Iowa Senate race lacks incumbent for first time in 58 years

Iowa will vote for its next U.S. senator and governor on Tuesday without an incumbent in either race, a first since 1968. The open seats stem from the retirements of two-term Republican Sen. Joni Ernst and the state's current governor, creating a rare opportunity for Democrats to challenge a political landscape that has favored Republicans for nearly a decade.

The state has been reliably red since President Barack Obama won the presidency in Iowa during his 2012 reelection bid. However, the current cycle has reemerged as a battleground as President Trump's popularity has waned in his second term. The departures of Ernst and the governor have injected new energy into Democratic efforts to reverse years of electoral failures in the Hawkeye State.

The campaign has drawn hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising. Rob Sand, the state auditor and Democratic nominee for governor, is running against the Republican candidate. Iowa Democrats invested in a well-financed ground game to counter Republican advantages and appeal to a frustrated electorate. In the Senate race, Libertarian Thomas Laehn is also on the ballot, a factor that could complicate the Republican effort by capturing votes from conservative voters.

For three decades, Iowans sent a bipartisan pair to the Senate, including Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley and Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin. That pattern ended in 2014 when Ernst won Harkin's seat after the longtime senator decided not to seek reelection. Democrat Doug Turek, a two-term state representative and former Paralympian, aims to follow Harkin's path. Born with spina bifida, Turek credits Harkin's work enacting the Americans with Disabilities Act for his own achievements and received an endorsement from former President Obama after his primary win.

Republican candidate Ashley Hinson is serving her third term in the U.S. House. She previously served as a state representative and worked as a news anchor for a local broadcast station in northeast Iowa. Trump and Republican leaders quickly endorsed her when she launched her bid last year. Hinson initially promised to be Trump's top ally in the Senate but shifted her message to being Iowa's best bipartisan fighter as the campaign progressed.

The race has been shaped by external pressures, including the Iran war and rising prices. Hinson noted in September that Iowans should not have to foot the bill for the war. She did not join two fellow Iowa Republicans, U.S. Reps. Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, in voting with Democrats on a resolution to halt military action without congressional approval. She said the resolution was not the right way to allow Trump to bring the war to an immediate and successful end.

Republican-aligned groups poured money into Iowa in the final weeks to support Hinson. The White House has also maintained attention on the state with visits from the president, vice president, and Cabinet officials throughout the campaign. Despite a challenging midterm environment for Republicans, Democrats face a statewide voter registration disadvantage as the electorate has increasingly voted red in recent years.