Three sitting members of the Iowa House of Representatives — two Republicans and one Democrat — were defeated in their party primaries on June 2, setting up competitive fall races in several districts and leaving one seat without a Republican challenger.
Republican Incumbents Fall in Lopsided Contests
In House District 45, which covers Bondurant, Polk City, and Mitchellville, challenger Austin Stubbs routed incumbent Rep. Brian Lohse (R-Bondurant) by a margin of 75 percent to 25 percent. Stubbs will now face Democrat Kendra Haug in the November 3 general election.
North-central Iowa’s House District 60 — encompassing Worth and Mitchell counties along with portions of Cerro Gordo and Floyd counties — also saw its incumbent turned out. Dani Ollenburg defeated Rep. Jane Bloomingdale (R-Northwood) with 58 percent of the vote to Bloomingdale’s 42 percent. Ollenburg advances to face Democrat Alexander Schmidt in November.
Democratic Incumbent Loses Davenport Seat
On the Democratic side, Rep. Ken Croken of Davenport lost his bid to retain House District 97, which covers eastern and central Davenport. Adam Peters, who serves as director of operations at Clock, Inc., an LGBT+ community center in the Quad Cities area, secured 63 percent of the Democratic primary vote to claim the nomination. No Republican filed for the District 97 race, meaning Peters is currently positioned to win the seat in November without a general election opponent.
What the Results Mean for November
The three primary defeats signal that Iowa voters in multiple parts of the state were prepared to replace familiar faces with new candidates, even within their own parties. The District 45 and District 60 races will each be contested in the fall, while District 97 appears headed toward an uncontested general election for the Democratic nominee.
Iowa’s political landscape has drawn national attention in recent months. Vice President JD Vance traveled to Iowa earlier this year to rally support for key Republican candidates and the administration’s trade agenda, underscoring the state’s continued prominence in Republican national strategy.
All three general election contests are scheduled for November 3, 2026.