DES MOINES—Early voting kicked off in Iowa on Oct. 14 as voters across the Hawkeye State’s 99 counties started casting ballots in the open races for governor and U.S. Senate and all four U.S. House districts, three of which are competitive.
The Cook Political Report moved the governor’s race and Iowa’s 1st and 3rd U.S. Congressional District contests from “Toss-Up” to “Lean Democrat” while separately changing the ranks of the U.S. Senate race and Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District from “Lean Republican” to “Toss-Up.”
A handful of voters who cast their ballots at the Polk County Election Office in Des Moines on Wednesday afternoon told The Epoch Times their key issues included the state’s poor water quality, surging state cancer rates, and a rising cost of living.
Longtime Des Moines resident Mima Keco, 29, a Democrat, said water quality issues caused by runoff from fertilizer and manure from farms were one of the main issues that brought her to the polls.
“I haven’t been able to go to like, Gray’s Lake or Easter Lake or any of them because of how disgusting the water is,” Keco said. “I had a dog who got sick from the water [at Gray’s Lake] and started throwing up.”
Fellow Democratic voter Maisie Stilwell echoed Keco’s concerns, saying she installed a reverse osmosis system in her home so her family would not drink the tap water, which she described as a hazard.
“Our water is disgusting,” Stilwell said. “I don’t let my kids touch it. Like you know, certainly [I] will not let them drink the tap water, and I know most other parents won’t either because you know it is full of disgusting chemicals and it’s just dangerous.”
U.S. Senate candidates Josh Turek, a Democrat, and Republican Ashley Hinson agree that there is a water quality issue in the state and have proposed ideas such as investing in infrastructure and working with farmers to keep the state’s water supply clean.
State-funded research at the University of Iowa showed most of the state’s above-normal rates for five cancers are caused by demographic and behavioral factors, such as smoking and binge drinking.
Independent voter Janan, who did not share a last name, said she decided to lean toward voting for Democrats this election because she thought Republican lawmakers are too “scared” to stand up to President Donald Trump.
“I don’t think that they’re all doing their job,” Janan said. “And until they do, we’re not going to have [the] balance of power like we’re supposed to.”
No Republican voter wanted to comment on record outside the polling location in Des Moines on Wednesday.
Governor’s Race Is Close
Democratic nominee Rob Sand is trying to hold off Republican Zach Lahn in a tight battle for Iowa’s next governor.
Lahn, a farmer and businessman, defeated four Republicans, including Trump-endorsed U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, to win the GOP primary in June. Sand, the state auditor, was the only Democrat to run for his party’s nomination.
Two and a half months after the primary election, the Cook Political Report changed the governor’s race from a toss-up to “Lean Democrat,” showing Sand in the lead.
The winner in November will succeed Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who said in 2025 that she wouldn’t seek reelection because she wants to spend more time with her family.
Senate Contest a Toss-Up: Cook Report
Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat is up for grabs in a toss-up election among Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek, and Libertarian Thomas Laehn.
The candidates are looking to succeed Republican incumbent Sen. Joni Ernst, who is not running for reelection.
The Cook Political Report ranked the seat as “Lean Republican” until it pivoted to “Toss Up” on Aug. 20.
Hinson and Turek sparred over attendance records, personal finances, and foreign conflicts during a televised debate on WHO 13 in Des Moines on Oct. 14.
“I’ve done hundreds of in-person town halls, meanwhile, Ashley Hinson, since she’s running for the U.S. Senate, has not done a single in-person town hall,” Turek alleged.
Hinson responded, “I’ve done more town halls than the percentage of time he showed up to work this year. Forty-two percent of the time is all [that] Rep. Turek showed up to work this year.”
The Trump-backed Republican added that a worker with such poor attendance would be fired.
Turek missed 261 of the 445 votes, roughly 58 percent, held on the state House floor during Iowa’s legislative session from Jan. 12 to April 2, 2026.
Billy Fuerst, the Hinson campaign communications director, told The Epoch Times via email that since Hinson was elected to Congress in 2020, she has held 47 in-person town halls and more than 30 telephone town halls.
A campaign spokesperson for Turek said Hinson “doesn’t want to face Iowans” about her Republican voting record.
2 of 4 House Seats Lean Democrat: Cook Report
Iowa has four U.S. House seats on the ballot this fall, with Republican incumbents in the 1st and 3rd Congressional districts.
In Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, which covers the southeast part of the state, including Iowa City and Davenport, incumbent Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks is trying to fend off former state Rep. Christina Bohannan and independent candidate Michael Bridgford.
The Cook Political Report changed the race from “Toss-Up” to “Lean Democrat” on Oct. 9, just days before early voting began.
Meanwhile, in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, which covers southwest Iowa including Des Moines, incumbent Republican Zach Nunn is trying to stop state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, a Democrat, from taking his seat.
The Cook Political Report also changed the race from “Toss-Up” to “Lean Democrat” on Oct. 9.
The race for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, which has been a safe seat for Republicans, among Republican former state Rep. Joe Mitchell, Democrat state Rep. Lindsay James, and independents Dave Bushaw and Rick Stewart was changed from “Lean Republican” to “Toss-Up” on Oct. 9.
The Cook Political Report ranks the 4th Congressional District a “Solid Republican” seat and predicts Siouxland Chamber of Commerce President Chris McGowan, a Republican, will beat Democratic former state Rep. David Dawson this fall. Incumbent Randy Feenstra ran for governor but lost in the GOP primary.
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