Iowa Senate Primary

Last September, the two-term Iowa senator Joni Ernst announced that she was stepping down. A few months earlier, she faced criticism for responding to constituent concerns about Medicaid cuts by saying, “Well, we all are going to die.” On Tuesday, in the Republican contest, Ashley Hinson, a congresswoman representing the state’s Second District, defeated Jim Carlin, a former state senator who previously attempted to primary the Republican senator Chuck Grassley in 2022. Hinson had the support of much of the G.O.P. establishment and has been endorsed by Ernst, Grassley, and Donald Trump.

On the Democratic side, Josh Turek, a state rep, triumphed over Zach Wahls, a state senator. Turek, who was born with spina bifida, played for the U.S. men’s national wheelchair basketball team and has been endorsed by several establishment figures in the Party, including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Senator Ruben Gallego. Wahls has received endorsements from progressive figures, including Senator Elizabeth Warren and a number of labor unions.

Iowa Gubernatorial Primary

Zach Lahn, an Iowa farmer, narrowly defeated Randy Feenstra, a congressman from the state’s Fourth District, who had received the support of much of the G.O.P. establishment, including President Trump and Ernst. Last year, Kim Reynolds, the incumbent Republican governor, announced that she was not seeking reëlection, following her husband’s treatment for lung cancer. The Republican primary to replace her had five candidates. Feenstra had been the front-runner, along with Lahn, received support from the group MAHA Action. Eddie Andrews, a state representative, Brad Sherman, a former state rep, and Adam Steen, a businessman and the former director of Iowa Administrative Services, were also running.

Lahn will now face the Democratic nominee, the state’s auditor, Rob Sand. Sand, a former assistant Iowa attorney general, is attempting to be the first Democrat to occupy the governor’s mansion in more than fifteen years.