BLEEDING HEARTLAND: Lessons of 2022: Iowa’s a red state—for now

Originally posted on Nov. 9

The red wave many pundits expected on November 8 didn’t materialize in most of the country. But it certainly crashed over Iowa.

Governor Kim Reynolds was re-elected by a massive 225,000 vote, 19-point margin, according to unofficial results, and she carried Republican candidates along with her.

Senator Chuck Grassley defeated Mike Franken by a 12-point margin. The GOP is on track to hold all four of Iowa’s Congressional districts. Challengers Brenna Bird and Roby Smith defeated 40-year statewide Democratic incumbents, Attorney General Tom Miller and State Treasurer Mike Fitzgerald. The state auditor’s race is too close to call, with Democrat Rob Sand clinging to a lead of a few thousand votes after outspending his challenger by more than a million dollars.

Further down the ballot, Republicans posted a net gain of two seats in the Iowa Senate, giving them the 34-16 majority they need to rubber-stamp all of Reynolds’ appointees. With a few Iowa House races too close to call or headed for recounts, the GOP has clearly expanded its 60-40 majority in the lower chamber, most likely to 64-36 or 63-37.

To cap it all, the GOP-backed state constitutional amendment that could undo what remains of firearms regulations in Iowa passed by a massive 65 percent to 35 percent margin.

Forthcoming Bleeding Heartland posts will analyze many of these races in more detail. For today, I want to look at the big picture and what it means for Iowa to be so far out of step with the prevailing political winds nationally.

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