A Democratic candidate flipped an open Iowa state Senate seat in a critical special election on Tuesday.
Democrat Catelin Drey beat Republican Christopher Prosch in the race to represent Iowa’s 1st Senate District and replace the late Republican state Senator Rocky De Witt.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump and his Republicans are facing the prospect of vulnerabilities in the run-up to the midterm elections next year.
The district primarily consists of Woodbury County, which President Trump carried by double digits in the 2024 presidential election.
Drey’s victory marks the end of the Iowa House’s Republican supermajority, and she becomes the first Democrat to represent the district since 2013, the We Are Iowa television station reported.
What To Know
Drey secured 55 percent of the vote, while Prosch secured 44 percent, We Are Iowa reported, citing unofficial results from the Woodbury County Auditor’s Office. About 24 percent of eligible voters participated in the election.
Former State Senator Rocky De Witt died of cancer in June, prompting the special election.
Drey, speaking before the election, said high prices were the main issue she found when talking to voters.
“Overwhelmingly the main frustration point that I am hearing is that we have an affordability crisis, whether that’s housing, child care or health care,” she told the Des Moines Register.
“And folks are really feeling that in their pocketbooks and in their spending decisions.”
Drey will serve the remainder of De Witt’s term until January 2027. The seat will be on the ballot again in November 2026.
The Democratic National Committee touted Drey’s victory, saying in a statement sent to Newsweek: “The DNC congratulates Iowa Democrat Catelin Drey on her historic win to break the Republican-supermajority in the Iowa state Senate, by winning a district that Donald Trump won by over 11 points in November.”
Ken Martin, the chair of the DNC, said in a statement: “Iowans are seeing Republicans for who they are: self-serving liars who will throw their constituents under the bus to rubber stamp Donald Trump’s disastrous agenda — and they’re ready for change.”
“They are putting Republicans on notice and making it crystal clear: any Republican pushing Trump’s unpopular, extreme agenda has no place governing on behalf of Iowa families,” he added.
“That’s why all year long, Iowans have been electing Democrats ready to fight for working Iowans. Make no mistake: when Democrats organize everywhere, we win everywhere, and today is no exception.”
What People Are Saying
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said in a statement on Facebook: “Iowa voted for change. Catelin Drey will listen to the people, not the powerful, get our economy growing, and bring down costs for families.”
Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said in a statement on X: “National Democrats were so desperate for a win that they activated 30,000 volunteers and a flood of national money to win a state senate special election by a few hundred votes. If the Democrats think things are suddenly so great again for them in Iowa, they will bring back the caucuses.”
What Happens Next
The next midterm elections are scheduled to take place on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The Republicans have a narrow majority in both the Senate and House, and losing either would make it significantly more difficult to pass Trump’s policy agenda.
Update 8/26/2025 11:30 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include more information.
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