REAL DUBUQUE NEWS (RDN)
Election Day in Dubuque: polls open until 8 p.m., Rdn follows the returns all night
LOCAL NEWS WIRE • November 03, 2026
Voters in Dubuque County decide the governor, the U.S. Senate seat, Amendment 1 and a full county slate Tuesday. Polls close at 8 p.m., and RDN covers the results live starting at 8:05.
KEY FACTS & RECORD HIGHLIGHTS
- Polls open 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. CT on Tue Nov. 3 in Iowa.
- Governor (open seat): Rob Sand / Dave Muhlbauer (D) vs. Zach Lahn / Derek Wulf (R).
- U.S. Senate (open seat): Ashley Hinson (R) vs. Josh Turek (D) vs. Thomas Laehn (L).
- Constitutional Amendment 1: a yes vote requires a two-thirds vote of both legislative chambers to raise the income tax rate or create a new income tax.
- U.S. House District 2 (open seat, Cook toss up): Joe Mitchell (R), Lindsay James (D), Rick Stewart (L), Dave Bushaw (no party).
- State House 65: Shannon Lundgren (R, incumbent) vs. Carolyn Wiezorek (D); State House 72: Jennifer Smith (R, incumbent) vs. Matt Robinson (D).
- County Attorney: Scott Nelson (R, incumbent) vs. Steve Drahozal (D).
- County Supervisor, vote for two: Wayne Kenniker (R, incumbent), Jason Davis (R), Kristin Dietzel (D), Rick Dickinson (D).
- Also on the card: State House 64 (Jason Gearhart, R incumbent, vs. Brian Bruening, D), State House 67 (Craig Johnson, R incumbent, vs. Michael Coonrad, D), and County Recorder (Ann E. Sweeney, D, vs. Michael Rabagia, no party).
- Livestream slots tonight: 8:05 to 8:40 p.m. (first returns), 10:00 to 10:30 p.m. (calls segment), 11:30 p.m. (wrap).
- 90% chance of rain through all polling hours Tuesday.
- Results go out tonight as RDN articles and Facebook/Instagram posts. Every figure labeled unofficial until the county and state canvasses certify it.
REAL DUBUQUE NEWS (RDN)
DUBUQUE: It is Election Day, and the ballot in Dubuque County is stacked from top to bottom. Polls are open until 8 p.m. CT, and when the first returns post tonight, Real Dubuque News is following every race live. Results coverage goes out as RDN articles and social posts through the night, with livestreams at 8:05, 10:00 and 11:30 p.m.
The watched races start with the open governor's seat: Rob Sand and Dave Muhlbauer (D) against Zach Lahn and Derek Wulf (R). Then the open U.S. Senate seat, with Ashley Hinson (R), Josh Turek (D) and Thomas Laehn (L), and Constitutional Amendment 1, which would require a two-thirds vote of both legislative chambers to raise the income tax rate or create a new income tax. In the 2nd Congressional District, Joe Mitchell (R), Lindsay James (D), Rick Stewart (L) and Dave Bushaw (no party) are vying for the open House seat, rated a toss up by the Cook Political Report.
The Dubuque County slate is full. State House District 65 pits Shannon Lundgren (R, incumbent) against Carolyn Wiezorek (D), and District 72 pits Jennifer Smith (R, incumbent) against Matt Robinson (D). County Attorney Scott Nelson (R, incumbent) faces Steve Drahozal (D). Voters also pick two county supervisors from Wayne Kenniker (R, incumbent), Jason Davis (R), Kristin Dietzel (D) and Rick Dickinson (D). Also on the card: State House Districts 64 and 67 and the county recorder race between Ann E. Sweeney (D) and Michael Rabagia (no party).
The RDN schedule tonight: at 8:05 p.m. the first returns stream, with which races are close on paper and the first Dubuque County returns for governor and Senate. At 10:00 p.m. the calls segment, with Amendment 1, the House race, county attorney and supervisors as their numbers firm up. At 11:30 p.m. the wrap. Expect a 90 percent chance of rain through all polling hours, so take an umbrella. Every figure tonight is labeled unofficial until the county and state canvasses certify it.
Official Attribution: Iowa Secretary of State election results, electionresults.iowa.gov (runbook primary source) • Photo: Wikimedia Commons file Dubuque_County_Courthouse.jpg (verified visually 2026-11-03; license unpinned, credited per standing-set README)