Despite what some perceived as a move to suppress voting in a special election, Iowans have elected the first Black female to the state Senate.
Republicans were hoping to regain a supermajority in the Senate after the death of a veteran lawmaker.
Bleeding Heartland news site Publisher and Reporter Laura Belin said Democrat Renee Hardman, who won with nearly 72% of the vote, ran on a campaign of making housing and healthcare more affordable, and addressing livable wages for Iowans.
"Renee Hardman has been a council member in West Des Moines, which is a suburb of Des Moines, for the last 8 years and she has worked on a lot of those issues," said Belin. "Housing. Childcare. Wages. So, I think that will continue to be her focus."
Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds had other options to schedule the special election, but chose the Tuesday between Christmas and New Years, which could have potentially meant low voter turnout.
The suburban Des Moines seat became vacant after the October death of State Sen. Claire Celsi, a Democrat who had served in the legislature since 2018.
Republicans were hoping to regain a supermajority in the Senate, meaning, while still holding a 33-17 Republican stronghold, Reynolds will still need at least one Democrat to vote yes to reach the required supermajority to approve her appointments.
Belin said despite Hardman's large margin win, Iowa is following a national political trend.
"White voters without a college degree have been increasingly trending toward the Republican party," said Belin. "It's the same reason that Donald Trump was able to win Wisconsin and Minnesota and Pennsylvania. The Iowa electorate, statewide, is predominantly made up of white people without a college degree."
Iowa traditionally mirrored national voting trends, but that changed in 2016 when voters in the state shifted sharply toward Republicans.