Mahaska County Voters Help Shape Legislative and Statewide Primary Races
Voters cast ballots at Beacon City Hall during Iowa’s 2026 primary election on Tuesday. The polling location, which serves Beacon-area residents, was one of several voting sites across Mahaska County where voters selected nominees for county, legislative, congressional, and statewide offices that will advance to the November general election. Photo by Oskaloosa News.
The most direct impact for Mahaska County residents came in races for the Iowa Legislature, where local voters helped determine who will advance to the November general election.
Senate District 19: McCulla Wins Three-County Race
Republican voters in Senate District 19 selected Barb Kniff McCulla as their nominee for the Iowa Senate.
Districtwide Results
• Barb Kniff McCulla: 4,192 votes (67.8%)
• Bob Eschliman: 1,979 votes (32.0%)
Mahaska County Results
• Barb Kniff McCulla: 378 votes
• Bob Eschliman: 141 votes
The district includes Jasper, Mahaska, and Marion counties. McCulla carried all three counties and won the district by more than 2,200 votes.
Mahaska County accounted for 519 votes in the race, with voters backing McCulla by nearly a three-to-one margin.
House District 88: Hayes Cruises to Victory
One of the races most important to Mahaska County voters was the Republican primary for House District 88.
Districtwide Results
• Helena Hayes: 2,531 votes (70.4%)
• Aaron Hinnah: 926 votes (25.8%)
• Grant Hill: 136 votes (3.8%)
Mahaska County Results
• Helena Hayes: 1,662 votes
• Aaron Hinnah: 608 votes
• Grant Hill: 68 votes
Mahaska County produced nearly two-thirds of all votes cast in the district and was the driving force behind Hayes’ victory.
House District 88 includes Mahaska, Keokuk, and Jefferson counties.
House District 76
Republican voters in House District 76 selected Derek Wulf as their nominee.
Districtwide Results
• Derek Wulf: 1,680 votes
• Write-in candidates: 5 votes
The district includes Benton, Black Hawk, and Tama counties and does not include Mahaska County. However, the race was on the statewide primary ballot as part of Iowa’s legislative elections.
Congressional District 1
Mahaska County voters once again helped set up a familiar race for Congress.
Republican Results
Districtwide
• Mariannette Miller-Meeks: 35,165 votes
• David Pautsch: 13,949 votes
Mahaska County
• Mariannette Miller-Meeks: 1,858 votes
• David Pautsch: 926 votes
While Miller-Meeks won comfortably districtwide, Pautsch performed better in Mahaska County than he did across the district as a whole.
Democratic Results
Districtwide
• Christina Bohannan: 42,843 votes
• Travis Terrell: 9,754 votes
Mahaska County
• Christina Bohannan: 375 votes
• Travis Terrell: 105 votes
The results set up another Miller-Meeks-Bohannan showdown in November.
Governor
Republican voters selected Zach Lahn as their nominee for governor.
Statewide Results
• Zach Lahn: 80,765 votes
• Randy Feenstra: 79,113 votes
• Adam Steen: 31,087 votes
• Brad Sherman: 15,076 votes
• Eddie Andrews: 7,694 votes
Mahaska County Results
• Zach Lahn: 1,236 votes
• Randy Feenstra: 747 votes
• Adam Steen: 560 votes
• Brad Sherman: 218 votes
• Eddie Andrews: 93 votes
Democratic voters selected Rob Sand.
Statewide Results
• Rob Sand: 189,442 votes
Mahaska County Results
• Rob Sand: 490 votes
U.S. Senate
Republicans selected Ashley Hinson as their nominee for Iowa’s open U.S. Senate seat.
Statewide Results
• Ashley Hinson: 153,179 votes
• Jim Carlin: 53,403 votes
Mahaska County Results
• Ashley Hinson: 1,751 votes
• Jim Carlin: 940 votes
Democrats selected Josh Turek.
Statewide Results
• Josh Turek: 120,438 votes
• Zach Wahls: 71,879 votes
Mahaska County Results
• Josh Turek: 322 votes
• Zach Wahls: 166 votes
Mahaska County’s Influence
While statewide races attracted the most attention, Mahaska County’s largest influence was felt in the legislative contests that directly affect local representation.
Mahaska County supplied more than 65 percent of all votes cast in House District 88 and helped deliver decisive victories for Helena Hayes and Barb Kniff McCulla in races that will determine who represents local residents in the Iowa Legislature.
