narrower GOP legislative majorities.
The Iowa State Capitol as seen April 8, 2026. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Though Iowa Republicans suffered serious losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections, the party appears to have kept control of both chambers at the Iowa Legislature.
However, these Republican majorities are smaller than previous years. In the Iowa Senate, Republicans currently hold a 32-17 majority, with one vacancy — already a decrease from the GOP supermajority elected to the chamber in 2024.
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate held a news conference Nov. 4, 2026 discussing voter turnout in the 2026 midterm elections. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Iowa voters broke midterm turnout records in the general election Tuesday, with more than 1,380,528 residents casting their ballots.
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate told reporters Wednesday the 2026 general election was “the largest midterm in three decades here in Iowa” in voter turnout.
John Deere factories in Ottumwa and Clarion are set to be phased out over next two fiscal years as the company looks to “optimize” manufacturing and “improve operational efficiency” according to a Wednesday announcement from the company.
Iowa’s public university system saw a combined total of $9.52 billion in actual revenues for fiscal year 2026, according to a report the Iowa Board of Regents will receive next week.
The Iowa Board of Regents’ selection to lead the Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa has rejected the role, leaving the center without a director for the near future.
Vice President JD Vance said in a lengthy social media post Wednesday that Republicans’ shellacking in the midterm elections the night before was mainly due to the administration’s war in Iran.
President Donald Trump said he would accept the results of the midterm elections, despite months of litigation aimed at exerting control over state ballots and voting procedures.
Democratic leaders in Congress have just a couple months to decide how they want to balance investigations into President Donald Trump and his administration with securing his signature on major bills to address the cost of living, a top concern for voters.
Democrats have won the majority of governor’s offices for the first time in 16 years after the GOP racked up major losses across the country, Stateline reports.
Voting ended Tuesday in this year’s midterm elections, leaving officials and volunteers counting tens of millions of ballots to determine which U.S. House and Senate candidates will take the oath of office in January.
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries got one step closer to becoming the next speaker after Democrats delivered a sweeping victory in the midterm elections.
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