- Lead
- 219,741
- Total
- 1,663,506
- vs nation
- R+11.7
- Turnout
- 70.3%
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+13.2MIT Election Lab
- Population
- 3,210,5072024 5-year
- Population density
- 57 / sq mi2024 5-year · TIGER/Line
- Land area
- 55,854 sq miTIGER/Line
- Median household income
- $75,0592024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 82.3%2024 5-year
- Black
- 3.8%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 7.3%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+24.0 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+45.5 in 1920MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Ohio, OH · twin score 56.9
Midterm durability
Total general-election participants divided by same-year citizen voting-age population. These are total ballots or participating voters—not presidential candidate votes.
- 2024 total turnout
- 70.3%1,674,011 participants ÷ 2,381,746 CVAP
- 2020→2022 drop-off
- +21.0 ptsPresidential-dependent
- Drop-off versus state
- 0.0 ptsPositive means a larger decline than the statewide pattern
- Mechanical 2026 scenario
- 49.3%–54.2%Recent-cycle and two-cycle persistence scenarios; not a forecast
| Election | Participants | CVAP | Turnout | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 · Presidential | 1,581,371 | 2,295,040 | 68.9% | B/A |
| 2018 · Midterm | 1,334,279 | 2,312,666 | 57.7% | B/A |
| 2020 · Presidential | 1,700,130 | 2,331,653 | 72.9% | B/A |
| 2022 · Midterm | 1,230,143 | 2,368,945 | 51.9% | B/A |
| 2024 · Presidential | 1,674,011 | 2,381,746 | 70.3% | B/A |
Sources and methods
- 2016: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-state-v1:observed:aggregated; allocation share 0.0%; series 276/110.
- 2018: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-state-v1:observed:aggregated; allocation share 0.0%; series 279/137.
- 2020: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-state-v1:observed:aggregated; allocation share 0.0%; series 282/1.
- 2022: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-state-v1:observed:aggregated; allocation share 0.0%; series 285/182.
- 2024: numerator source 158, denominator source 157; total voters participating; eavs-f1a-state-v1:observed:aggregated; allocation share 0.0%; series 288/227.
presidential history
Party record book
Iowa · the strongest Democratic and Republican presidential performances recorded here, measured three ways.
1892–2024 · 34 presidential cycles
Highest vote share
Largest share of the presidential candidate vote cast here.
Democratic
Lyndon B. Johnson1964
61.9%
733,030 votes · D+24.0
Runner-up · Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1932 · 57.7%
Republican
Warren G. Harding1920
70.9%
634,674 votes · R+45.5
Runner-up · Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1952 · 63.8%
Most votes
Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.
Democratic
Barack Obama2008
828,940votes
53.9% of the vote · D+9.5
Runner-up · Barack Obama, 2012 · 822,544 votes
Republican
Donald Trump2024
927,019votes
55.7% of the vote · R+13.2
Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2020 · 897,672 votes
Best relative to the U.S.
This Place’s margin against the national margin in the same election — positive when it leaned toward the party more than the country did.
Democratic
Michael Dukakis1988
+17.9pts D vs U.S.
Place D+10.2 · U.S. R+7.7
Runner-up · Walter Mondale, 1984 · +10.8 pts
Republican
Warren G. Harding1920
+19.3pts R vs U.S.
Place R+45.5 · U.S. R+26.2
Runner-up · Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1952 · +17.4 pts
On the ballot
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.
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.
Senate and governor results are in the Office selector at the top of this page.
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 |
Registered voters
By party of registration, over time
Registration leans Republican; the presidential vote runs 6.8 points more Republican than the rolls.
| 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 |
Who moves in and out
Net domestic migration over time
−970 net domestic migration · 2025
Net −37,486 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
| Year | Net domestic migration |
|---|---|
| 2011 | −179 |
| 2012 | −4,577 |
| 2013 | +194 |
| 2014 | −948 |
| 2015 | −3,642 |
| 2016 | −5,556 |
| 2017 | −3,962 |
| 2018 | −4,899 |
| 2019 | −5,011 |
| 2021 | +2,294 |
| 2022 | −6,301 |
| 2023 | −3,502 |
| 2024 | −427 |
| 2025 | −970 |
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
The states whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
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 →
Iowa. Akashic. https://akashic.app/state/IA/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.