Photo: Hardman for City Council
Democrat Renee Hardman has made history as the first Black woman to be elected to the Iowa Senate, a move that blocked Republicans from regaining a powerful supermajority in the chamber, per NBC News.
On Tuesday (December 30), Hardman defeated Republican Lucas Loftin by a wide margin in a special election to represent parts of the Des Moines suburbs. Tuesday's election came after the October death of Democratic Sen. Claire Celsi.
Hardman, the CEO of Lutheran Services of Iowa and a member of the West Des Moines City Council, is filling an Iowa Senate seat at a pivotal moment. Republicans briefly held a supermajority earlier this year, but Democrats flipped a GOP seat in an August special election. Celsi’s death reduced Democratic numbers again, making Tuesday’s race critical for control of the chamber.
The district leans Democratic, with registered Democrats outnumbering Republicans by roughly 3,300 voters. Still, the outcome carries statewide implications. Without a supermajority, Republicans must now secure at least one Democratic vote to confirm Gov. Kim Reynolds’ appointments to state agencies and commissions.
Hardman’s victory is being celebrated as a major political win for Democrats and a milestone for representation in Iowa’s Legislature.
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