For reference about the Iowa win, that area
Last edited Wed Aug 27, 2025, 01:05 AM - Edit history (1)
is State Senate District 1 in far western Iowa and takes in part of Sioux City and extends from the Missouri River and goes east. The heavily gerrymandered state districts show that within State Senate District 1 there are 2 State Representative Districts. They are 1, 2 and right now they are split between the parties. The geographical area of one of them is very small and they are surrounded by the massive State Senate District 7 that is GQP and which also contains State Representative Districts 13 and 14 and they are GQP.
However all Iowa State Representatives face election every 2 years and that will be in the General Election in 2026. So hope springs eternal. State Senators are every 4 years but the terms are staggered so that half of the State Senators are up for election every two years. So 2026 might bring even more good news at the state level. Iowa has 2 State Representative Districts for each State Senate District.
So if you are a Democrat living in this area of Senate District 1 it has been tough going because you have been down to 1 against 5 in the Legislature. So now it is 2 against 4 and maybe getting better still in 2026. Along with the good news from Western Iowa tonight it should be remembered that the Iowa Democrats also flipped Senate District 35 in South-Eastern Iowa earlier this year. The entire Iowa US Congressional slate is GQP but maybe that can change as well.
This map of the Iowa House districts showing 01, 2, 13 and 14 and Senate Districts 1 and 7 gives you an idea of how gerrymandering has allowed the GQP to take a large area like the Sioux City regional area and cordon off the Democrats into only holding State Representative District 01. Until tonight. Steady progress in this state is good to see despite all of the headwinds.
Zoom in on the map and look to the far left side. State Senate District numbers are in black and the State Representative District numbers are blue. You can see that State Representative District 1 held by a Democrat is very small.
https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/REDST/2022/Plan2Statewide22x34.pdf