By Brianne Pfannenstiel, Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register
Iowa’s 2026 primary election ballots are set with the close of the state’s filing period, and the field of viable candidates has tightened significantly.
A once-boisterous five-way Republican primary in northwest Iowa’s 4th Congressional District has narrowed to a single contender; a Democratic primary race for state Agriculture Secretary features one person; and a sprawling field of Democratic U.S. Senate candidates has sharpened to a two-man race.
Candidates for federal or state office had until 5 p.m. March 13 to gather a minimum threshold of signatures and file paperwork with the Iowa Secretary of State to make it onto the ballot.
Some candidates brought cleanly organized binders of alphabetized forms and posed for group photos with Secretary of State Paul Pate, celebrating the milestone with family and supporters.
Others rushed into the office in the waning minutes of the filing period Friday.
State Rep. Eddie Andrews, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, was the last candidate to file, signing an affidavit of candidacy right at 5 p.m. after spending more than an hour binding and organizing the loose sheets of signatures his campaign gathered.
Political strategist Julie Stauch, a Democrat, filed her paperwork to run for governor earlier in the week. But she posted to social media that the Secretary of State notified her Friday afternoon she was missing signatures and had not qualified for the ballot.
She told the Des Moines Register she would not be mounting a third-party challenge.
Pate said “it’s work” to get onto Iowa’s ballot. Campaigns need to collect hundreds or thousands of signatures, depending on the race, including a certain number from multiple counties.
But he said it’s an important benchmark for candidates that are serious about competing and interacting with voters.
“If you’re going to run for an office, whether it’s a local legislative race or a county supervisor’s race or a statewide, it’s a way to establish that you have a core, a base of support,” Pate said. “And frankly, it’s a good way to encourage the candidates to get acquainted with their districts.”
Pate’s office confirmed the final list of candidates Monday, March 16. But further changes could still come.
Candidates’ paperwork is subject to challenge until 5 p.m. March 20 if other campaigns or citizens spot potential errors.
A state review board has booted high-profile candidates from the ballot, such as 2018 Republican gubernatorial Ron Corbett. And a challenge to Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abby Finkenauer’s 2022 candidacy went all the way to the Iowa Supreme Court.
Paired with the realities of political fundraising that can bedevil campaigns, the candidate filing requirements often weed out those that don’t have the resources or the voter buy-in to make a competitive run for office.
This campaign cycle saw an unusually large crop of candidates jumping into races early. That interest was buoyed by multiple open races without an incumbent, including those for governor and U.S. Senate, as well as a midterm election year that could be more competitive for Democrats than recent cycles.
Now, the field has been whittled and a more focused crop of contenders has emerged. What remains are a handful of competitive primary contests that will shape the general election landscape.
Pending any challenges, here’s a look at four of the most interesting and competitive primaries that will be on Iowans’ June 2 primary ballots.
Five Republicans will compete in gubernatorial primary race
Five Republicans have filed the necessary paperwork to make it onto the primary ballot: state Rep. Eddie Andrews, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, businessman Zach Lahn, former state Rep. Brad Sherman and former Director of Administrative Services Adam Steen.
With strong fundraising and higher name ID built up from his years as a sitting congressman, Feenstra is seen as the Republican primary race’s frontrunner. But he’s yet to clear the field and has faced criticism for not engaging in some multi-candidate events.
“Every day we’re on the campaign trail, hitting every Pizza Ranch,” he told reporters as filed his paperwork with the Iowa Secretary of State. He said a recent seven-figure advertising blitz is intended to make sure “that everyone knows who I am, what I stand for and what Iowa’s going to look like when I become governor.”
But other candidates say they intend to make it a fight.
“I’m not afraid of who says they have more money,” Steen told reporters after filing his paperwork. “We’ve got momentum, we’ve got the grassroots, we’ve got the messaging, we’ve got the ability to prove we can meet with Iowans. We don’t back down from answering questions.”
Andrews acknowledged that he faces an “uphill battle” in the GOP primary.
“But if you look at the general election, it doesn’t matter. The Republican leaders lose,” he said. “And if you look even further, I do the best. So I think it would be wise for Iowans to look past the primary nomination and see who can actually win the general.”
Whoever emerges from the GOP primary election will face Democratic state Auditor Rob Sand, who filed his paperwork with what he said was a record-breaking 24,756 signatures.
Two Democrats will go head-to-head in U.S. Senate race
Iowa’s U.S. Senate primary has narrowed to a two-way race for the Democrats seeking to replace retiring Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst.
State Sen. Zach Wahls and state Rep. Josh Turek are jockeying for the nomination in the final months leading up to the primary.
Wahls said he filed more than 10,000 signatures from all 99 counties, including 15% that came from registered Republicans and political independents.
“I think it’s a good example of the coalition that we are building as we’ve been traveling across Iowa,” he said. “A lot of the issues that we’re facing are not just Democrat versus Republican or left versus right. They’re about bottom versus top, and Iowans trying to put our state first rather than just the status quo out in Washington.”
Wahls said he believes Iowans are excited “for the prospect of real change in the U.S. Senate.”
“People understand that we have an economy right now that’s working great for Elon Musk and the billionaires, but so many Iowans — working class Iowans, middle class Iowans, retired Iowans — are really struggling with what’s going on right now,” he said. “And they are hungry for someone who’s willing to challenge the status quo.”
Turek said he filed just shy of 10,000 signatures from all 99 counties, including more than 100 signatures in places such as Sioux County where Republicans dominate.
Turek, a former Paralympian who won two gold medals in wheelchair basketball, likened the filing period to making the cut for Team USA.
“I’m very proud to be on the ballot,” he said. “But there’s a lot of work to do, and I don’t want to celebrate in the first quarter just making the team.”
The winner is expected to take on U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson in November’s general election. Hinson will face Republican primary challenger Jim Carlin, a former state legislator, but she is widely seen as the race’s clear frontrunner.
Two Republicans compete in auditor’s race
There is an open race for state auditor after Sand, the incumbent, decided to run for governor in 2026.
The race to replace him will feature two Republicans: Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer and Iowa County Supervisor Abigail Maas.
Cournoyer is a former state senator who has been serving alongside Gov. Kim Reynolds since 2024. She said she would work to help integrate artificial intelligence into the auditing process and implement recommendations from the governor’s DOGE, or Department of Government Efficiency, task force.
Maas has served on the Iowa County Board of Supervisors since she was elected in 2020. She said her local government experience, particularly working with local budgets, will help her stand out in a primary race.
Cournoyer has Reynolds’ endorsement. But Maas appears to be more aggressively courting the party’s grassroots activists.
The winner will face Democrat Taylor Wettach, a trade and national security attorney from Muscatine. He originally planned to run for Congress in Iowa’s 1st District, but he faced a competitive primary there and instead pivoted to the auditor’s race.
Three Democrats vie for 2nd Congressional District nomination
Three Democrats have made it onto the ballot in the race for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, which is being vacated by Hinson as she runs for the U.S. Senate.
The contenders include Kathy Dolter, a U.S. Army veteran and a former dean of nursing at Kirkwood Community College; state Rep. Lindsay James, who was first elected in 2018 and is serving her fourth term; and Clint Twedt-Ball, a former executive director and co-founder of the nonprofit Matthew 25.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has identified Iowa’s 2nd District as a possible pickup opportunity as it looks to expand its field of races that are in play, although the bulk of the group’s attention has been targeted on the more competitive 1st and 3rd Districts.
With an open seat and a potentially strong year for Democrats on the horizon, they hope to put the race in play.
Elections analysts at Cook Political Report do not list the race among those it considers competitive. Hinson comfortably won her last reelection by 15 percentage points in the district Trump won by nearly 10 percentage points.
The winner of the Democratic primary will take on the winner of the Republican primary. Former state Rep. Joe Mitchell has easily led the field in fundraising and has the backing of Republican President Donald Trump. He is the expected frontrunner against state Sen. Charlie McClintock.
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