Election Day in Iowa. It came and went, just like any other day. But it was not just like any other day. Far from it.
Letâs take a look at Iowa races.
How did Life Right Action endorsed candidates fare?
Champions for Life Endorsements
Our Wins
Governor Kim Reynolds and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg were re-elected! This is a HUGE victory, hard-earned and well-deserved.
Secretary of State Paul Pate and Congressman Steve King also secured victories.
Of 10 endorsed State Senate candidates, 9 won. They are: Senators Jim Carlin, Tim Kraayenbrink, Jason Schultz, Tom Shipley, Julian Garrett, Zach Nunn, Jack Whitver, Annette Sweeney and Roby Smith.
We endorsed 41 Champions for Life in the Iowa House. To date, 36 won, with one race still undetermined.
They are: Representatives John Wills, Megan Lee Hess Jones, Dan Huseman, Skyler Wheeler, Jacob Bossman, Tedd Gassman, Terry Baxter, Mike Sexton, Gary Worthan, Brian Best, Mary Ann Hanusa, Matt Windschitl, Steven Holt, Chris Hagenow, Tom Moore, Jon Jacobsen, David Sieck, Cecil Dolecheck, Stan Gustafson, Joel Fry, John Landon, Robert Bacon, Dave Deyoe, Pat Grassley, Linda Upmeyer, Shannon Lundgren, Sandy Salmon, Ashley Hinson, Dean Fisher, Bobby Kaufmann, Jarad Klein, David Kerr, Gary Carlson, Ross Paustian, Gary Mohr and Norlin Mommsen.
Rep. Michael Bergan has a very slight lead over his Planned Parenthood-endorsed opponent in House District 55, a race that has not yet been called.
Our Life Defenders Endorsements
We endorsed Jeremy Davis for Treasurer, two state senator candidates and 6 in state representative races.
Zach Whiting was successful and is now a state senator-elect! Brian Lohse and Tom Gerhold gained victories in the House and are headed to the State Capitol!
Our Losses
While Iowans were successful at keeping many, like WrongWayFred Hubbell, from office, we must address where we lost.
Planned Parenthood Voters of Iowa (PPVI) endorsed candidates up and down the Iowa ballot. Races they won include defeating our pro-life Auditor Mary Mosiman. We now have Rob Sand.
We lost pro-life champions, Congressmen Rod Blum and David Young. They were replaced by pro-abortion women, Abby Finkenauer and Cindy Axne.
Pro-life Jeremy Davis was unsuccessful in his tireless bid to unseat Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald.
In the Iowa Senate, PPVI endorsed 8 Senate seats, gaining 5 victories. They are: Jackie Smith, Claire Celsi, Herman Quirmbach, Zach Wahls and Joe Bolkcom. Jackie Smith unseated pro-life Senator Rick Bertrand. Their other wins were not surprising, given the demographics of the cities.
Over in the Iowa House, PPVI endorsed 40 races, winning 21 of those seats. They are, in order of District: Dave Williams, Timi Brown Powers, Liz Bennett, Molly Donahue, Tracy Ehlert, Mark Smith, Jeff Kurtz, Vicki Lensing, Cindy Winckler, Timothy Kacena, Charlie McConkey, Ruth Ann Gaines, Brian Meyer, Bruce Hunter, Marti Anderson, Heather Matson, Karin Deery, Kristin Sunde, Jennifer Konfrst, Lisa Heddens and Lindsay James.
Of note, Champions for Life, Reps. Kevin Koester, Jake Highfill, Peter Cownie and Walt Rogers were each ousted and replaced with PPVI endorsed candidates. As an example, Heather Matson, replacing Rep. Koester, has lobbied for Planned Parenthood and served as the Chair of PPVI.
Recognizing 5 of our Life Defenders Endorsements â Edward Bernie Hayes, LeAnn Hughes, Rebel Snodgrass, Bill Charlier and Greg Malone â while ultimately unsuccessful, they each ran courageous, passionate races against long-time and PPVI endorsed incumbents. We admire their tenacity and are grateful they ran.
In the coming months, following the release of the final candidate contributions reports, we will share our investigation on just how much outside pro-abortion money flowed into these races from organizations like Planned Parenthood Federation of America, NARAL and more. Spoiler alert: ALOT.
So what now?
Months ago, we shared that the abortion industry and its allies were not as pleased as we are at the life-saving work that has transpired in the Statehouse in 2017-2018.
That is reflected in our Election Day results.
We have much to be thankful for â we still have a history making, pro-life Governor! We widened our pro-life margin in the State Senate and maintain a majority, while slimmer, in the House!
Yet we now have an Auditor, two Congresswomen-Elect and several state senators and representatives endorsed by and ready to fight for the abortion industry.
Itâs important that we acknowledge this as we keep Iowa moving forward. We are moving in the right direction, but that doesnât ensure that abortion advocates are looking to remain quiet. Certainly not now â with many Election-Day victories.
How do we keep Iowa SAFE, protecting our most vulnerable from those who support a culture of death?
For starters, we remain:
Supportive of our pro-life political leaders and life-affirming legislation at the Statehouse.
Active, exposing the abortion industry in our Iowa classrooms and communities.
Faithful to our pro-life convictions.
Educated on what culture of death proponents are up to, as they work to further endanger unborn babies, our elderly and disabled, across Iowa and in the Statehouse.
We are so very grateful for every one of you â who, never wavering, continue to stand up for our most vulnerable Iowans, born and unborn.