A rare shakeup in Iowa politics: Why the 2026 election is drawing dozens of candidates
Dozens already running in Iowa’s 2026 races as rare open seats draw interest
Dozens already running in Iowa’s 2026 races as rare open seats draw interest
Dozens already running in Iowa’s 2026 races as rare open seats draw interest
Iowa’s 2026 midterm election is already shaping up to be one of the busiest in state history — more than a year before voters head to the polls.
The governor, one U.S. Senator, and at least one member of Congress are not running for reelection. Congressman Randy Feenstra is also expected to run for governor instead of re-election, which would also turn Iowa's fourth congressional district into an open race.
This many high-profile seats opening at the same time is almost unheard of in Iowa politics, and it’s fueling a wave of candidates already hitting the campaign trail.
Republican strategist Eric Woolson says the rare opportunity is a major factor.
“Seats don’t come open that often here in Iowa as we’ve seen from Chuck Grassley, as we’ve seen from past governors,” he said.
He adds that emotions around hot-button issues are also motivating candidates. “Whether it’s the eminent domain issue or whether it’s people that feel strongly about President Trump — or feel the other way about President Trump — there’s a lot of strong emotions involved.”
But with more candidates comes the risk of messy primaries. Iowa law requires a candidate to win at least 35% of the vote to secure the party nomination. If no one clears that threshold, the decision moves to a convention of party delegates.
“When you have four or five candidates in a race, getting to 35% can be really tough,” Woolson said. “One of the challenges is carving out the time to campaign and then carving out the time to really pay attention to those convention delegates.”
Another challenge is fundraising. With so many high-profile campaigns happening at once, donor dollars are spread thin.
“There’s certainly going to be those annoying text messages and urgent emails that everybody gets and drives them crazy,” Democratic strategist Matt Paul said. “But at the end of the day, people are going to appreciate this opportunity for really competitive races around the state.”
Paul agrees the crowded fields make it harder for candidates to stand out. But he sees an upside: the competition forces candidates to sharpen their campaign. “It helps with their fundraising skills. It helps build an organization. So, I think the more the merrier in these races right now,” he said.
vlog political analyst Dennis Goldford warns not all of these campaigns will last. “We’re in early September. Let’s see who’s still in the race on New Year’s Eve, because that could change,” he said.
In several races, including Iowa's U.S. Senate race and some U.S. House races, there are already four or five candidates from the same party competing for the same spot. That can make it difficult for voters to tell them apart.
"One way to differentiate yourself from your fellow candidates in a primary, of course, is to trash all the other members of your primary electorate. The problem is that if you win your primary, you need the support of those people after that," Goldford said. "The one thing you can try to do is do a lot of town halls, do a lot of personal appearances. Iowans like that, from members of both parties."
For Democrats, Paul says the key is showing voters they can actually win.
“Too often, my party, the Democrats, want to win an argument and not win elections,” he said. “This is the time for us to win elections. And the way for us to do that is on economic matters that resonate with families across the state, that bring rural and urban together and chart a new economic path.”
On the Republican side, Woolson says many candidates are struggling to separate themselves when they’re all making the same pitch. “It’s hard for a candidate to get attention,” he said. “One of the challenges they have is all of them are going to say they’re Donald Trump’s biggest ally. And so it’s kind of hard to differentiate yourself when you all have the same message.”
That makes personality and presentation increasingly important. “So, the messages are the same,” Woolson said, “and again, I think that ends up being not so much the message as the messenger. I can scream louder than the next guy or the next woman can — and so elect me because I’m going to be the one that shakes things up.”
With more than a year until Election Day, strategists expect the list of names on Iowa’s 2026 ballot to grow even longer.