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United States Senate election in Iowa, 2016
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Presidential • U.S. Senate • U.S. House • State Senate • State House • State judges • Local judges • Candidate ballot access |
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November 8, 2016 |
June 7, 2016 |
Chuck Grassley |
Chuck Grassley |
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Cook Political Report: Likely R[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2] Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe R[3] |
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Voters in Iowa elected one member to the U.S. Senate in the election on November 8, 2016.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated Iowa's U.S. Senate race as safely Republican. Incumbent Chuck Grassley (R) won re-election, defeating Patty Judge (D), Charles Aldrich (L), Jim Hennager (New Independent Party Iowa), and Michael Luick-Thrams (I) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Grassley faced no opponent in the Republican primary on June 7, 2016, while Judge defeated Rob Hogg, Bob Krause, and Tom Fiegen to win the Democratic nomination.[4][5]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Iowa, state law provides for a closed primary where every voter must be affiliated with a party in order to participate in its primary. However, a voter can change his or her political party affiliation on Election Day, creating what is effectively an open primary.[6]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent: The election filled the Class 3 Senate seat held by Chuck Grassley (R). He was first elected in 1980. Grassley announced in September 2013 that he would seek re-election in 2016.[7] In an interview with CQ Roll Call, Grassley stated that he began planning for his 2016 re-election in early 2014.
He emphasized that, due to the increasing costs of running campaigns, he had been working more intensively with the Republican Party nationally to acquire more funding. Grassley said he expected more support for his re-election due to Iowa being the first state in the Presidential Caucus. "When I have what you might call house parties or, or fundraising parties in homes in Iowa, I think I can call on a lot of presidential candidates that’ll help me get out a big crowd," he said.[8]
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Chuck Grassley Incumbent |
60.1% | 926,007 | |
| Democratic | Patty Judge | 35.7% | 549,460 | |
| Libertarian | Charles Aldrich | 2.7% | 41,794 | |
| New Independent Party Iowa | Jim Hennager | 1.1% | 17,649 | |
| Independent | Michael Luick-Thrams | 0.3% | 4,441 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0.1% | 1,685 | |
| Total Votes | 1,541,036 | |||
| Source: Iowa Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Patty Judge |
47.7% | 46,322 | ||
| Rob Hogg | 38.9% | 37,801 | ||
| Thomas Fiegen | 6.8% | 6,573 | ||
| Bob Krause | 6.6% | 6,425 | ||
| Total Votes | 97,121 | |||
| Source: Iowa Secretary of State |
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Candidates
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General election candidates: |
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Primary candidates:[9] |
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Democratic Bob Krause - Former state rep.[11] Tom Fiegen - Former state sen.[12] Patty Judge - Former Lt. Gov.[13] |
Republican |
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Third Party/Other |
Endorsements
Rob Hogg
- The Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club - "The Sierra Club is proud to endorse Rob Hogg for Senate and we are confident that he will continue to be a champion in the fight to protect the health and well-being of Iowa’s families. In the Senate, Hogg will continue to protect our air and water, work to expand access to public lands and parks, and take on corporate polluters."[18]
Patty Judge
- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) - "Patty Judge is a farmer, a nurse, and a terrific public servant who is a proven leader for Iowa’s middle class families. Patty has spent her career working for Iowa and will continue that work in the United States Senate. Iowans are frustrated that Senate Republicans refuse to do their jobs on the Supreme Court nomination and want a Senator that will put their interests first – Patty will be that Senator. The DSCC is proud to support Patty Judge in this campaign."
Polls
| Iowa Senate - Chuck Grassley vs. Patty Judge | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Poll | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||||||||||
| Des Moines Register October 3-6, 2016 | 53% | 36% | +/-3.9 | 642 | |||||||||||||||
| Loras College September 20-22, 2016 | 54% | 37% | +/-4.4 | 491 | |||||||||||||||
| Quinnipiac University September 13-21, 2016 | 55% | 43% | +/-4.0 | 612 | |||||||||||||||
| Monmouth University September 12-14, 2016 | 56% | 39% | +/-4.9 | 404 | |||||||||||||||
| CBS News/YouGov August 17-19, 2016 | 45% | 38% | +/-4.0 | 987 | |||||||||||||||
| Quinnipiac University August 9-16, 2016 | 51% | 42% | +/-3.4 | 846 | |||||||||||||||
| Suffolk University August 8-10, 2016 | 52% | 42% | +/-4.4 | 500 | |||||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
Media
Chuck Grassley
Support
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Opposition
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Patty Judge
Support
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Opposition
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Election history
2014
On November 4, 2014, Joni Ernst (R) defeated Bruce Braley (D), Douglas Butzier (L), Rick Stewart (I), Ruth Smith (I) and Bob Quast (I) in the general election. She won the seat vacated by Senator Tom Harkin (D), who decided to retire at the end of his term.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Joni Ernst |
52.1% | 588,575 | |
| Democratic | Bruce Braley | 43.8% | 494,370 | |
| Independent | Rick Stewart | 2.4% | 26,815 | |
| Libertarian | Douglas Butzier | 0.7% | 8,232 | |
| Independent | Ruth Smith | 0.5% | 5,873 | |
| Independent | Bob Quast | 0.4% | 4,724 | |
| Write-in | Other | 0.1% | 1,111 | |
| Total Votes | 1,129,700 | |||
| Source: Iowa Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
2010
| U.S. Senate, Iowa General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Chuck Grassley Incumbent |
64.4% | 718,215 | |
| Democratic | Roxanne Conlin | 33.3% | 371,686 | |
| Libertarian | John Heiderscheit | 2.3% | 25,290 | |
| Total Votes | 1,115,191 | |||
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: Iowa elections, 2016
The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Iowa in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description | |
| February 29, 2016 | Ballot access | Primary candidate filing period opens | |
| March 18, 2016 | Ballot access | Primary candidate filing period ends | |
| May 19, 2016 | Campaign finance | Report due covering January 1 through May 14 | |
| June 3, 2016 | Campaign finance | Special supplementary report due for certain contributions | |
| June 7, 2016 | Election date | Primary election | |
| July 19, 2016 | Campaign finance | Report due covering May 15 through July 14 | |
| August 1, 2016 | Ballot access | General election candidate filing period opens | |
| August 19, 2016 | Ballot access | General election candidate filing period ends | |
| October 19, 2016 | Campaign finance | Report due covering July 15 through October 14 | |
| November 4, 2016 | Campaign finance | Special supplementary report due for certain contributions | |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election | |
| January 19, 2017 | Campaign finance | Report due covering October 15 through December 31 | |
| Sources: Iowa Secretary of State, "Three Year Election Calendar," accessed June 5, 2015 Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, "Reporting Dates," accessed June 5, 2015 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa, 2016
- United States Senate elections, 2016
- Chuck Grassley
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2016 Senate Race Ratings," accessed October 19, 2016
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 Senate," accessed October 19, 2016
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "Senate Ratings," accessed October 19, 2016
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Candidate Listing by Office," accessed March 19, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times "Iowa Caucus Results," June 7, 2016
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State Website, "Voter Registration FAQ," accessed July 21, 2025
- ↑ Des Moines Register, "Iowa’s Chuck Grassley: I am running for re-election (updated)," accessed September 20, 2013
- ↑ Roll Call, "Grassley Preps 2016 Re-Election," January 21, 2015
- ↑ Candidates are listed by party and alphabetically within each party.
- ↑ KCRG.com, "Cedar Rapids State Sen. Rob Hogg running for U.S. Senate," September 21, 2015
- ↑ Bob Krause for U.S. Senate, "Home," accessed October 26, 2015
- ↑ Tom Fiegen for U.S. Senate, "Home," accessed October 26, 2015
- ↑ The Des Moines Register, "It's official: Patty Judge challenges Chuck Grassley," March 4, 2016
- ↑ Radio Iowa, "Senator Grassley begins campaign for 7th term," March 31, 2015
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Candidate Listing by Office," accessed March 19, 2016
- ↑ Libertarian Party, "Chuck Aldrich," accessed September 27, 2016
- ↑ Bleeding Heartland, "IA-Sen: Two big labor endorsements for Rob Hogg," April 30, 2016
- ↑ Sierra Club, "Sierra Club Endorses Rob Hogg for U.S. Senate," May 24, 2016
- ↑ Radio Iowa, "EMILY’s List endorses U.S. Senate candidate Patty Judge," June 15, 2016
For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!