1980 Iowa Senate election

← 1978 November 4, 1980 1982 →
25 out of 50 seats in the Iowa State Senate 26 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Calvin Hultman Lowell Junkins Party Republican Democratic Leader's seat 49th 43rd Last election 28 22 Seats before 29[a] 21 Seats after 29 21 Seat change
Majority Leader before election Calvin Hultman Republican Elected Majority Leader Calvin Hultman Republican

Elections in Iowa
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The 1980 Iowa State Senate elections took place as part of the biennial 1980 United States elections. Iowa voters elected state senators in half of the state senate's districts—the 25 even-numbered state senate districts. State senators serve four-year terms in the Iowa State Senate, with half of the seats up for election each cycle. A statewide map of the 50 state Senate districts in the year 1980 is provided by the Iowa General Assembly here.

The primary election on June 3, 1980, determined which candidates appeared on the November 4, 1980 general election ballot. Primary election results can be obtained here.^[2] General election results can be obtained here.^[3]

Following the previous elections in 1978, Republicans had control of the Iowa state Senate with 28 seats to Democrats' 22 seats. In 1979, Democratic Senator Earl Willits resigned and Republican Gary Baugher won a special election to fill the seat, thereby increasing Republicans' seats to 29.^[a]

To take control of the chamber from Republicans, the Democrats needed to net 5 Senate seats.

Republicans maintained their control of the Iowa State Senate following the 1980 general election with the balance of power remaining unchanged with Republicans holding 29 seats and Democrats having 21 seats after the election.

• NOTE: The 25 odd-numbered districts did not have elections in 1980 so they are not listed here.

Source:^[4]

• Reminder: Only even-numbered Iowa Senate seats were up for election in 1980; therefore, odd-numbered seats did not have elections in 1980 & are not shown.

• Note: If a district does not list a primary, then that district did not have a competitive primary (i.e., there may have only been one candidate file for that district).

• United States elections, 1980
• United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa, 1980
• Elections in Iowa