Unofficial results show Republicans retained trifecta control of the Iowa Statehouse in Tuesday’s election — and both chambers could have GOP supermajorities in the next General Assembly.

In the House, Republicans appeared to increase their majority to a supermajority in the 2024 general election by flipping several seats currently held by Democrats. And in the Senate, where Republicans already held a supermajority, two Democratic incumbents lost to their Republican challengers, while one Republican incumbent, Sen. Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, lost his campaign.

House Speaker Pat Grassley celebrated the successful defense of incumbents and candidates elected in some competitive legislative seats at the Republican watchdog party in Des Moines Tuesday evening, asking a cheering crowd: “How does House Number 67 sound?” House Republicans?

In the previous General Assembly, House Republicans held a 64-36 majority. Unofficial results show the lead grew to a 67-seat advantage, of which 33 seats will be held by the Democrats.

The crucial choices for the House GOP caucus were spread across four seats:

• In House District 41, covering much of Ankeny, Republican Ryan Weldon is ahead of Democratic incumbent Rep. Molly Buck. with 50.2% to 49.8% of the votes in unofficial results at 7 p.m. Wednesday, with all precinct reports. The AP has not called the race.
• In Dubuque, Rep. Chuck Isenhart, the Democrat who has represented District 72 for more than a decade, lost with 47 percent of the vote to Republican Jennifer Smith’s 53 percent.
• Another incumbent Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Sue Cahill, D-Marshalltown, was ousted by GOP challenger David Blom, who received 52% of the vote in the 2024 general election.
• Additionally, incumbent Democratic Rep. Sharon Steckman’s Mason City seat was won by Republican candidate Christian Hermanson in the election, who defeated Democrat Jeremy True by a margin of just over 350 votes, according to THE Iowa Secretary of State website.

Grassley said Iowans sent a clear message in their election results: “The woke-mind virus is coming to Iowa and it’s dying.” »

He also said Iowans sent a clear message to Democrats through the 2024 election results — that abortion and opposition to the state’s six-week ban on abortion – did not constitute a winning campaign message.

“We’ve heard this question all over the state: ‘Why the hell is one party running on just one issue?’ ” Grassley said. “The only problem is killing babies until the day they are born. And I think Iowans rejected that wholeheartedly.

In addition to the legislative changes in the House, there were some upsets in the Iowa Senate — although the results did not change which party controlled the chamber. Republican Sen. Brad Zaun of Urbandale lost his reelection bid to Democratic challenger Matt Blake, a former Urbandale City Council member in Senate District 22. It was the state’s costliest legislative race in 2024, with campaign and in-kind contributions totaling $1.72 million during the election cycle.

Despite this significant recovery, Senate Democrats appear to have lost two important seats in the 2024 elections:

• Nate Boulton, D-Des Moines, may have lost his race to Republican challenger Mike Pike in Iowa Senate District 20, which has not yet announced results. According to Iowa Data from the Secretary of State’s websitePike was ahead of Boulton by 43 votes as of 7 p.m. Wednesday.
  Boulton said he plans to request an election recount.
• Another seat identified by Republicans as a potential flip — Iowa Senate District 38, currently represented by Sen. Eric Giddens, D-Cedar Falls — appears to have shifted toward Republican control. Republican Dave Sires is currently ahead by nearly 400 votes. according to state data.

Senate Democratic Leader Pam Jochum, who is retiring after the 2024 session, acknowledged the “challenges” awaiting Iowa Democrats in the upcoming 2025 legislative session due to the election results.

“It’s clear that defunding our public schools resonated with voters, but unfortunately we didn’t,” Jochum said. “Iowans are tired of the status quo here in our state and across the country, and Iowa Senate Democrats will work harder to deliver them a better deal in the Legislature. As we work toward the future, we are reviewing all of our options to ensure every vote is counted.