Greetings all. Our good friend Rita Hart, Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, dropped by earlier today to provide an update on what has become one of the important and exciting battlegrounds of the 2026 election - Iowa!
When she last joined us in February Chair Hart told us that in the six special elections in Iowa since the 2024 elections our candidates overperformed our 2024 results by an average of 22 points. We won of four of those races, flipped two state Senate seats to end the GOP supermajority, and elected the first Latina to the state House and the first Black woman to the State Senate. As we discussed at the time these special election performances are arguably the best performances in state legislative special elections of any state in the country.
With the outgoing governor with one of the lowest approval ratings, incumbent Senator Joni Ernst retiring, and the state left in bad shape after years of bad GOP governance, it was clear that 2026 was shaping up to a year of remarkable opportunity for us in Iowa.
Here’s Rita from our new interview:
And so now, here we are, Simon I've been saying it for months, and you've been saying it with me. All eyes are on Iowa. And that is really true right now. We have got a real opportunity here to do something quite outstanding and to give the rest of the country hope. Because this isn't just one candidate who has an opportunity to flip a seat from red to blue in the state of Iowa. We have a ticket of candidates. Starting with Rob Sand, who has the opportunity to flip this state. This is the first year since 1968 that we've had an open governor's race and an open U.S. Senate seat with two terrific candidates to step up into these spaces. So that is going well. Those two candidates are gaining a lot of ground.
Rob is a 99 county party tour… that’s how many counties there are in Iowa, 99… which he did last year as well, which created a lot of excitement, interest, and a lot of opportunity to get Democrats fired up, but also to let Independents know that this is an opportunity to see and hear from Rob Sand, who has a message that says we're all in this together. He's going to be a governor for all…..
And along with that, Josh Turek, who has a proven record of winning in a very red district himself…
We go on to discuss how this is not just a year of opportunity but we have a truly remarkable group of candidates running for Governor, Senate, and the US House who can take advantage of this perhaps once in a generation opportunity. Both Sand and Turek lead in that Fox News battleground poll from two weeks ago:
and we’ve been supporting Christina Bohannan in IA-1 and Sarah Trone Garriott in IA-3 who are terrific, experienced, and engaging candidates. You can find our interviews with all four of them, below.
There are two primary ways to help these good Democrats of Iowa win this November. First, you can give to our Winning Iowa fund which splits a contribution three ways among Sand, Turek, and the state party. Next, you can give to our Winning The House fund which includes Bohannan and Garriott. Among these various ways to give to Iowa this remarkable community has already contributed almost $400,000 this cycle - amazing stuff all!
The vibe in this conversation is very similar to what he heard from Charlie Bailey yesterday - optimism, determination, and excitement about the top of the ticket and the strong candidate who’ve come forward this cycle.
We also talked about something that we keep hearing from our candidates and party chairs from across the country - that people are responding well to Democrats showing up in person in places that haven’t been strong Dem territory in recent years. This is an important exchange:
Simon: You know, one of the things we’re hearing is that people are anxious and interested in the human connection again. It’s not just that after years of COVID and screaming online and rowdy television ads... that us showing up at the doors in community events, going into parts of the state that we haven’t been into with a strong candidate... this stuff really matters right now because there’s so much uncertainty and people are worried and scared. And so us being present physically, not just through ads, I think has become a really powerful tool in our toolbox this cycle. And it’s exciting for me to hear you say this because I’m hearing it from all these other states and candidates all around the country.
Chair Hart: Yeah, I think the recent research is really clear that the number one reason why people decide to vote for whoever they end up voting for, their number one reason, the most influential thing that happens to them is a conversation. A conversation with a friend, a family member, a neighbor. Someone who knocks on their door who knows more about the candidates, about the political process than they do. That’s the most important, most influential thing. That is more than a flyer that they get in the mail, more than an ad that they see on TV.
And I would and I totally agree with you, Simon. People are so hungry for human interaction. I’m hungry for it... we’re all looking for that human interaction and that ability to find what’s in common, that we’re all in this together. We’re sick of the division. We’re sick of anybody and anything that puts more emphasis on our differences than on our commonalities. And that’s why I think Rob Sand, one of the reasons why he’s the fifth most likely Democratic flip this cycle, is because that’s his message. He talks about being a governor for all. He talks about how it doesn’t matter what letter is behind your name. He’s trying to build an Iowa that’s better and truer, not redder or bluer. And people are really responding to that. And our other candidates are echoing that sentiment as well. And when we add our organizers to it and then our volunteers, that’s how we win these elections. That’s how we change minds and get some Ds elected.
Yes, my friends, as we’ve learned this cycle, strong state parties matter!!!!!!
Be sure to get to know Iowa’s Fab Four:
Enjoy this conversation with another experienced, capable battleground state chair and keep working hard all. For we have a country to save, and elections - including these big four - to win, together! - Simon
Biography - Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart
Hart was born in 1956 in Charles City, Iowa. She earned an Associate of Arts degree from North Iowa Area Community College, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa and a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Iowa. She worked as a middle school and high school English teacher for more than 20 years.
Hart served in the Iowa State Senate from 2013-2019. She was the 2018 Democratic nominee for Iowa’s lieutenant governor and the 2020 Democratic nominee for the U.S. House for Iowa’s 2nd congressional district.
In January 2023, Hart was elected chair of the Iowa Democratic Party.
