DES MOINES, Iowa — Voters in Iowa State Senate District 1 have not elected a democrat to represent them since 2018, when it was District 7.

Catelin Drey is a first-time candidate who has been involved in state politics in the advocacy arena. Drey founded Moms For Iowa, a parent-led advocacy organization, and that is what propelled her to run in this special election.

“The Iowa Senate needs more moms. And as of last night, we got one more. I am a working parent, I am happily married to another working parent. And we know what it’s like to try to raise a child in Iowa’s economy right now,” said State Senator-elect Drey (D).

The special election took place after incumbent State Senator Rocky De Witt died of cancer this last June.

Republican challenger Christopher Prosch was running against Drey. Out of the 7,624 votes cast Drey received 55.2% of the vote, 4,208 in total. Prosch accured 44.7%, 3,411 total in the unofficial results from Woodbury County. The county carried President Trump in November of 2024 by double digit points.

The win for Drey on Tuesday broke the Iowa Republican Senate supermajority, a status the caucus had held since the 2022 midterm elections. Drey believed it was issues that voters highlighted to her in the two month blitz of a campaign that propelled her to win.

“The number one thing I kept hearing about over and over again is the affordability crisis in the state of Iowa,” said Drey. “And that’s in relation to our childcare, our health care and our housing. And across the board policies that are coming out of Des Moines, and quite frankly, Washington are not working to alleviate those concerns. And so voters, I think across the state quite frankly, but especially in Senate District one are ready to try something different. “

Drey also pointed to other priorities she holds, like funding public schools at the rate or exceeding inflation. Drey, from Sioux City, represents now the fourth largest district in the state. She also discussed the educational savings accounts and the repercussions, she believes, it has had on rural schools.

The Iowa Democrat saw 17% more financial support than Prosch. He had access to $181,563 in the two month campaign, where Drey had a total of $260,354. Of that total for Drey, $165,385 came in the form of contributions, Prosch had $20,020 in contributions. The rest was filled by parties for both candidates.

There have been four special elections in 2025, two in the Iowa House and two in the Iowa Senate. Iowa Democrats won three out of the four races. While special elections don’t bring out as many voters, the party chair thinks they provide valuable lessons for 2026 after a disappointing 2024 election.

“We had people that were motivated and got out there and really listened to folks,” said Rita Hart, Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party. “And as a result, we’ve got a lot of good information that we know that we’ve got to address as we head into 2026.”

Iowa Republicans responding to the election results last night in a statement.

“National Democrats were so desperate for a win that they activated 30,000 volunteers and a flood of national money to win a state senate special election by a few hundred votes. If the Democrats think things are suddenly so great again for them in Iowa, they will bring back the caucuses.”

Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann

Drey will finish out Senator DeWitt’s term, which ends in 2027. Meaning if she wants the seat again, she will have to run in the 2026 midterms.