IA Democrats' aim: End Republicans' hold on Iowa Legislature. What are their best chances?
House District 16
Republican Rep. Mary Ann Hanusa is retiring this year, leaving this Council Bluffs House seat open. Hanusa won by 1 percentage point in 2018, which buoys Democrats' hope for their candidate, Jen Pellant. But Republicans are confident in their candidate, former House Speaker Brent Siegrist. Libertarian Robert Fairchild is also on the ballot.
Where: Parts of Council Bluffs in Pottawattamie County.
Who's running: Robert Fairchild (Libertarian), Jen Pellant (Democrat), Brent Siegrist (Republican)
House District 37
Republican Rep. John Landon is looking to defend his suburban Polk County seat against Democrat Andrea Phillips, who is running her second campaign for the Legislature. Phillips previously challenged Landon in 2016, losing with 42.5% to Landon’s 57.3% that year. Landon’s margin of victory was narrower in 2018, when he won with 52% of the vote.
Where: The northern part of Ankeny, Alleman and parts of rural Polk County.
Who's running: John Landon (Republican, incumbent), Andrea Phillips (Democrat)
House District 39
This was a narrow win for Democrats in a suburban Polk County district, and Republicans are looking to take back the seat in 2020. Democrat Karin Derry defeated Republican Rep. Jake Highfill in 2018 with 49.6% of the vote to Highfill's 48.5%.
Where: Polk County, including Johnston, Grimes, Webster Township and Jefferson Township.
Who's running: Eddie Andrews (Republican), Karin Derry (Democrat, incumbent)
House District 52
House Democratic leader Todd Prichard is running for reelection in this rural northern Iowa district. President Donald Trump carried the district in 2016 and so did Gov. Kim Reynolds in 2018, but Prichard won with 54.4% of the vote in 2016 and was unopposed in 2018.
Where:Floyd, Chickasaw and part of Cerro Gordo county, including Charles City and New Hampton.
Who's running: Craig Clark (Republican), Todd Prichard (Democrat, incumbent)
House District 55
In a rematch from 2018, Republican Rep. Michael Bergan will face Democrat Kayla Koether. Bergan won by a tiny margin two years ago. Nine votes separated the two candidates, but 29 mail-in ballots were not opened or counted, despite the U.S. Postal Service saying they were received in time. Democrats contend those votes could have changed the outcome. The Legislature has since passed changes to the state's election law to clarify the rules around mail-in ballots.
Where: Parts of Winneshiek, Fayette and Clayton counties, including Decorah.
Who's running: Michael Bergan (Republican, incumbent), Kayla Koether (Democrat)
House District 58
Rep. Andy McKean, formerly the longest-serving Republican in the Iowa Legislature, switched parties last year and is seeking reelection as a Democrat. Republicans would like to win back the seat, a district that President Donald Trump won in 2016 and Gov. Kim Reynolds won in 2018. McKean won with 69% of the vote in 2018, but this will be his first time running as a Democrat.
Where: Parts of Jones and Jackson counties, including Maquoketa and some of Anamosa.
Who's running: Steven Bradley (Republican), Andy McKean (Democrat, incumbent)
House District 64
Democratic Rep. Bruce Bearinger is retiring from this seat, which swung from Barack Obama in 2012 to Donald Trump in 2016. Republicans are hoping Chad Ingels, who previously ran for secretary of agriculture in 2018, will defeat Democrat Jodi Grover and win the seat back for them.
Where: Parts of Buchanan and Fayette counties, including Independence and Oelwein.
Who's running: Jodi Grover (Democrat), Chad Ingels (Republican)
House District 67
Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson is leaving this seat in the Cedar Rapids suburbs to run for the U.S. House. Democrat Eric Gjerde is making his second run for the Statehouse seat. Hinson beat Gjerde 52% to 48% in 2018, but Democrats are hopeful things will play out differently with an open seat.
Where: Linn County, covering parts of Cedar Rapids, Marion, Hiawatha and Robins.
Who's running: Sally Ann Abbott (Republican), Eric Gjerde (Democrat)
House District 82
This seat has flipped between parties in recent years. In 2018, the race here was decided by just 37 votes. Democrat Phil Miller won this seat in an August 2017 special election, but Republican Jeff Shipley defeated Miller just 16 months later to win his first term in the House. Now Shipley is seeking reelection, and Miller will be trying to win the seat back.
Where: Van Buren, Davis and part of Jefferson County, including Fairfield and Bloomfield.
Who's running: Phil Miller (Democrat), Jeff Shipley (Republican, incumbent)
House District 94
Republican Rep. Gary Mohr, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, is running for reelection in this suburban eastern Iowa district. Marie Gleason, a retired John Deere employee, is running for the Democrats. Hillary Clinton and Fred Hubbell narrowly carried Scott County in 2016 and 2018, but Mohr won his 2018 race with 55% of the vote.
Where: Parts of Scott County, including Bettendorf.
Who's running: Marie Gleason (Democrat), Gary Mohr (Republican, incumbent)
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2020/09/10/iowa-election-legislature-democrats-hope-retake-house-republicans-suburban-seats-senate-2020/5752053002/
