Democrat who quit race beats Republican opponent anyway as he's caught in blue wave: NYT

An Iowa Democrat who quit his state House race in September, citing health problems, won the seat anyway as a blue wave swept the state.

Democrat Eric Armstrong comfortably won Iowa House District 20, a red-leaning seat, The New York Times reported Wednesday, citing The Associated Press.

Armstrong beat Republican Keith Jones 4,602 votes to 3,737, according to KJAN. Most Iowa Democrats had reportedly expected to lose the district after he dropped out.

Armstrong told voters in a Sept. 7 Facebook post that he had to put his health first, and he says those health problems have not ended.

“Recently, I have been facing some personal health issues that require my full attention and immediate care,” Armstrong wrote. “Because I must prioritize my health and recovery at this time, I am stepping down from my campaign, effective immediately.”

“Our District deserves a representative who can give 100 percent of their energy to this race,” he wrote. “Right now, I must focus on healing so that I can continue to serve our community in other ways in the future.”

“I’m going to do my best to represent” the district, Armstrong said in a phone interview Wednesday morning, according to the Times. “But I still have health issues, that’s what I’m struggling with.”

Armstrong, a former railroad executive from Carter Lake, ran for the seat that state Rep. Josh Turek (D-IA) gave up to run for the U.S. Senate.

Iowa Democrats won the governor’s race for the first time since 2006, took a U.S. Senate seat and flipped three Republican-held congressional seats Tuesday, the Des Moines Register reported.

Turek beat Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA), becoming the first Democrat since former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin to win a Senate race in Iowa, the paper reported. Democrat Nate Willems also narrowly defeated Attorney General Brenna Bird (R-IA).

Before the election, Democrats held just one statewide office and no Iowa seats in Congress, according to the Register. Republicans had a 175,000-voter registration advantage going in, the paper reported. Democrats appeared poised to flip nine Republican-held seats in the Iowa House, while Republicans were on track to keep control of the Legislature.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it tonight,” Iowa Republican Party Chair Jeff Kaufmann said, according to the Register. “It’s a disappointing evening.”

Nationally, Democrats won control of the House and Senate, CNN projected. They also took House seats in districts President Donald Trump carried by 20 percentage points in 2024, the network reported.

In Texas, Democrats won statewide for the first time since 1994, and the party toppled Republican supermajorities in the Indiana and Missouri legislatures, according to CNN.

In South Carolina, Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) in a state that has not elected a Democrat to the Senate this century.

Democrat Jamie Ager flipped North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, the first Democratic win there since 2010, CBS News projected.

Armstrong, who stopped campaigning in September, was not the only Democrat to run strong Tuesday without the usual campaign support.

In North Carolina’s 6th, 9th and 13th districts, Missouri’s 2nd and Tennessee’s 4th, Democrats were on track to win despite little financial support from national Democratic groups.