Third in a series interpreting the results of Iowa’s 2026 state and federal elections.

For the first time in state history, women will make up more than a third of the 50 Iowa senators in 2027.

The number of women serving in the chamber will rise from fifteen this year to eighteen when lawmakers return to Des Moines in January. A nineteenth woman could be elected to the Senate early next year.

The new record represents rapid change from a decade ago, when only six Iowa state senators were women. It’s consistent with a national trend, as Americans elected more women than ever to state legislatures this month, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

However, the number of women serving in the Iowa House will decline from 29 this year to 27 in January. The high point for female representation in that chamber was the 2019 session, when 34 of the 100 state representatives were women.