Warning Shot From Iowa: Progressives Rising— Courage Beats Caution in Cedar Rapids

Angel Ramirez Wins Very Big in Iowa Special Election

Travis Terrell is the progressive Democrat running in Iowa’s swingy first congressional district against waste-of-a-seat incumbent Mariannette Miller-Meeks. The district includes Davenport, Iowa City, Indianola, Muscatine, Clinton, Burlington and dozens of smaller towns in the southeast part of the state. West of Terrell’s district is Linn County, where there was a special legislative election Tuesday for the open 78th district, most of southeast Cedar Rapids. Wednesday morning Terrell called me excited about Angel Ramirez’s win the night before.

It’s a blue district and no one was worried that Republican Bernie Hayes was going to beat Democrat Ramirez. Terrell was excited because of her margin of victory “It was just a win,” he told me. “It’s a warning to the establishment: even in deep red states, bold progressive voices are rising, and they’re changing the damn narrative. This is what happens when courage beats caution, and people finally see someone fighting for them.”

Ramirez who will be the first Latina to serve in the Iowa legislature, clobbered Hayes— and out-performed Kamala Harris as well. She won with 2,742 votes to Hayes’ 721— 79.0% to 20.8%. Kamala won the district 65.2% to Trump’s 32.7%. That’s a pretty hefty margin of over-performance for Ramirez, an outspoken progressive. J.D. Scholten, who serves in the state House from the other side of the state— and who will hopefully be running for the U.S. Senate next year, told us that “This is the 3rd straight special election in Iowa where Democrats performed at least 20 points above last falls election. There’s energy here and we need to tap into that for the 2026 midterms.”

Local reporter Grace Nieland wrote that “Throughout her campaign, Ramirez received endorsements from several local leaders including [out-going Rep. Sami] Scheetz, state Sen. Liz Bennett and former state Sen. Rob Hogg. She also saw support from area labor organizations including the Iowa Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, Hawkeye Area Labor Council and the Iowa State Education Association.”

DNC Chair Ken Martin pointed out in a statement that “Today's win underscores what we continue to see everywhere: Democrats are overperforming in red, purple and blue districts alike. Voters are fed up with Republicans and are ready for leaders who will actually put their families first. Democrats are providing commonsense solutions for working Americans and gaining more momentum every day.”

This wasn’t a sleepy special election— it was an Iowa signal flare. Ramirez ran as a proud progressive and won by running toward working people, not away from them. Her campaign spoke directly to economic justice, reproductive freedom, and immigrant rights— and voters rewarded her with a landslide. Democrats across the Midwest should take note: this is how you win and mean it. And that’s exactly the energy Terrell is trying to bring to IA-01. If Ramirez’s blowout is any indication, there’s a deep hunger across Iowa— even in places the establishment has long written off— for candidates who fight unapologetically for progressive values. The myth that Iowa has gone red for good is just that: a myth. And it’s being cracked open one bold candidate at a time.

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