Iowa voters pick their nominees for competitive general elections

Republican candidate for Senate, U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) celebrates on stage with her family during a primary night election party on June 2, 2026 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Hinson won the Republican nomination to fill the seat vacated by Sen. Joni Ernst. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Stephen Maturen/Getty Images The field for one of the more surprising midterm battlegrounds is set, as nominees for Iowa's competitive governor, Senate and House races have been decided. Democrats and Republicans alike are paying close attention to the Hawkeye State's politics and how voters are responding to candidates' pitches – and a national political environment where President Trump, Congress and the Democratic Party all face record-low approval ratings. Iowa is also a state where Trump administration policies like tariffs and the war in Iran disproportionately impact farmers, and is a state governed by Republicans but has voted for Democrats in recent federal and state elections. That includes current state Auditor Rob Sand, who ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination for governor and is currently outraising Republican competitors in a race that experts say starts off as a true tossup. Iowa Democrats choose their U.S. Senate nominee For Democrats, the Senate primary presented dueling visions of the party's future direction outside of blue bastions. State Rep. Josh Turek defeated state Sen. Zach Wahls, according to an Associated Press race call. …