By the numbers: Iowa's far-right red swing
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Almost all Iowa counties swung more heavily Republican in this month's presidential election than when President-elect Trump won in 2016, an Axios analysis of AP data finds.
Why it matters: The red wave washed over Iowa's elections, further cementing Republican control of state government.
State of play: Iowa Republicans have held a trifecta since January 2017 — holding the governor's office and both the House and Senate.
- They achieved supermajority status, or two-thirds control in the Senate, after the 2022 election and are poised to gain a member to hold 35 of 50 seats next year, pending possible recounts in a few districts, Iowa Public Radio reports.
- The GOP will soon have supermajority status in the House as well, gaining a projected three seats to hold 67 of 100.
The intrigue: Compromise tends to lose luster in "trifecta" states and large groups of voters get sidelined with little influence, Bloomberg Opinion concludes after analyzing legislative and electoral data.
Meanwhile, the GOP is projected to have a trifecta in the federal government, too.
- That's with the help of Iowa's four U.S. House seats, although the 1st District race could take weeks to finalize.
Zoom in: Ninety-three of Iowa's counties shifted more Republican between the 2016 and 2024 presidential elections.
- Only Dallas, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, Linn and Johnson counties shifted bluer.
- Decatur, Chickasaw and Clarke counties shifted the most red.
Plus, Vice President Harris underperformed President Biden's 2020 run in all but Page and Montgomery counties this year, losing to Trump by 13 points, per unofficial results.
What they're saying: Last week's elections were "an absolute gut punch," Iowa Democratic Party chairperson Rita Hart said in a statement, adding that it will take "several cycles to turn things around."
- While there's uncertainty ahead, Democrats will work on every issue they can to put people over politics, State Rep. Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights said in a statement Saturday after being reelected as House Minority Leader.
The other side: Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley (R-New Hartford) accused Democrats of campaigning on one issue: abortion.
- "A message that I think we have loud and clear is that the woke mind virus comes to Iowa and it dies," he said in an election night speech.
What's next: Democrats are already talking about how to rebuild their state party.
- Jack Hatch, a former state senator and Democratic nominee for Iowa governor, on Wednesday shared with Axios a multi-point approach he suggests will help the party avoid "continued irrelevance."
