Des Moines, Iowa — Democrat Renee Hardman won a decisive victory Tuesday in a year-end special election for the Iowa State Senate, preventing Republicans from regaining a two-thirds supermajority in the chamber and the Legislature.
Hardman defeated Republican Lucas Loftin by roughly 43 percentage points in a district covering parts of the Des Moines suburbs, according to unofficial results with nearly all votes counted. The seat became vacant following the October death of Democratic Sen. Claire Celsi. With the win, Hardman becomes the first Black woman elected to Iowa’s 50-member Senate.
Hardman, who serves as CEO of Lutheran Services of Iowa and sits on the West Des Moines City Council, framed the outcome as a collective effort rather than a personal milestone. Democrats say the result reflects growing voter resistance to unchecked Republican control at the Statehouse.
The victory continues a trend of Democratic overperformance in Iowa special elections this year. Earlier contests flipped two Senate seats that had previously supported President Donald Trump, disrupting a GOP supermajority that made it easier to confirm Gov. Kim Reynolds’ appointments. While Republicans still hold sizable majorities, including a dominant edge in the Iowa House, they now lack the votes needed to act unilaterally in the Senate.
Republican leaders acknowledged the district’s Democratic lean but said they remain focused on expanding legislative majorities. National Democrats, meanwhile, hailed the result as further evidence of momentum heading into the 2026 midterms, where control of state legislatures and Congress will again be at stake.
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