2026 results · Iowa · Iowa Secretary of State
Paul D. Pate, the Republican, is elected Iowa Secretary of State, a Republican hold
Donald Trump carried Iowa by 13.3 points in 2024; this year's count is a 6.8-point move toward the Democrats.
| Candidate | Votes | Share | Share of the vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul D. PateRepublican | 711,766 | 53.2% | |
| Ryan PetermanDemocrat | 625,867 | 46.8% | |
| Write-in | 1,257 | 0.1% |
Called by Call the Map, Nov 4, 8:45 AM EST · 97% counted.
About 97% of the expected vote counted1,338,890 votesCount last changed Nov 7, 6:28 PM ESTSource: Iowa Secretary of State
The map
Loading the map.
What moved most
Scroll through Iowa, part by part. The parts follow the federal government’s metropolitan areas: each big metro’s core counties, its suburbs and outer suburbs, the smaller metro areas, then the small towns and countryside.
What the count shows
Added together, the 99 counties compared moved 6.8 points toward the Democrats from the 2024 presidential vote.
The counties compared cast 81% as many votes as in 2024, from 88% in Dallas County to 70% in Fremont County. Where turnout ran higher, the county moved more toward the Republicans (r = −0.46).
Lee County moved most: R+27.8 for president in 2024, R+12.0 this year
The 10 counties with the largest moves from the 2024 presidential vote, among those with 2,000 or more votes for president in 2024 and a quarter of that counted, and at least half a percent of the state's 2024 vote. Each line runs from the 2024 margin to this year’s.
2024 president 2026
Scott County added 8,963 net votes for Peterman against the 2024 margin, 7% of the statewide change
Across the 99 counties compared, the margin moved by 133,842 votes toward Peterman: this year’s lead in votes against the 2024 presidential lead in votes, county by county. The figure counts voters who changed sides and differences in who turned out alike; the count cannot tell them apart.
- Scott County+8,963 Peterman
- Woodbury County+6,899 Peterman
- Pottawattamie County+6,110 Peterman
- Polk County+4,418 Peterman
- Black Hawk County+4,255 Peterman
- Dubuque County+3,460 Peterman
- Sioux County+3,139 Peterman
- Lee County+3,072 Peterman
3 counties Donald Trump carried in 2024 are led by Peterman this year
Striped on the map above. Largest first.
- Scott CountyR+3.9D+7.5
- Muscatine CountyR+14.9D+0.4
- Jefferson CountyR+6.8D+1.0
How the vote came in
Peterman did best among absentee ballots (D+14.7) and Pate among Election Day votes(R+18.2).
- Election Day860,427 votes, 64% of the countR+18.2
- Absentee478,463 votes, 36% of the countD+14.7
The office’s own categories, as it reports them. Margins are within each kind of vote.
What the places that moved have in common
Each of Iowa’s counties, set against the Census Bureau’s figures for who lives there. A pattern across counties, not an exit poll: it does not say how any group of people voted.
Urban, suburban and rural counties
2024 president 2026 · Urban: 1,000 or more residents per square mile; suburban: 100 to 999; rural: under 100 (our grouping).
Census Bureau ACS 2019–2023 and 2023 Gazetteer; a county joins once its count is substantially in.
The seats that changed party
StatewideDemocrats won 3 of Iowa's 6 statewide races and lead 1 more; Republicans won 1 and lead 1 more.
U.S. HouseBefore the election R 4–0, now D 3–1
won leads, still counting changed party. Margins are the leader’s share minus the runner-up’s, in points.
Every count on this page is the official count published by the Iowa Secretary of State. Counts are unofficial until the state certifies them. The 2024 comparison is the presidential vote, Kamala Harris against Donald Trump, on the same ground. Margins are the Democrat minus the Republican, in points of all votes.