Democrat Rob Sand won the gubernatorial race against Republican Zach Lahn with 55.38% of the votes in the 2026 midterm election Tuesday. 

Republican Paul Pate won re-election for Secretary of State; Democrat Nate Willems won the election for Attorney General;  Republican Mike Naig won re-election for Secretary of Agriculture; Democrat Taylor Wettach won Auditor of State; and Republican Roby Smith won re-election for Treasurer of State. 

Secretary of State

Republican incumbent Paul Pate won re-election for Secretary of State against Democrat Ryan Peterman. Pate received 53.20% of the unofficial votes and Peterman received 46.71%.  

Pate served his first term from 1995-1999 and reassumed the position in 2015. 

In that time, he installed the online voter registration system and received five Election Assistance Commission Clearinghouse awards and was named a finalist four times in the National Association of Secretaries of State Innovation, Dedication, Excellence and Achievement in Service award. 

Pate additionally started the Iowa Business Against Trafficking coalition of which 1,000 businesses and 350,000 employees work to end human trafficking. On a similar note the Safe at Home Program initiated by Pate protects the confidentiality of addresses of victims of trafficking, domestic abuse, stalking and sexual assault. 

He also started the Catt Collegiate Challenge to encourage civic engagement and voting on college campuses and the Carrie Chapman Catt award to honor high schools that encourage voter registration. 

Pate’s term will end in 2030. 

Attorney General 

Democrat Nate Willems won the race for Attorney General against Republican incumbent Brenna Bird with 50.79% of the unofficial votes. Bird received 49.10% of unofficial votes. Although one county still must report results in this close election Bird called Willems to congratulate him and Willems announced his win. 

Willems, a lifelong Iowan, has twenty years of experience as a labor attorney. He also previously served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2008 to 2012. 

“I’ll hold the powerful accountable when they break the law, and when the corporations raising your prices rip you off, I’m going to hold them accountable,” Willems stated on his campaign webpage. “I’m going to go after corporations illegally stealing wages from Iowa workers. I’m going to hold polluters accountable for poisoning Iowa’s land, air, and water. And I’m going to be an attorney general who walks in the door every morning asking one question: what can I do today for the 3.3 million Iowans I represent?”

Willems’s term term ends in 2030. 

Secretary of Agriculture  

Republican incumbent Mike Naig won re-election for Secretary of Agriculture against Democrat Chris Jones. From the unofficial vote count Naig received 52.7% of votes and Jones received 47.19%. 

Naig first took office in 2018. 

Naig previously worked with the legislature to pass the ‘Farm to Faucet’ bill in 2026 to manage the water quality crisis. House File 2771 directs $319 million over 12 years to encourage farmers to use cover crops and edge-of-field buffers, supports the Iowa Department of Natural Resources water quality monitoring network and funds the Central Iowa Water Works infrastructure developments to address nitrates. 

In his campaign Naig prioritized policies that open up Iowa farmers to international markets and increase the domestic demand for bio-fuels, meat, dairy and grain. He plans to continue protecting livestock animals from diseases, support new farmers and increasing economic activity in rural communities.  

Naig’s term will end in 2030. 

Auditor of State 

Democrat Taylor Wettach won the race for Auditor of State against Republican Chris Cournoyer securing 50.15% of the vote and Cournoyer with 49.7%. 

Wettach aims to defend the independence of the Auditor’s Office and collaborate with both parties in addition to uncovering waste, fraud and abuse to protect taxpayer dollars. 

“Today, too many Iowans stretched thin by health care, housing, utilities, food, and child care costs – and the last thing they should have to worry about is whether their tax dollars are being wasted, misused, or diverted,” Wettach stated on his campaign webpage.

He has career experience working as a trade and national security lawyer and advising senior government officials. 

Wettach’s term ends in 2030. 

Treasurer of State 

Republican incumbent Roby Smith won the race for Treasurer of State against Democrat John Norwood. Smith secured 50.30% of the votes and Norwood secured 49.60% of the unofficial vote.

Smith campaigned on increasing financial literacy education for high school students and raising awareness about the Iowa Achieving a Better Life Experience (IABLE) program for families to set up tax-advantaged savings and investment accounts for their child with disabilities.

In his role, Smith generated $1 billion for Iowa through short-term investments from 2023-2025. 

Smith’s term ends in 2030.