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Renee Hardman, a West Des Moines council member and president and CEO of Lutheran Services in Iowa, won a special election Tuesday for Iowa Senate District 16, according to unofficial results.
Hardman’s win means Democrats retain the seat, formerly held by the late Sen. Claire Celsi, and they have stopped Republicans from potentially regaining a supermajority in the Senate.
“Our community made their voices heard tonight,” Hardman said. “You braved the weather, you ignored the noise and the nonsense … I am ready to work as your next senator.”
Hardman ran against Republican Lucas Loftin, who works for the forestry and environmental service company, Wright Service Corporation. Loftin and his wife are active in the homeschooling community.
Unofficial results posted by the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office showed Hardman with 71.5% of the vote to 28.5% for Loftin with all precincts reporting.
Loftin, in a social media post Tuesday night said that while the results were not “what we wanted,” he would continue to have a smile on his face.
“We ran a good race, we are proud of the effort that we put in,” Loftin said.
Republicans lost their supermajority in the Senate after two earlier special elections, one in January after Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer joined Gov. Kim Reynolds’ administration and another after the death of Sen. Rocky De Witt, R-Lawton, in August. Democrats Sen. Mike Zimmer of DeWitt and Sen. Catelin Drey of Sioux City secured the seats.
With a supermajority, Republicans would have a two-thirds majority in the chamber without having to solicit a vote from a Democrat on matters like governor’s nominee confirmations.
Reynolds scheduled the Dec. 30 special election after the October death of Celsi, D-West Des Moines, who served as senator since 2018. The district comprises portions of Polk and Dallas counties, including parts of West Des Moines, Clive and Windsor Heights.
Hardman formerly worked in administrative and human resources roles at Bankers Trust, Broadlawns Medical Center in Des Moines and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa.
Hardman was noted as a “spotlight candidate” for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee – a national Democrats’ campaign focused on state legislatures.
The campaign’s president Heather Williams said in a statement that Democrats have been “on fire” with recent special election wins. In addition to the Iowa Senate Democrat wins, Rep. Angelina Ramirez, D-Cedar Rapids and Rep. Blaine Watkins, R-Donnellson, won special elections in the spring.
“Tonight, Iowans rebuked GOP chaos by blocking a toxic Republican supermajority, and made history by electing the first Black woman to serve in the Iowa Senate,” Williams said.
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart congratulated Hardman in a statement Tuesday and said Hardman is “ready to step up to take on an even larger role” in the state.
“Renee Hardman crafted a well-run grassroots campaign focused on affordability, and Democrats across Iowa worked tirelessly to end 2025 with another 40-point victory to prevent a new Republican supermajority,” Hart said.
by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch
Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com.
