Iowa Democrats break Republican state Senate supermajority by flipping seat

Iowa Democrats on Tuesday night successfully broke the Republican supermajority in the state Senate, after Democrat Catelin Drey won an open seat during a special election over Republican Christopher Prosch.

Drey and Prosch faced off for the seat after late GOP state Sen. Rocky De Witt died from cancer in June. The Democratic victory slims the Republican majority in the chamber to 33-17, which means the GOP no longer has a two-thirds majority.

The Democratic victory also comes after the Democratic National Committee (DNC) sent 30,000 volunteers to the state to help Drey get out the vote. The district is normally conservative, but Democrats have performed better in the area than expected in recent elections, according to The Hill.

DNC Chairman Ken Martin said the election shows that Iowans want a change from President Donald Trump's agenda and that they view Republicans as an extension of the president. Trump won the district by 11 points in 2024.

“They are putting Republicans on notice and making it crystal clear: any Republican pushing Trump’s unpopular, extreme agenda has no place governing on behalf of Iowa families,” Martin said. “That’s why all year long, Iowans have been electing Democrats ready to fight for working Iowans. Make no mistake: when Democrats organize everywhere, we win everywhere, and today is no exception.”

The victory also makes it harder for Iowa GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds to get nominees confirmed because Republicans in the state Senate need a two-thirds majority to do so.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.