Democrats swept into power last week as voters also embraced tougher criminal penalties and restrictions on bail. Why it matters: Six years after the George Floyd protests, Democrats won big without promising a return to sweeping 2020-era reforms. Some even adopted border-security rhetoric associated with Republicans. Democrats gained at least 12 state legislative chambers and won governorships in Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio and Texas. By the...

Democrats secure the governor's office, a U.S. Senate seat, and three congressional seats in Iowa, while Republicans retain control of the state legislature.

Dallas County, the Midwest's fastest-growing county, swung left in the midterms, breaking a decades-long Republican voting streak in gubernatorial and congressional elections since 2008. Why it matters: The booming Des Moines metro county is adding thousands of voters annually to its suburbs, making its changing political makeup increasingly important to candidates. By the numbers: Dallas County backed President Trump in 2024 but gave Democrat...

Iowa projected to have nation’s largest congressional shift to the left, study finds

The trajectory of education policy in a trio of historically red states is about to see a major shake-up after voters there elected Democratic governors for the first time in decades. For years, positions on school choice LGBTQ topics in classrooms and efforts either for or against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) have expanded cultural […]

There was a blue tsunami in the midterms. Peer inside it and you see a few powerful forces: Artificial intelligence. MAHA. Trade. Israel. In our new issue, reporters went deep on how these became four of the biggest policy disputes that defined 2026. These issues divided voters between and within political parties, spurred the expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars and scrambled campaigns all over the country from Iowa to Michigan to New York. Grab your pumpkin latte infused with collagen and topped off with raw milk — yes, that’s a real drink mentioned in our MAHA story — and read on.

Rob Sand, an Iowa state auditor who was elected governor on Tuesday, spent part of his youth walking runways before a career in politics.

Democratic Iowa state Sen. Catelin Drey of Sioux City was bit by a dog while knocking doors the day before Election Day. She kept campaigning.

Just days after winning the race to represent Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, Sarah Trone Garriott said she is heading to Washington, D.C. on Sunday for orie

More than 2,000 absentee ballots remain uncounted in eastern Iowa