Democrat Renee Hardman made history after winning the Iowa Senate District 16 seat to become Iowa’s first Black female senator, defeating Republican Lucas Loftin in a Dec. 30 special election to hold off a GOP supermajority.
Hardman earned 71.4% of the vote, according to unofficial results from the Iowa Secretary of State, to represent the district that includes parts of West Des Moines, Clive and Windsor Heights — continuing a string of special election wins that have buoyed Iowa Democrats heading into the 2026 midterm elections.