Republicans win local statehouse seats as GOP has supermajority in both Iowa House, Senate

MASON CITY — A Republican has won a seat in a Mason City-based Iowa House district for the first time since the 2008 election as Christian Hermanson beat Democrat Jeremy True 8051-7695 on Tuesday for the House District 59 seat that also includes most of the eastern two-thirds of Cerro Gordo County.

Hermanson talks about flipping the seat from blue to red.   “We ran a very middle-of-the-road platform. We were very focused on community issues that are important to the residents in House District 59, Cerro Gordo County and North Iowa, and I think that just resonated with everybody.”

Hermanson thanks the voters of the district for believing in him.   “We’ll take the win. It’s a vote of confidence in the platform I was running on and the ambitions that I have for the district in wanting to see improvements in our community and how our state runs.”

The last time a Mason City-based House seat was held by a Republican was when current Mason City mayor Bill Schickel held the seat from 2003 to 2009. 

MASON CITY — State Senate District 30 will stay Republican as Doug Campbell of Mason City beat Democrat Rich Lorence with 61% of the vote, 20221 to 12744. Campbell was not available for comment last night after the race was decided. Campbell will take over the seat that was vacated by Republican Waylon Brown, who resigned shortly after the June primary. 

NORTHWOOD — Two local Republicans of the Iowa House ran unopposed for re-election, as Jane Bloomingdale of Northwood was uncontested for her District 60 seat that includes Clear Lake, the western third of Cerro Gordo County, all of Worth and Mitchell counties, and far northwestern Floyd County. Shannon Latham of Sheffield was unopposed in House District 55

— Republicans also won re-election in the other north-central Iowa seats in the Iowa House:

== House District 9 — Henry Stone (R-Forest City) 11737, Christian He-Man Schlaerth (D-Forest City) 4262

== House District 56 — Mark Thompson (R-Clarion) 11159, Kyle Kruse (D-Hardy) 3873

== House District 58 — Charley Thomson (R-Charles City) 10043, Gail Allison (D-Ionia) 5776

== Senate District 28 (5 of 6 counties reporting, Story County not reported as of 5:00 AM) — Dennis Guth (R-Klemme) 19330, Cynthia Oppedal Paschen (D-Jewell) 7837

DES MOINES — Republicans have secured supermajorities in both the House and Senate after Tuesday’s election. Unofficial results indicate Republicans will hold the 34-seat majority they’ve had the last two years, and Republicans have now expanded their majority to 67 seats in the House.