Republicans eye Iowa Senate supermajority in Tuesday special election

Democrats' last sliver of leverage in Iowa's Senate is on the line Tuesday, with Republicans poised to seize a supermajority that would let GOP leaders govern with little resistance.

Celsi, a Democrat, had held a seat in Iowa's Senate since 2019.

That lone vote provides Democrats with a rare level of power in the Hawkeye State. 

There's one vacancy in the chamber. 

At the federal level, Republicans hold all four of Iowa's districts in the House of Representatives and both U.S. Senate seats. Notably, Democrats will likely try to wage a competitive Senate race to replace retiring Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, in 2026. 

Democrats narrowly escaped a Republican supermajority back in another special election in August. Tuesday will mark Iowa's sixth special election of the year.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 30.