Baier Wins Iowa Senate District 9 Seat
Republican Steve Baier defeats Democrat James Uhlenkamp to succeed retiring State Senator Tom Shipley.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
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Republican Steve Baier defeated Democrat James Uhlenkamp in the Iowa Senate District 9 race, winning 67.4% of the vote. Baier takes over the seat from retiring State Senator Tom Shipley, who served 12 years at the Iowa Statehouse.
Why it matters
The result keeps the Iowa State Senate under Republican control, where the party holds a 32-18 edge, and gives Iowa's southwest region a new senator. Baier's win also places a former chemistry and physics teacher with local government experience into the state legislature.
Baier won 67.4% of the vote in Senate District 9, which covers Page, Montgomery, Taylor, Adams, Cass and Ringgold counties and part of Union County. Republicans hold a 57-43 majority in the Iowa State House, and the district's outcome does not change that balance.
The players
Steve Baier
Steve Baier is a Republican who won the Iowa Senate District 9 seat, previously a longtime teacher and chair of the Cass County Board of Supervisors.
Tom Shipley
Tom Shipley is a Republican Iowa state senator who served 12 years at the Statehouse before retiring and leaving the District 9 seat open.
James Uhlenkamp
James Uhlenkamp is the Democratic candidate who lost the Iowa Senate District 9 race to Steve Baier.
The details
Baier, who graduated from Duke University in 1978, returned to the area in 1981 and taught chemistry and physics for more than 25 years in Griswold and Atlantic. He currently chairs the Cass County Board of Supervisors and says roughly 80% of the legislation he works on is bipartisan.
Timeline
1978: Baier graduates from Duke University.
1981: Baier returns to the area and begins teaching in Griswold and Atlantic.
Nov. 3, 2026: Baier defeats Uhlenkamp in the Senate District 9 election.
Political Context
The result preserves Republican control of the Iowa State Senate at 32-18 and the State House at 57-43, a balance that Democrats' gubernatorial win by Rob Sand does not alter. The seat change keeps the chamber's partisan split intact while the new senator begins his term.
Iowa residents in Page, Montgomery, Taylor, Adams, Cass, Ringgold and part of Union counties now have Steve Baier as their state senator. The change affects who represents their district in the Iowa Statehouse rather than any immediate change to state law or taxes.
The takeaway
Voters in Iowa's southwest counties now have a new state senator with classroom and county government experience. Following a senator's legislative record over time is the most direct way to track how the seat is used.
Further reading
Explore more Iowa Elections coverage on Wisevoter.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KMAland.
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