Armstrong Wins Iowa House District 20 Despite Withdrawal
Democrat Eric Armstrong won a state House seat after ending his campaign in September due to health problems.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
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Democrat Eric Armstrong won Iowa House District 20 with 4,602 votes to Republican Keith Jones's 3,737 votes. Armstrong had quit his campaign on September 7 citing health problems, and most Iowa Democrats had expected to lose the district.
Why it matters
The result came as Iowa Democrats won the governor's race for the first time since 2006 and flipped three Republican-held congressional seats. Before the election, Democrats held one statewide office and no Iowa congressional seats.
Armstrong's 4,602 votes outpaced Jones's 3,737 votes in a district Republicans had been expected to hold. Armstrong's withdrawal came from health problems, and the source does not detail the ballot status of his candidacy after September 7.
The players
Eric Armstrong
Democratic candidate from Carter Lake who won Iowa House District 20 after withdrawing from his campaign in September.
Keith Jones
Republican candidate who lost Iowa House District 20 to Armstrong.
Josh Turek
Iowa state representative who gave up his House seat to run for the U.S. Senate and won that race against Rep. Ashley Hinson.
The details
Armstrong stepped down from his campaign effective immediately on September 7 to prioritize his health and recovery, posting the announcement on Facebook. He won the seat that state Rep. Josh Turek gave up to run for the U.S. Senate, while Turek went on to defeat Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) in that race.
Timeline
September 7: Armstrong announces withdrawal from his House campaign via Facebook.
November 4, 2026: Election day; Armstrong wins Iowa House District 20.
Political Context
Iowa Democrats had held no congressional seats and one statewide office before this election, despite a Republican registration advantage of about 175,000 voters. Democrats won the governor's race, a U.S. Senate seat, and flipped three Republican-held congressional seats, departing from the expected GOP dominance in the state.
Iowa House District 20 now has a Democratic representative, shifting the balance of the state House. Voters in the district will be represented by Armstrong, who won despite having ended his campaign in September.
The takeaway
Armstrong's win shows that a candidate who stepped away from campaigning can still prevail in a district where the outcome was widely expected to favor the other party. The result adds to a broader Democratic gain across Iowa in this election cycle.
Further reading
For more on how the state's races turned out, see Elections coverage across Iowa.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Raw Story.
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