Iowa

Inside Iowa Politics: Issues to watch in 2026

Published

4 months ago

December 26, 2025

Inside Iowa Politics: Issues to watch in 2026

DES MOINES, Iowa (Iowa State Capital Bureau) — Iowa legislators prepare for the calendar to change from December to January, they are determining their priorities for the next legislative session with the knowledge that the 2026 election year could put greater focus on what they do and do not choose to do.

Over the next several weeks, the Gray Media Iowa State Capital Bureau team will be conducting interviews with numerous Republican and Democratic legislative leaders, key industry leaders, and the Iowans who want policy changes in the year ahead.

Key Factors:

–The 2026 legislative session begins January 12, 2026.

–This will be the final session for Kim Reynolds, who plans to retire as governor when her term ends in January 2027. She has pledged to be more active with legislative leaders with property tax reform legislation.

–Governor Reynolds angered some members of her own party when she vetoed legislation earlier this year that could have made it more difficult for private companies to use eminent domain to force access on someone’s land.

Will there be any carryover from that, or will everyone involved “forgive and forget” and move on to 2026’s legislative business?

–Republicans will largely determine what gets debated since they hold nearly two out of three seats in the legislature.

–Republicans will have two new leaders: Representative Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton takes over as Iowa House Majority Leader, and Mike Klimesh of Spillville has become the new Iowa Senate Majority Leader.

Democrats will have one, as well: Representative Brian Meyer of Des Moines is the new Iowa House Minority Leader.

There are always more issues than time, ideas, priorities, or political willpower for lawmakers to address each year.

Issues to watch in 2026:

Iowa’s Finances — State leaders expect to take in around $1 billion less in revenues than expected expenses in the year ahead. That could make any new spending initiatives very difficult to achieve.

State’s Economy — Agriculture, in particular, has been struggling for the past few years. That is likely to continue in 2026. That not only makes it difficult for farm families, but it also could cause financial strain for restaurants, local governments, retail shops, equipment suppliers, and auto dealers in rural communities.

Property Tax Reform — Lawmakers could not agree on significant property tax reform legislation in 2025, but they have pledged again to take on the issue. Local leaders have warned them that if state legislators confine them too much, they will not be able to deliver services like their residents expect.

How much, if any, will lawmakers further limit the ability of local leaders to determine their property taxes in the efforts to reduce proprty tax burdens on homeowners? What additional policies could lawmakers use to incent communities to share services to reduce future demand on expenses?

Eminent Domain Restrictions — Legislation to limit the use of eminent domain by private companies may have stressed the legislature in 2025 more than any other.

Lawmakers may not be able to agree in 2026 on legislation that retroactively bans the use of eminent domain for carbon sequestration pipelines (Reminder: The Iowa Utilities Commission already granted Ames-based Summit Carbon Solutions the authority to use eminent domain when landowners in the proposed pipeline’s path don’t voluntarily reach a financial agreement with the company for access).

But could lawmakers agree to give a company more flexibility in changing the pipeline’s path to go around someone’s property who doesn’t want to grant access to someone else who does? Discussions have already been underway for weeks in preparation for January’s start to the session.

Cancer Rates — Revelations that Iowa is one of the worst states in the country for new confirmed cancer diagnoses and the fastest rate of increase in cases have alarmed many people. In 2025, legislators approved $1 million for cancer research and $20,000 for radon kits (Iowa is among the worst states in the country for radon exposure).

But health officials want more focus on what is causing Iowans to get sick with cancer. What can be done to limit new cases? And are many of these new cases the result of exposure from decades ago?

Water Quality — Iowa has a decades-long struggle with balancing efforts to make its water supply as clean as possible with the prevalance of fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste in agriculture. Will future policy rely on voluntary measures, or will lawmakers mandate change to try to prevent some of this, especially nitrates, from entering lakes, rivers, and ponds?

Education — Republicans have used their legislative majorities to remove books from classrooms and school libraries that deal with topics like gender and sexual orientation that they deemed objectionable for children.

They have limited diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. They have also committed hundreds of millions in tax dollars to support families who want their children to attend private school.

They have significantly raised pay for many teachers. And they have changed policy to make sure that only biological girls can play girls’ sports.

Are there more changes related to funding, curriculum, or shared services that they will pursue in 2026?

Workforce — Iowa’s population has not produced the number of workers with the skills that some companies demand. Reducing immigrants who live in the state — those with or without legal status — could further stress staffing.

Can lawmakers do something to convince more potential workers to move to the state, more residents to acquire the skills that jobs demand, and more people who are not in the workforce to join it?

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Iowa

VP JD Vance visits Iowa during Tuesday visit

Published

55 minutes ago

May 5, 2026

Press Room

VP JD Vance visits Iowa during Tuesday visit

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Vice President JD Vance is headed to Iowa on Tuesday, expected to speak at a manufacturing facility. Tuesday’s visit will mark the first since taking office last January.

Vance is making the trip to campaign on behalf of Rep. Zach Nunn, who will be facing off in a competitive race to keep his seat in the Des Moines area in the November midterm elections. He is accompanied by his son Vivek on the trip, making a stop in Cincinnati to vote in Ohio, where he previously served as Senator, and then made an appearance in Oklahoma City to hold a fundraiser as the finance chair of the Republican National Committee.

Vance’s visit to Iowa was originally slated for last week, but the timing was changed because the House moved to pass a farm bill that Nunn was due to vote on.

He also had been prepared to appear last week at an Iowa State University event with Turning Point USA. However, the organization said it was not able to reschedule the event with the university until the fall.

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Vance’s visit to Iowa also offers him the chance to test his reception before Iowa voters, who make up a crucial voter bloc for the next presidential election.

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Iowa

Iowa’s Senate Democratic primary is getting messy

Published

13 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Press Room

Iowa’s Senate Democratic primary is getting messy

Democrats are banking on a high-stakes, long-shot win in Iowa.

The Hawkeye State voted for President Donald Trump by 13 points in 2024 and hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 2008. Still, Democrats are optimistic that a perfect storm of soaring gas and healthcare costs, tariffs and an unpopular president could help them flip the Senate seat blue.

But Democrats first must get through a contentious June 2 primary between state Sen. Zach Wahls and state Rep. Josh Turek before they can even turn their attention to the presumptive GOP nominee, Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa).

The clash is a microcosm of the establishment moderate-versus-progressive insurgent battle raging within the Democratic Party, an ideological tussle that could cost them in November.

Wahls, a more left-wing candidate backed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), has made opposition to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer a major part of his message.

“When I’m doing my stump speech and tell people that on the first day of this campaign, I made a promise not to support Chuck Schumer for leader, the room — without any explanation — just spontaneously bursts into applause,” Wahls said in an interview.

Turek, who flipped a GOP-held Iowa Senate seat blue in 2022 and is the favored pick of Schumer’s allies, says Wahls is focused on the wrong issues.

“Wahls is out here running against Schumer. I’m out here running against Donald Trump and Ashley Hinson,” Turek declared. “In the thousands of doors that I’ve knocked, I’ve never heard a single Iowan talk to me about minority leadership.”

Wahls and Turek face off in the first head-to-head primary debate tonight. Warren is stumping for Wahls in Des Moines on May 10.

Some ad news. Outside groups are taking notice — and spending big. VoteVets is dropping another $800,000 on a pro-Turek ad buy starting Tuesday. The group, dedicated to electing Democrats with military service, has spent $6.7 million boosting Turek to date. In the new spot, a retired Army National Guard colonel says Turek will root out corruption and oppose Trump.

We’ll note Turek isn’t a veteran. But Turek’s father served in Vietnam, and his exposure to Agent Orange while serving contributed to Turek’s being born with spina bifida.

VoteVets first started spending for Turek on March 24.

Electability squabbles. In conversations with the Iowa Democratic hopefuls, both candidates insist they’re the only person who can beat Hinson in the fall.

“Zach comes from the bluest district in the state, a [Kamala] Harris +38 district. He’s never even run against a Republican,” Turek said. “This isn’t the time to be experimenting.”

Wahls countered that his record of opposing Democratic leadership will resonate with disaffected voters of all stripes.

“It is easier to draw that contrast [with Hinson] if you can tell people that you don’t owe Chuck Schumer a damn thing and that you don’t care about party bosses in either party,” Wahls said. “We can draw that contrast much, much more effectively than Josh can.”

Turek said he didn’t know if he would vote for Schumer as leader if elected.

“I need to get up there. I’m not measuring the drapes first,” Turek said.

State of play. Despite Iowa’s recent red tilt, Turek and Wahls argue that because the state’s farm industry has been hit hard by Trump’s tariffs and higher gas prices, the president is no longer popular among Iowans.

Democrats are also optimistic that gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand will provide a lift to the rest of the ticket. Sand, the state auditor, is running a well-received campaign and is polling competitively with the GOP frontrunner, Rep. Randy Feenstra.

Iowa is a reach state for Democrats and exists outside of the core Senate map for the party. But in a blue wave environment where control of the chamber is in play, Democratic wins in states like Iowa could help push the party to the 51 seats needed to win a majority.

GOP view. Hinson has boosted Wahls by labeling him the “soon-to-be Democrat nominee” in social media posts. It’s a sign that some Iowa Republicans view Wahls as the more preferable general election candidate.

“With momentum building behind Wahls, time will tell if Schumer can carry his candidate across the finish line,” NRSC spokesperson Samantha Cantrell said in a statement.

Republicans are gleeful at the spate of competitive primaries dividing Democrats in key states. After the Maine primary where progressives came out on top, there are also Schumer-skeptical liberals running in Minnesota and Michigan.

Opposing Schumer may appeal to some Democratic primary voters, but the sentiment doesn’t directly impact his standing as leader. As long as Senate Democrats win the races they need to win in November, the New York Democrat is unlikely to be challenged for his job.

Happening today. Voters in Ohio and Indiana head to the ballot box for primary day.

Republicans will decide their candidate to face Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur. Derek Merrin is the favorite against state Rep. Josh Williams and former ICE official Madison Sheahan. This is a rightward-shifting district.

Air Force veteran Eric Conroy is favored to take on Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman.

Indiana. There aren’t any steeply competitive primaries in any battleground seats in Indiana. The one to watch is Indiana’s 1st District, where Republicans have an outside chance to knock off Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan. Republicans are excited by Barb Regnitz.

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