Democrat Nate Willems has defeated Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, who was seeking a second term. Willems says his victory, alongside other Democrats on the 2026 ticket, will rebalance Iowa politics.
Willems is an attorney who made combatting wage theft the centerpiece of his campaign. He pledges to refocus the office on helping regular Iowans.
In other statewide races, Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig defeated Democratic challenger Chris Jones and Secretary of State Paul Pate was reelected over Democrat Ryan Peterman. State Treasurer Roby Smith won a tight contest over Democrat John Norwood. In the open race to be Iowa’s next state auditor, Democrat Tyler Wettach edged out current Lt. Governor Chris Cournoyer by 6,600 votes.
