Iowa, Iowa
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1892–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | −5.3% |
| 1896 | −12.6% |
| 1900 | −18.6% |
| 1904 | −32.7% |
| 1908 | −15.0% |
| 1912 | +13.3% |
| 1916 | −11.4% |
| 1920 | −45.5% |
| 1924 | −38.6% |
| 1928 | −24.2% |
| 1932 | +17.7% |
| 1936 | +11.7% |
| 1940 | −4.4% |
| 1944 | −4.5% |
| 1948 | +2.7% |
| 1952 | −28.2% |
| 1956 | −18.4% |
| 1960 | −13.5% |
| 1964 | +24.0% |
| 1968 | −12.2% |
| 1972 | −17.1% |
| 1976 | −1.0% |
| 1980 | −12.7% |
| 1984 | −7.4% |
| 1988 | +10.2% |
| 1992 | +6.0% |
| 1996 | +10.3% |
| 2000 | +0.3% |
| 2004 | −0.7% |
| 2008 | +9.5% |
| 2012 | +5.8% |
| 2016 | −9.3% |
| 2020 | −8.2% |
| 2024 | −13.2% |
DemocraticRepublican
34 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Democratic | Republican | Other | Margin | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 42.5%Harris707,278 | 55.7%Trump927,019 | 0.8%Kennedy13,122 | 1,663,506 | ||
| R | 44.9%Biden759,061 | 53.1%Trump897,672 | 1.2%Jorgensen19,637 | 1,690,871 | ||
| R | 41.3%Clinton653,669 | 50.7%Trump800,983 | 3.7%Johnson59,186 | 1,581,371 | ||
| D | 52.0%Obama822,544 | 46.2%Romney730,617 | 0.8%Johnson12,926 | 1,582,180 | ||
| D | 53.9%Obama828,940 | 44.4%McCain682,379 | 0.5%Nader8,014 | 1,536,820 | ||
| R | 49.2%Kerry741,898 | 49.9%Bush751,957 | 0.5%Other7,243 | 1,506,908 | ||
| D | 48.5%Gore638,517 | 48.2%Bush634,373 | 2.2%Nader29,374 | 1,315,563 | ||
| D | 50.3%Clinton620,258 | 39.9%Dole492,644 | 8.5%Perot105,159 | 1,234,075 | ||
| D | 43.3%Clinton586,353 | 37.3%Bush504,891 | 18.7%Perot253,468 | 1,354,607 | ||
| D | 54.7%Dukakis670,557 | 44.5%Bush545,355 | 0.3%Larouche3,526 | 1,225,614 | ||
| R | 45.9%Mondale605,620 | 53.3%Reagan703,088 | 0.5%Larouche6,248 | 1,319,805 | ||
| R | 38.6%Carter508,672 | 51.3%Reagan676,026 | 8.8%Anderson115,633 | 1,317,661 | ||
| R | 48.5%Carter619,931 | 49.5%Ford632,863 | 1.6%McCarthy20,057 | 1,279,306 | ||
| R | 40.5%McGovern496,206 | 57.6%Nixon706,207 | 1.9%Schmitz23,531 | 1,225,944 | ||
| R | 40.8%Humphrey476,699 | 53.0%Nixon619,106 | 6.2%Wallace72,126 | 1,167,931 | ||
| D | 61.9%Johnson733,030 | 37.9%Goldwater449,148 | 0.2%Hass2,361 | 1,184,539 | ||
| R | 43.2%Kennedy550,565 | 56.7%Nixon722,381 | 0.1%Byrd864 | 1,273,810 | ||
| R | 40.7%Stevenson501,858 | 59.1%Eisenhower729,187 | 0.3%Andrews3,519 | 1,234,564 | ||
| R | 35.6%Stevenson451,513 | 63.8%Eisenhower808,906 | 0.7%Hallinan8,354 | 1,268,773 | ||
| D | 50.3%Truman522,380 | 47.6%Dewey494,018 | 2.1%Thurmond21,866 | 1,038,264 | ||
| R | 47.5%Roosevelt499,876 | 52.0%Dewey547,267 | 0.5%Thomas5,456 | 1,052,599 | ||
| R | 47.6%Roosevelt578,802 | 52.0%Willkie632,370 | 0.4%Thomas4,260 | 1,215,432 | ||
| D | 54.4%Roosevelt621,756 | 42.7%Landon487,977 | 2.9%Lemke33,000 | 1,142,733 | ||
| D | 57.7%Roosevelt598,019 | 40.0%Hoover414,433 | 2.3%Thomas24,235 | 1,036,687 | ||
| R | 37.6%Smith379,011 | 61.8%Hoover623,570 | 0.7%Thomas6,608 | 1,009,189 | ||
| R | 16.4%Davis160,382 | 55.0%Coolidge537,458 | 28.6%La Follette278,930 | 976,770 | ||
| R | 25.5%Cox227,804 | 70.9%Harding634,674 | 3.6%Debs32,487 | 894,965 | ||
| R | 42.9%Wilson220,597 | 54.3%Hughes279,331 | 2.9%Benson14,776 | 514,704 | ||
| O | 37.6%Wilson185,325 | 24.3%Taft119,805 | 38.0%Roosevelt187,226 | 492,356 | ||
| R | 40.6%Bryan200,771 | 55.6%Taft275,209 | 3.8%Debs18,789 | 494,769 | ||
| R | 30.7%Parker149,276 | 63.4%Roosevelt308,158 | 5.9%Debs28,659 | 486,093 | ||
| R | 39.5%Bryan209,265 | 58.0%McKinley307,808 | 2.5%Woolley13,282 | 530,355 | ||
| R | 42.9%Bryan223,611 | 55.5%McKinley289,463 | 1.6%Palmer8,513 | 521,587 | ||
| R | 44.3%Cleveland196,370 | 49.6%Harrison219,795 | 6.1%Weaver26,960 | 443,125 |
2026 election
On the ballot
Governoropen seat
Rob SandnomineeZach Lahnnominee
Open seat: incumbent Kim Reynolds (R) declined to seek a third term. Primary held June 2, 2026. SURPRISE: businessman Zach Lahn upset Trump-aligned U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra in the GOP primary; Democrat Rob Sand (state auditor) was unopposed. Libertarian Nicholas Gluba was disqualified from the general ballot.
U.S. Senateopen seat
Josh TureknomineeAshley HinsonnomineeThomas Laehnnominee
Open seat; incumbent Joni Ernst (R) not seeking re-election (announced 2025-09-02), excluded. Hinson won the GOP primary (73.9%); Turek won the Dem primary (62.6%). Libertarian Thomas Laehn qualified via petition.
Source · Akashic 2026 forecast.
Congressional elections · 126 House races · 16 Senate races
U.S. House
| Year | Seats won | D % | R % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R 4 | 43.2% | 56.2% | 1,609,609 | |
| R 4 | 43.4% | 55.9% | 1,211,700 | |
| D 1 · R 3 | 46.5% | 52.4% | 1,639,463 | |
| D 3 · R 1 | 50.5% | 46.5% | 1,316,648 |
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | R | 43.8%533,330 | 56.0%681,501 | 1,216,646 |
| 2020 | R | 45.2%754,859 | 51.8%864,997 | 1,670,617 |
| 2016 | R | 35.7%549,460 | 60.2%926,007 | 1,539,351 |
| 2014 | R | 43.8%494,370 | 52.2%588,575 | 1,128,589 |
| 2010 | R | 33.3%371,686 | 64.4%718,215 | 1,115,191 |
| 2008 | D | 62.7%941,665 | 37.3%560,006 | 1,501,671 |
| 2004 | R | 27.9%412,365 | 70.2%1,038,175 | 1,478,753 |
| 2002 | D | 54.2%554,278 | 43.8%447,892 | 1,022,374 |
| 1998 | R | 30.5%289,049 | 68.4%648,480 | 947,632 |
| 1996 | D | 51.8%634,166 | 46.7%571,807 | 1,224,054 |
| 1992 | R | 27.2%351,561 | 69.6%899,761 | 1,292,201 |
| 1990 | D | 54.5%535,975 | 45.4%446,869 | 983,933 |
| 1986 | R | 33.6%299,406 | 66.0%588,880 | 891,762 |
| 1984 | D | 55.5%716,883 | 43.7%564,381 | 1,292,700 |
| 1980 | R | 45.5%581,545 | 53.5%683,014 | 1,276,986 |
| 1978 | R | 47.9%395,066 | 51.1%421,598 | 824,576 |
voter registration
Registered voters
By party of registration, over time
DemocraticRepublicanUnaffiliatedOther parties
| Year | Total registered | Democratic | Republican | Unaffiliated | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 2,143,665 | 736,244 | 624,830 | 781,617 | 974 |
| 2010 | 2,116,170 | 701,214 | 647,381 | 765,642 | 1,933 |
| 2012 | 2,166,539 | 694,252 | 674,197 | 795,183 | 2,907 |
| 2014 | 2,142,304 | 666,127 | 664,320 | 805,794 | 6,063 |
| 2016 | 2,171,165 | 682,890 | 702,274 | 774,199 | 11,802 |
| 2018 | 2,170,012 | 675,143 | 686,013 | 791,511 | 17,345 |
| 2020 | 2,245,096 | 744,475 | 755,022 | 726,290 | 19,309 |
| 2022 | 2,234,696 | 701,861 | 763,611 | 749,140 | 20,084 |
| 2024 | 2,252,959 | 654,052 | 797,542 | 779,631 | 21,734 |
Source: Iowa Secretary of State
Clinton County, on the Mississippi, went from Obama by 22.8 points in 2012 to Trump by 18.8 in 2024 — a 41-point reversal in a single dozen years.
- From Obama twice to Trump thrice
- D+9.5 (2008), D+5.8 (2012) → R+9.3 (2016), R+8.2 (2020), R+13.2 (2024) — a 19-point move from 2012 · MIT Election Lab
- The Democratic map shrank to five counties
- Of 99 counties, only Johnson (D+37.8), Polk (D+10.8), Story (D+10.3), Linn (D+9.9), and Black Hawk (D+1.2) voted Democratic in 2024 · MIT Election Lab 2024
- Widest county spread
- Johnson (Iowa City) D+37.8 to Sioux R+70.7 — a gap of over 100 points · MIT Election Lab 2024
- A river county reverses
- Clinton County: Obama D+22.8 (2012) → Trump R+18.8 (2024), a 41-point reversal; Jackson County moved D+16.9 to R+32.5 · MIT Election Lab
- Party registration crossed over
- Democrats led Republican registration by ~111,000 in 2008 and trailed by ~143,000 in 2024 · Iowa Secretary of State
- Two open seats in 2026
- Gov. Reynolds (R) and Sen. Ernst (R) both declined re-election; Sand (D) vs Lahn (R) for governor, Hinson (R) vs Turek (D) for Senate · Akashic 2026 forecast
Political twins — states
The states whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Ohio
Ohio
56.9twin score
12-yr trend2020 margincollege share≠ population scale
South Dakota
South Dakota
56.0twin score
% WhiteGerman ancestry% Black≠ 2000 margin
North Dakota
North Dakota
55.7twin score
12-yr trend% WhiteGerman ancestry≠ 2000 margin
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Iowa. Akashic. https://akashic.app/state/IA/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
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Iowa at the ballot boxAll elections →
Places within Iowa
Frequently asked questions
How did Iowa vote in 2024?
In 2024, Iowa voted Republican by 13.2 points (R+13.2), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 1,663,506 votes cast, 707,278 went Democratic and 927,019 went Republican.
When did Iowa last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Iowa voted Democratic was 2012.
How many people live in Iowa?
Iowa has a population of 3,210,507 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Iowa?
Median household income in Iowa is $75,059 — below the national median of $80,734. The Iowa state median is $75,059.
What is the political history of Iowa?
Akashic tracks 34 presidential elections in Iowa from 1892 to 2024. Of those, 10 went Democratic and 23 went Republican.