Promising to fight for public schools, workers’ rights, safe drinking water, and quality health care, former Democratic State Senator Nate Boulton announced on August 29 that he will run for the Iowa House in 2026. The previous day, longtime Democratic State Representative Rick Olson confirmed he won’t seek another term in Iowa House district 39.

That seat covers part of the east side of Des Moines and Pleasant Hill in eastern Polk County, making up half the Senate district Boulton represented through 2024. Like many similar working-class areas, it was a Democratic stronghold for decades and has shifted toward Republicans during the Trump era.

Boulton, an employment lawyer for many workers and labor unions, served two terms in the Iowa Senate. He initially represented a safe seat for Democrats. Despite sexual harassment allegations that ended his 2018 campaign for governor, he did not face a Democratic primary challenger or a Republican opponent in 2020.

After redistricting removed some heavily Democratic neighborhoods from his territory and added GOP-leaning precincts in eastern Polk County, Boulton lost his 2024 re-election bid by less than 0.2 percent (44 votes out of more than 31,000 ballots cast). Republicans spent more than $750,000 on that Iowa Senate race, and Democrats spent about $500,000.

But Boulton significantly outperformed the Democratic baseline in his Senate district as a whole, and in the precincts where he will run for the state House next year. Bleeding Heartland’s analysis of the 2024 precinct-level results from House district 39, which can be viewed here, show Donald Trump edged out Kamala Harris in the area (49.6 percent to 48.9 percent). In contrast, Boulton received more of the votes cast for state Senate (51.4 percent to 48.3 percent for Republican Mike Pike). He received a higher vote share than Harris in all twelve precincts and more raw votes than his party’s presidential nominee in eight of them.

Neither party targeted Olson’s race in House district 39, and the incumbent handily defeated GOP challenger Troy Clark by 54.6 percent to 45.2 percent. Olson also received a higher vote share than Harris in all twelve precincts and more raw votes than the top of the ticket in nine of them.

According to the latest figures from the Iowa Secretary of State’s office, House district 39 contains 7,044 registered Democrats, 5,617 Republicans, 6,610 no-party voters, and 228 voters with some other registration (mostly Libertarians). Given the district’s lean, other Democrats may seek the nomination next year. It’s unlikely to become a top target for Republicans in the midterm election.

District map:

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Full text of August 29 news release:

Nate Boulton to Run for Des Moines/Pleasant Hill Iowa House Seat

Former state senator Nate Boulton has announced he will run for the Iowa House of Representatives in 2026 following the recent announcement that longtime state representative Rick Olson will not run for re-election next year. Olson represents House District 39, a district that includes east Des Moines and Pleasant Hill. 

Boulton represented the area in the Iowa Senate for eight years, from 2017-2025. He lost a bid for a third term in the Senate in 2024 in one of the state’s closest races after a recount confirmed a margin of only 44 votes out of the over 31,000 votes cast in the race—despite Boulton performing five percentage points better than the top of the Democratic ticket in that election. 

Boulton said he is ready to get to work right away: “I’m standing for election because this is truly a critical moment for our state. The things I’ve fought to improve for years, strong public schools, bettering the quality of life for working Iowans and protecting their rights, ensuring quality and accessible health care for Iowans, and taking care of our natural resources and addressing water quality, are all at a crossroads. It’s time to rise to meet those challenges and deliver a better, brighter future for our state.”

Boulton is a workers’ rights attorney who represents injured workers in workers’ compensation claims, wrongfully terminated employees, and labor unions. He and his wife Andrea live in east Des Moines and have two young daughters. 

Full video announcing Nate Boulton’s candidacy: