Democrat Renee Hardman won a special election for state Senate in Iowa on Tuesday, preventing Republicans from regaining a supermajority in the chamber, Decision Desk HQ projects.
Hardman, the West Des Moines mayor pro tempore, defeated Republican Lucas Loftin to fill the seat that has been vacant since state Sen. Claire Celsi (D) died in October.
Her victory denies Republicans a two-thirds majority in the upper chamber, which would have given them the power to override a governor’s veto, call for special sessions and approve a governor’s appointees on a party-line vote.
With Hardman’s win, Iowa Democrats are closing out the year strong. Back in January, Democrat Mike Zimmer flipped an Iowa state Senate district that had overwhelmingly voted for Trump in 2024. And in August, Democrat Catelin Drey flipped another open state Senate seat, breaking the GOP supermajority.
Her win is also the last in a string of notable victories for the party nationwide. Democrats most recently saw success in a special election for a state Senate seat in Kentucky. Prior to that, the party overperformed in a special election in Tennessee. And Democrats had a better-than-expected election in November, when they overwhelmingly won the governors’ mansions in New Jersey and Virginia, the mayor’s office in New York City, and a number of other notable downballot races.
Hardman has also made history. The first Black woman elected to the West Des Moines City Council, she now becomes the first Black woman elected to the state Senate. Celsi, the late state senator, managed Hardman’s first city council campaign nearly a decade prior, KCCI reported.
“Her victory ensures that Iowa Republicans will not have a supermajority in the Iowa Senate, a major check on Republican power that puts billionaires first,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement. “With the last special election of the year now decided, one thing is clear: 2025 was the year of Democratic victories and overperformance, and Democrats are on track for big midterm elections.”
Celsi had won her last elections in the district by double-digits, and state data show that registered Democrat voters outnumber Republicans in the district. Although President Trump won Iowa by 13 points last fall, then-Vice President Kamala Harris won the district by 17 points, according to The Associated Press.
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