Iowa Sets June 2 Primaries for 3 Key Races as Parties Target Control of Congress
Updated
Updated · Des Moines Register · May 30
Iowa Sets June 2 Primaries for 3 Key Races as Parties Target Control of Congress
13 articles · Updated · Des Moines Register · May 30
Iowa’s June 2 primary will lock in candidates for open governor and U.S. Senate races and for House contests that both parties see as pivotal to national control.
Two House races are already rated toss-ups, and Democrats also see an opening in the open 2nd District after Sen. Joni Ernst’s retirement and Rep. Ashley Hinson’s Senate bid reshuffled the map.
Rob Sand has made the governor’s race unusually competitive for Democrats, raising nearly $28 million and touring the state aggressively while five Republicans fight for the GOP nomination.
The Senate primary has become a costly Democratic fight between Josh Turek and Zach Wahls, with VoteVets spending $10 million to back Turek—far more than either candidate’s own campaign.
Republicans still start with major structural advantages: they lead voter registration by nearly 200,000, hold every statewide office but one, and Donald Trump carried Iowa by about 13 points in 2024.
Turek offers crossover appeal, Wahls an anti-establishment voice. Which path holds the key to winning over Iowa's independent voters in November?
As outside money floods Iowa's primary, can a candidate's authenticity overcome the influence of multi-million dollar ad campaigns?