Democrats break GOP supermajority in Iowa Senate by flipping Republican seat in special election

Iowa Democrats scored a significant victory Tuesday by flipping a Republican seat in a special election and breaking the GOP supermajority in the state Senate.

Catelin Drey won the Sioux City area district with 55% of the vote to Republican opponent Christopher Prosch’s 44%, according to unofficial results with all precincts reporting.

Democrats will now hold 17 seats in the Senate, compared to 33 for Republicans, breaking the GOP’s two-thirds supermajority in the chamber.

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin celebrated Drey’s victory in a district won by President Donald Trump last year.

“Iowans are seeing Republicans for who they are: self-serving liars who will throw their constituents under the bus to rubber stamp Donald Trump’s disastrous agenda — and they’re ready for change,” Martin said in a statement.

“Make no mistake: when Democrats organize everywhere, we win everywhere, and today is no exception,” he added.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, had called the special election after state Sen. Rocky De Witt, a Republican, died of cancer in June. He was first elected in 2022.

Republicans also hold the majority in the Iowa state House.

Democrats have consistently performed well in special elections this year, after Vice President Kamala Harris’ defeat to Trump in 2024.

Drey’s win comes after Democrat Mike Zimmer flipped an Iowa state Senate seat in January when he bested his Republican opponent by 4 percentage points. Trump had won Zimmer’s district by 25 points in November.