There are 100 incumbents running for re-election in the primaries for Iowa's state Legislature on June 2. Fifteen of those incumbents (15%) are contested, the most since 2012, when there were 16. There are a total of 125 seats up for election this year, including all 100 seats in the state House and 25 seats in the state Senate.
There are 244 candidates – 121 Democrats and 123 Republicans – running this year. An average of 240 candidates ran in even years between 2010 and 2024.
There are 35 contested primaries – 13 Democratic and 22 Republican. This amounts to 14% of all possible primaries this year. An average of about 11 Democratic primaries and about 21 Republican primaries were contested between 2010 and 2024.
There are 25 open seats, meaning no incumbent is running. There were an average of 22 open seats in even years between 2010 and 2024.
Heading into the 2026 elections, Iowa is one of 23 states with a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control both chambers of the state Legislature and the governor is a Republican. Republicans have a 67-33 majority in the Iowa House of Representatives and a 33-17 majority in the Iowa Senate.
Click here to learn more about Iowa's 2026 state House elections and here to learn more about Iowa's 2026 state Senate elections.
