Catelin Drey (D) defeated Christopher Prosch (R) in the special general election for Iowa state Senate District 1 on August 26, 2025. The previous incumbent, Rocky De Witt (R), died on June 25, 2025.

Leading up to the election, Republicans had a 33-16 majority in the Iowa Senate with one vacancy. Drey’s win meant that Republicans would have a 33-17 majority in the Senate, one seat short of a two-thirds supermajority.

In Iowa, the governor appoints department heads, agency heads, and other non-elected state officials. The governor’s appointments are generally subject to Senate approval and require a two-thirds majority vote to be confirmed. Among the appointed positions requiring Senate approval are the Commissioner of Insurance, Director of Education, Director of Natural Resources, and the Iowa Utilities Board. Click here to learn more about Iowa’s state executives.

Drey was a marketing executive and founder of the group Moms for Iowa, which described itself as a grassroots organization focused on “curbing gun violence and championing women’s reproductive rights.” Drey said her top priority was to increase state education funding in the district. Other priorities listed on Drey’s campaign website include “Affordable, accessible childcare,” “Bodily Autonomy,” and “Economic mobility.”

Prosch was the owner of a media consulting firm in Sioux City. On his campaign website, Prosch described himself as “a principled, common sense conservative” who “believes in limited government, fiscal responsibility, and the traditional family values that have always been the bedrock of our community.” Prosch said his top priority was to eliminate the state income tax. Other priorities listed on his campaign website include “Securing the Border & Ending Illegal Immigration,” “Empowering Parents & Prioritizing Education,” and “Protecting the Unborn.”

This was the fourth special state legislative election in Iowa in 2025.

Before the election, The Downballot’s David Nir and Jeff Singer wrote, “The district has bounced back and forth in recent years, with Democrats flipping it in 2018 only to give it right back four years later. In 2024, it supported Donald Trump by a 55-44 margin, but Democrats are hopeful about their chances given their strong overperformances in three other Iowa special elections this year.”

The other three special state legislative elections in Iowa this year were in Senate District 35, House District 78, and House District 100. Democrats gained one seat in the Senate after they won in Senate District 35 and retained control in House District 78. Republicans retained control in House District 100.

At the time of the election, Republicans also had a majority in the Iowa General Assembly, and Gov. Kim Reynolds was a Republican, meaning Iowa had a Republican trifecta.