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US Politics

Democrat who quit Iowa House race in September wins it anyway

Eric Armstrong stayed on the ballot and won by about nine points, while Republican Keith Jones says the public deserves to know more.

10 news outlets reported this
Liberal3 outletsmidterm wave big enough to elect a dropoutCenter4 outletsA Democratic wave reaching even a withdrawn candidateConservative3 outletsJones's questions about Armstrong's health and past
Published 4 min read
Overview

Democrat Eric Armstrong won the Iowa 20 race in Tuesday's election, even though he suspended his campaign on Sept. 7 citing personal health issues. His name stayed on the ballot. He took about 55% of the vote and beat Republican Keith Jones by 865 votes, a margin of about nine percentage points.

The district covers parts of Council Bluffs and Carter Lake in southwest Iowa. The seat was held by Democrat Josh Turek, who won Iowa's U.S. race. Armstrong, a retired railroad executive, said in an interview with The New York Times that he plans to do his best to represent the district, but that he is still struggling with health issues.

He has not said what the issues are. Jones, a Pottawattamie supervisor and retired police lieutenant, told Fox News Digital in a statement that "we deserve to know more." He asked whether Armstrong lied about being sick to cover a damaging personal story.

Armstrong said in a Facebook post that voters sent a clear message and that he would carry it to the Capitol in January. An Iowa Secretary of State spokesperson told Newsweek that if Armstrong does not take the oath, a vacancy would open on January 2.

Key figures
  • 865 votes Armstrong's winning margin over Keith Jones — The Seattle Times
  • 55.2 percent Armstrong's share of the vote — Newsweek
  • 4,602 votes for Armstrong, unofficial results — Fox News
  • 3,737 votes for Jones, unofficial results — Fox News

Three sides of the story

Liberal3 outlets

midterm wave big enough to elect a dropout

HuffPost opens by pointing to Iowa for anyone questioning the scale of the "blue wave," and it includes Armstrong's thanks to voters and Jones's call for the media to investigate. The New Republic writes that Democrats "apparently didn't even need to run" to win Trump country, and ties the result to Iowans being angry at Republicans. It writes that the district swung to Trump by 20 points two years ago and quotes University of Iowa professor Timothy Hagle saying that if Armstrong misses time it "probably won't be a major concern" in a part-time legislature.

The Daily Beast calls it a Republican getting "walloped" and notes Armstrong has not specified his health issues. It also places the result beside Turek's Senate win, the first for a Democrat in Iowa since 2008, and Trump's two campaign visits for Hinson.

Center4 outlets

A Democratic wave reaching even a withdrawn candidate

The Seattle Times runs an AP report that places Armstrong's win within Democratic gains in Iowa and across the country. It says voters punished Republicans in the over high costs, government corruption and an overseas war. Republicans still control the Iowa Legislature, AP says, but "will have to govern with a smaller House majority and a Democratic governor" after Rob Sand's win.

Newsweek leads with the result and explains that Iowa's withdrawal deadline left Armstrong's name on the ballot. It quotes Vanderbilt professor John Geer: "Even democratic candidates who were not campaigning won." Newsweek also relays what an Iowa Secretary of State spokesperson says would happen if Armstrong does not take the oath, and it reports that Jones has not spoken publicly about the withdrawal.

The Hill reports that Armstrong won by about 9 percentage points and around 865 votes, on an election night Democrats have declared a "blue tsunami." NewsNation headlines the win as a Democrat who stopped running being elected anyway, and says the Election Day blue wave reached past the national contests.

Conservative3 outlets

Jones's questions about Armstrong's health and past

Fox News puts Jones's challenge in its headline: "We deserve to know more." It quotes Jones saying serious rumors held that Armstrong hid a background that could have disqualified him. Jones also asks, "Did he lie about being sick to cover a damaging personal story?" and whether Armstrong is healthy enough to hold office.

Fox gives the unofficial counts, 4,602 votes for Armstrong and 3,737 for Jones, and says Armstrong did not immediately respond to its request for comment. The New York Post leads with the win and describes the health issues as "unspecified." It cites the Associated Press projection of a margin of about nine percentage points, and says Armstrong would succeed Josh Turek if able to take his seat.

The Post also reports that Iowa Republicans held their majorities in both the state House and the state Senate, in what it calls "a small consolation." It adds that a handful of races were still undecided on Thursday morning. The Washington Times headlines its report "Democrat who quit Iowa race wins anyway" and says he won a state House district despite saying he needed to focus on his health.

What a side did not mention
Where outlets disagree
  • How the district voted in 2024
    • The Seattle Times: Voters in the district backed Trump
    • Newsweek: District voted for Kamala Harris, while the county went to Trump
All sources: 10 articles from 10 outlets

Liberal (3)

Center (4)

Conservative (3)

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Election district

The area whose voters elect one member of a legislature: a seat in the US House or in a state house or senate. The state draws its lines.

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Senate

The upper chamber of Congress: 100 senators, two per state, elected for six years. It confirms judges and ministers and approves treaties.

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County

A division of a state, the main unit of local government. Counties run local courts, the sheriff and the count of votes in elections.

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Midterm elections

US elections halfway through a president's four-year term. The whole House, a third of the Senate and many governors are elected. In 2026 Election Day is November 3.

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