Sioux City, Iowa (RI) — Democrat Catelin Drey of Sioux City has won the special election for an open state senate seat by an 11-point margin — in a district President Trump carried by over 10 points last November.
Drey’s victory ends the 34-seat supermajority Republicans have held in the Iowa Senate for the past three years. It means Governor Reynolds’ nominees for top state government roles will need the support of at least one Democrat to reach the 34-vote threshold for confirmation.
Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart says Drey’s win shows Iowans are ready for a new direction. Drey says voters are frustrated by the policies coming out of Washington and Des Moines.
Unofficial results show Drey finished with 55 percent of the vote, while 44 percent of ballots were cast for Republican Christopher Prosch. Drey will finish the term of Republican Senator Rocky De Witt of Lawton, who died of pancreatic cancer in June.
Iowa Republican Party chairman Jeff Kaufmann says national Democrats were so desperate for a win that they activated thousands of volunteers and spent a flood of money to win by a few hundred votes.
KIWA Staff Stock Photo
