Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“Iowa sure does love an underdog, and we have done it tonight.” — U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek in his victory speech after winning the Democratic primary.
Zach Lahn gives a victory speech at his watch party for the Iowa primaries on June 2, 2026. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Zach Lahn, a businessman and farmer, won the Republican nomination for Iowa governor Tuesday with U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra and the three other GOP hopefuls conceding the race.
Though the Associated Press had yet to call the race as of 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, Feenstra tearfully announced he was conceding his campaign to Lahn at his campaign watch party in Hull Tuesday night.
Iowa Rep. Josh Turek celebrated his primary election victory to become the Democratic nominee for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat at an Iowa Democratic Party election night party in Des Moines June 2, 2026. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Iowa Rep. Josh Turek has won the Democratic nomination for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat in his race against state Sen. Zach Wahls, The Associated Press projected Tuesday.
The Council Bluffs Democrat, a Paralympian athlete and the first member of the state legislature with a permanent disability, celebrated with Democrats as he looked ahead to the 2026 general election Nov. 3, where he is set to face U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson.
More election coverage
U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson has defeated former state lawmaker Jim Carlin in the race to become the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in the Tuesday primary election, the Associated Press has projected.
Christina Bohannan will fight incumbent Mariannette Miller-Meeks to represent Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, the Associated Press projected Tuesday, with Iowans using their primary votes to set up the match.
Democratic state Rep. Lindsay James will face Republican former state Rep. Joe Mitchell in the general election for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, AP projects.
Former state Rep. Dave Dawson won the Democratic nomination for Iowa’s open 4th Congressional District seat Tuesday, the Associated Press has projected.
Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer was leading Tuesday’s Republican primary for state auditor late Tuesday, seeking the party’s nod to reclaim the office that has been held by a Democrat, Rob Sand, for the past seven and a half years.
Iowa Capital Dispatch staff are fanned out Tuesday to all four of the state’s congressional districts to talk to voters about their choices in top-of-the-ticket, contested races. Here’s what we heard.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said the suite of criminal justice measures she signed into law Tuesday would help keep Iowa communities safer, and could prevent future crimes in instances like the death of Ashley Marie Hall.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin appeared before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Homeland Security panel Tuesday and defended his threats to cripple international air travel into some cities led by Democrats.
The Trump administration has scrapped plans to use nearly $1.8 billion in taxpayer dollars to pay people who believe they were wrongly prosecuted by the Justice Department — a proposal that halted work on legislation to fund immigration and deportation activities.
U.S. Senate Democrats, police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection and their legal advocates spoke out Tuesday against the Trump administration’s proposed $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund.
Vaccine hesitancy fed by misinformation is causing new surges of measles and whooping cough, while COVID-19 hotspots persist in some states and a new threat looms from an Ebola outbreak in central Africa, Stateline reports.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Thanks for reading Daily Dispatch. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.