What to Know About Iowa’s Primary Election on Tuesday

Residents in Iowa will head to the polls on June 2 to vote in primary races for the state’s most powerful elective offices, with no incumbent on the ballot after Gov. Kim Reynolds and Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) decided to not run for reelection.

Early voting kicked off on May 13 and will end June 1, the day before Election Day, in the Hawkeye State, which President Donald Trump won with 55.7 percent of the vote in the 2024 presidential election.

Here are some of the races that will be on the ballot.

Governor’s Race

Governors are up for reelection in 36 states across the country this fall, including Iowa.

Candidates seeking the Republican nomination include U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, Iowa State Rep. Eddie Andrews, former Iowa State Rep. Brad Sherman, farmer Zach Lahn, and former director of Iowa Administrative Services Adam Steen.

Rob Sand, the state auditor of Iowa, is the only Democrat seeking his party’s nomination.

Polling conducted by Victory Enterprises showed Feenstra was in the lead for the Republican nomination in April, holding 41 percent of the vote, while all other Republican contenders remained between 5 percent and 9 percent.

But a poll by JMC Enterprises taken between May 27 and 28 showed that Lahn had a 3-point lead against Feenstra.

If a candidate does not win more than 35 percent of the vote in a primary, then the election will move away from the ballot box and the nominee will be selected in a convention by party members, according to Iowa state law.

Feenstra gained an advantage over the other Republicans on May 29 when he received a last-minute endorsement from Trump.

“Randy is MAGA all the way!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Friday.

The president wrote that the gubernatorial candidate would fight to grow the economy, cut taxes, champion farmers and ranchers, and keep the border secure.

Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who currently holds the seat, said in 2025 that she was not seeking reelection because she wants to spend more time with her family.

U.S. Senate

Candidates seeking the Republican nomination for Senate include current U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson and Army veteran and former state legislator Jim Carlin.

Candidates seeking the Democratic nomination include two-time Paralympic gold medalist and Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek and Iowa state senator Zach Wahls.

Wahls led the polls in February and March but the latest two polls conducted in April and May by Public Policy Polling and FM3 Research show Turek with a strong lead over Wahls.

Ernst, who was first elected to her post in 2014, is not seeking reelection.

Third Congressional District

Iowa has four U.S. congressional districts including District 3, which consists of the Des Moines metropolitan area and Council Bluffs.

Republican Rep. Zach Nunn is seeking his third term in the seat.

Nunn will face off against Democratic state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott in the Nov. 3 general election as both are running unopposed in the primaries.

Absentee Voting

Only registered voters who submitted a written application by May 18 at 5 p.m. will receive an absentee ballot in the mail. It must be returned to their county auditor’s office by the time polls close on Election Day.

“Primary elections matter,” Iowa Secretary of State Paul D. Pate wrote in a statement on May 8.

“Now is the time to make your plan to vote and have an impact on who advances to the general election. Our Primary Election decides who will appear on the ballot in November, and has a profound impact on the direction of our state, national policies, and the leaders who shape our communities.”