Iowa election results offer winning blueprint for Democrats against MAGA | Opinion

A special election win in Iowa is a sign of good things to come for Democrats – if they can keep up the momentum.

Democrat Catelin Drey beat Republican Christopher Prosch with 55% of the vote in Senate District 1. With this win, the Democrats flipped the seat and broke the Republican supermajority for the first time in three years.

The special election was to replace Republican Sen. Rocky De Witt, who died in June. Drey will serve the remainder of De Witt’s term and will be up for re-election in November 2026.

Democrats across the country promptly rejoiced when they heard the news, taking it as a sign that President Donald Trump’s grip on the country is weakening.

“Iowans are seeing Republicans for who they are: self-serving liars who will throw their constituents under the bus to rubber-stamp Donald Trump’s disastrous agenda — and they’re ready for change," Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin said in a statement.

I believe that it’s true that Democrats in Iowa and across the country want to see the party rise and defeat Trump. I also think the party should be wary of getting too confident. After all, they’re still facing underwater polling, a lack of party leadership, and a seemingly strong Republican Party.

What can Democrats learn from Catelin Drey's Iowa campaign? A lot.

Several factors worked in Drey’s favor, including her messaging and the Democratic infrastructure that came to support her.

Drey focused heavily on the economy this cycle, as opposed to social issues or simply the fact that she wasn’t a Republican (two things that have been focal points for the Democrats over the last few years).

She focused on the high cost of living and unaffordability in her state, as well as funding education. Her messaging on policy, rather than general ideas about being the “non-MAGA” candidate, helped her in the long run.

She was also bolstered by funding and a strong Democratic organizing initiative. Drey’s campaign raised $165,385 and spent $75,066. According to Martin, 30,000 volunteers were mobilized for the special election, helping with things like phone and text banking.

Drey’s win is proof that if Democrats spend their money wisely – on organizing, rather than just television ads – they can get their message across. Grassroots campaigns work. It’s also proof that the Democrats need to focus their messaging on issues that are plaguing voters, specifically the ever-increasing cost of everything, as opposed to simply saying they are better than Trump and MAGA. Clearly, that hasn’t worked in the last nine years; it’s about time the party catches on.

Democrats need to be honest about the uphill battle ahead

Still, the Democrats aren’t out of the woods yet. The public still doubts them: a poll from The Wall Street Journal from July found that the party has a net -30% favorability rating, lower than that of Trump and the GOP. Another poll from Gallupfound that less than 1% of Democrats are satisfied with the way the country is going – meaning Democrats have an opportunity to win back their voters, but haven’t achieved that. I think it's because of their inability to seize on Trump's growing failure.

It’s easy to see why the Democrats are so unpopular. After their defeat in 2024, the party has been scrambling to figure out how to respond, which has resulted in them doing nothing. There’s no clear leadership, save for maybe California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his X feed.

The Democrats are also losing on the messaging front, choosing to let Republicans define them rather than taking matters into their own hands. This is visible in the debate over trans people and immigration, but also in the way the party talks about the economy.

I understand that there’s very little the Democrats can do in terms of governing. They are in the minority in Congress and have minimal support from the U.S. Supreme Court. But it’s clear that something, anything, would be better than doing nothing as the president destroys the country. Voters want the Democrats to show some fight and offer something tangible.

Even the Iowa win wasn’t the blowout it could have been – Drey won by about 800 votes. So yes, this is a win for the Democratic Party. What matters, however, is whether they can learn from what worked in this election and implement that strategy before the 2026 midterms.