Another political jaw-dropper in a red state should leave Republicans “quite nervous” for 2025, according to a new analysis.
In the final special election of 2025, Iowa voters delivered a bombshell, noted Steve Benen producer of “The Rachel Maddow Show” and editor of MaddowBlog on Friday. Republicans desperately wanted a Des Moines-area state Senate seat to secure their supermajority in the chamber. Instead, they got crushed.
In the most recent race, Democrat Renee Hardman, a West Des Moines City Council member, wiped the floor with the competition in a special election for state Senate on Tuesday. Hardman received a whopping 71.4 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results from the Iowa secretary of state. Republican candidate Lucas Loftin, meanwhile, received just 28.5 percent of the vote.
“That lopsided, 43-point margin of victory was especially notable: The local district is considered an area that favors Democrats, but a year earlier, Kamala Harris’ 2024 ticket won here by 17 points,” noted Benen.
With the win, Hardman became the first Black woman elected to the Iowa Senate.
“Around this time a year ago, as Donald Trump prepared to reenter the White House, the conventional wisdom was that Republicans had entered an era of electoral dominance. Trump had successfully realigned the American electorate to put the GOP in a position to control the nation and its future,” wrote Benen.
However, throughout 2025, Democrats consistently outperformed expectations, rattling GOP confidence heading into 2026. The narrative has shifted dramatically. After Sen. Michael Bennet called the Democratic brand “problematic” and California Gov. Gavin Newsom called it “toxic,” Bennen noted things have changed.
“As it turns out, there’s been a lot less talk along these lines lately,” he concluded.
The stunning race comes after similar election results in Kentucky and Virginia.
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