Matt Blake, a Democrat from Urbandale, will take his place in the Iowa Senate when the 2025 Legislative Session begins in January.
With all precincts reporting in the district, Blake has won 52.35% to 47.48%. The new state senator unseated 19-year incumbent Sen. Brad Zaun, a Republican from Urbandale, by 1,776 votes (19,106 to 17,330) and flipped Senate District 22 to Democratic control.
The 50-person Iowa Senate currently has 16 Democratic members. They are frequently outvoted or overruled by the Republican majority. Blake’s election is one step to a more representative Iowa Senate.
Republicans have held both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s office since 2016.
Blake, a former member of the Urbandale City Council, ran on community service and particularly on ending the private school voucher program, investing more state money in public schools, getting rid of the abortion ban, and working with farmers to improve water quality in the state.
Senate District 22 includes most of Urbandale and Johnston. The area has moved closer to the middle politically, if not outright leaning toward Democrats.
For years, Zaun has attacked the public schools and teachers in the district with far-right policies and threats to pass legislation to charge teachers with felonies over books in their classrooms. He also voted against reproductive freedom for years.
Blake said he thinks the legislature should focus more on issues impacting Iowans’ day-to-day lives.
