Sievers Flips Iowa House District 40 Seat
Democrat Heather Sievers defeated Republican incumbent Bill Gustoff in a central Iowa House race during the Nov. 3, 2026 midterm election.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
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Democrat Heather Sievers won Iowa House District 40 with 54% of the vote, defeating Republican incumbent Bill Gustoff. The district includes Altoona and parts of Des Moines, and Sievers had lost to Gustoff in 2024 by 1 percentage point.
Why it matters
The result shifts a competitive Iowa House seat in the Des Moines metro, where Republicans have held the House majority since 2011 and entered the vote with a 66-seat majority and one vacancy. Eighteen Iowa House seats in the Des Moines metro were on the ballot, making the region a key battleground for Iowa's legislative balance.
Sievers captured 54% of the vote in District 40, a reversal of Gustoff's 1 percentage point win in 2024. Of the 100 Iowa House seats on the ballot, ten central Iowa seats were uncontested.
The players
Heather Sievers
Democrat who won Iowa House District 40 after losing to the incumbent in 2024.
Bill Gustoff
Republican incumbent who lost Iowa House District 40 to Sievers.
Molly Buck
Democrat who unseated Republican incumbent Ryan Weldon in Iowa House District 41.
The details
Democrat Molly Buck also unseated Republican incumbent Ryan Weldon in Iowa House District 41. Ivette Muhammad won House District 33 with 70% of the vote, and Austin Baeth won House District 36 with 82%.
Timeline
Nov. 3, 2026: Midterm election voting for Iowa House seats held.
Political Context
Republicans have held the Iowa House majority since 2011, and the 2026 results in Des Moines-area districts test whether that control can hold. Democratic challengers' gains in District 40 and District 41 suggest competitive pressure in the metro's suburban House seats.
Iowa voters in these districts now have newly elected House members who will shape state policy beginning with the next legislative session. The results affect how closely Iowa's House majority is contested in future cycles.
The takeaway
Iowa's House results show that competitive suburban and metro districts can shift even when one party has long held the majority. Readers tracking state politics should watch how these newly seated members vote in the next session.
Further reading
Explore more on Elections coverage across Iowa's legislative races.
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