Special elections to the Iowa Senate are called by the Governor of Iowa when a vacancy arises within the State Senate . If there is a vacancy in the Iowa General Assembly (i.e., the Iowa state legislature), the vacant seat must be filled by special election . If the vacancy occurs while the General Assembly is in session, the Governor must call within five days of the occurrence of the vacancy for an election as expeditiously as feasible, with a minimum 18-day notice. If the vacancy happens while the General Assembly is out of session, the special election must follow a 45-day notice, as long as the election does not coincide with a school election. All special elections must be held on a Tuesday.[ 1]
List of special elections
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District
Election Date
Predecessor
Special Election Winner
39th
February 17, 1913
Charles Gates (R )
F. P. Hagemann (D )
37th
March 31, 1923
Daniel Cady Chase (R )
William Schmedika (D )
4th
February 1, 1933
John Henry Judd (D )
Joseph E. Doze (D )
29th
March 24, 1933
Oliver Perry Myers (D )
D. Myron Tripp (D )
35th
August 22, 1933
Matt D. Cooney (D )
Howard C. Baldwin (D )
45th
October 3, 1933
Harry Cook White (D )
Richard V. Leo (R )
2nd
January 17, 1944
Sanford Zeigler (R )
Charles W. Wade (R )
5th
January 17, 1944
Stephen Ray Emerson (R )
T. M. Thompson (R )
28th
January 26, 1945
Benjamin Chase Whitehill (R )
Robert A. Rockhill (R )
37th
January 6, 1947
George Raymond Hill (R )
Rex R. Bateson (R )
15th
January 10, 1963
L. C. Shivvers (R )
Vera H. Shivvers (R )
18th
June 20, 1969
Kenneth Benda (R )
Joann Yessler Orr (D )
1st
September 9, 1969
Seeley G. Lodwick (R )
Wilson L. Davis (R )
45th
October 28, 1969
Walter B. Hammer (R )
S. J. Brownlee (R )
14th
November 15, 1969
David M. Stanley (R )
W. R. Rabedeaux (R )
6th
November 18, 1969
Charles Vernon Lisle (R )
Earl Bass (R )
12th
December 16, 1969
Joseph Flatt (R )
Glen E. Bortell (R )
22nd
December 1970
J. Donald Weimer (D )[ a] Cloyd E. Robinson (D )
47th
December 1972
James B. Turner (R )[ b] Richard R. Ramsey (R )
10th
November 5, 1974
Mike Blouin (D )
Robert M. "Bob" Carr (D )
15th
November 2, 1976
Steve Sovern (D )
Bob Rush (D )
11th
December 28, 1976
Richard John Norpel (D )
Steve Bisenius (R )
41st
December 28, 1976
Bill Gluba (D )
Forrest F. Ashcraft (R )
36th
November 8, 1983
Michael R. Lura (R )
John Soorholtz (R )
45th
September 10, 1985
Norman Rodgers (D )
James R. Riordan (D )
34th
December 17, 1985
John A. Neighbour (D )
John A. Peterson (D )
31st
January 7, 1986
Lowell Junkins (D )
Gene Fraise (D )
13th
January 28, 1986
Thomas A. Lind (R )
Jim Lind (R )
18th
September 26, 1989
Robert M. Carr (D )
Mike Connolly (D )
12th
December 18, 1990
Joy Corning (R )
Harry G. Slife (R )
44th
December 17, 1991
Jack Nystrom (R )
Albert Sorensen (D )
12th
August 31, 1993
Harry G. Slife (R )
Donald Redfern (R )
5th
February 22, 1994
Linn Fuhrman (R )
Mary Lou Freeman (R )
25th
February 22, 1994
Richard J. Varn (D )
Robert Dvorsky (D )
26th
December 20, 1994
Paul Pate (R )
Mary Lundby (R )
13th
April 1997[ c]
Jim Lind (R )
Patricia M. "Pat" Harper (D )
8th
February 3, 1998
James E. Black (R )
E. Thurman Gaskill (R )
46th
January 12, 1999
Patty Judge (D )
John Judge (D )
43rd
June 12, 2001
Derryl McLaren (R )
Hubert Houser (R )
39th
February 19, 2002
Jo Ann M. Johnson (R )
David G. Lord (R )
10th
March 12, 2002
Merlin Bartz (R )
Amanda Ragan (D )
26th
January 14, 2003
Steve King (R )[ d] Steve Kettering (R )
30th
February 3, 2004
Mary Kramer (R )
Pat Ward (R )
48th
January 4, 2011
Kim Reynolds (R )
Joni Ernst (R )
35th
January 18, 2011
Larry Noble (R )
Jack Whitver (R )
18th
November 8, 2011
Swati Dandekar (D )
Liz Mathis (D )
22nd
December 11, 2012
Pat Ward (R )[ e] Charles Schneider (R )
13th
November 19, 2013
Kent Sorenson (R )
Julian Garrett (R )
12th
December 30, 2014
Joni Ernst (R )
Mark Costello (R )
45th
December 27, 2016
Joe Seng (D )
Jim Lykam (D )
3rd
December 12, 2017
Bill Anderson (R )
Jim Carlin (R )
25th
April 10, 2018
Bill Dix (R )
Annette Sweeney (R )
30th
March 19, 2019
Jeff Danielson (D )
Eric Giddens (D )
41st
January 26, 2021
Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R )
Adrian Dickey (R )
^ J. Donald Weimer won the general election in district 22 in 1970; however, Weimer did not take office. Robinson won a special election to the seat.
^ James Turner won the general election in district 47 in 1972; however, Turner was deceased and this necessitated a special election.
^ Senator Jim Lind (R) resigned in March 1997. In a special election in April 1997, Patricia "Pat" Harper (D) won a special election in Iowa Senate, District 13 . The Iowa General Assembly 's website notes Lind's resignation & Harper's elevation to the position, but the Iowa Secretary of State 's website does not list election data for this seat as of April 11, 2020. I can only find an article in the Waterloo, IA local newspaper documenting the special election victory for Harper.[ 2]
^ Following the 2000 Census and 2002 redistricting, King would have been redistricted from state senate district 6 to district 26; however, he was elected to the US Congress in 2002, thus necessitating a special election in the Iowa Senate.
^ Senator Ward had been redistricted from district 30 to 22 following the 2010 Census and 2011 redistricting process. She was running for re-election to in the newly-numbered district 22 when she died less than a month before the 2012 general election. She 'won' the 2012 general election for district 22 posthumously. Thus necessitating this special election. This explains why the election of Senator Schneider is considered a hold for Republicans, even though the immediately preceding senator from district 22 was technically a Democrat. Given the intricacies of renumbering after the redistricting process, he technically succeeded the posthumously re-elected Senator Ward.
^ Democratic Senator J. Donald Weimer was redistricted from district 24 to 22 and Weimer won the 22nd district general election in November 1970. However, he did not take office. In a special election in December, Democrat Cloyd E. Robinson won and kept the seat for the Democratic Party.
^ "Iowa Code § 69.14: "Special election to fill vacancies." (PDF) . Iowa General Assembly . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "The ins and outs of the Iowa legislature: Harper's back, and she likes it" .^ "Special Election held February 17, 1913" (PDF) . Iowa Official Register . Retrieved June 14, 2021 .^ "Special Election held March 31, 1923" (PDF) . Iowa Official Register . Retrieved June 8, 2021 .^ "Special Election held February 1, 1933" (PDF) . Iowa Official Register . Retrieved June 19, 2020 .^ "Special Election held March 24, 1933" (PDF) . Iowa Official Register . Retrieved June 19, 2020 .^ "Special Election held August 22, 1933" (PDF) . Iowa Official Register . Retrieved June 19, 2020 .^ "Special Election held October 3, 1933" (PDF) . Iowa Official Register . Retrieved June 19, 2020 .^ "Special Election held January 17, 1944" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved June 19, 2020 .^ "Special Election held January 17, 1944" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved June 19, 2020 .^ "Special Election held January 26, 1945" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved June 19, 2020 .^ "Special Election held January 6, 1947" (PDF) . Iowa Official Register . Retrieved June 18, 2020 .^ "Special Election held January 10, 1963" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved May 19, 2020 .^ "General Election 1970 Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved May 2, 2020 .^ "General Election 1972 Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 28, 2020 .^ "General Election 1974 Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 26, 2020 .^ "General Election 1976 Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 26, 2020 .^ "General Election 1976 Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 26, 2020 .^ "General Election 1976 Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 26, 2020 .^ "General Election 1984 Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 19, 2020 .^ "September 10, 1985 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "December 17, 1985 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "January 7, 1986 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "January 28, 1986 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "September 26, 1989 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "December 18, 1990 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "December 17, 1991 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "August 31, 1993 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "February 22, 1994 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "February 22, 1994 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "December 20, 1994 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "February 3, 1998 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "January 12, 1999 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "June 12, 2001 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "February 19, 2002 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "March 12, 2002 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "January 14, 2003 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "February 3, 2004 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "January 4, 2011 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "January 18, 2011 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "November 8, 2011 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "December 11, 2012 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "November 19, 2013 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "December 30, 2014 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "December 27, 2016 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "December 12, 2017 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "April 10, 2018 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "March 19, 2019 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved April 9, 2020 .^ "January 26, 2021 Election Canvass Summary" (PDF) . Iowa Secretary of State . Retrieved June 8, 2021 .
