Armstrong Wins Iowa House Seat After Suspending Campaign

Democrat Eric Armstrong won Iowa House District 20 despite suspending his campaign in September for health reasons, defeating Republican Keith Jones by 865 votes, according to reported election results. Armstrong received 4,602 votes, or 55.2%, to Jones’ 3,737 votes, or 44.8%. His name remained on the November ballot after he announced on September 7 that he was stepping away from the campaign to focus on his health and recovery. He did not actively campaign for nearly two months. After the election, Armstrong told The New York Times he would do his best to represent the district but was still dealing with health issues. He has not publicly specified their nature. Whether those health problems will affect his ability to take the oath or carry out legislative duties remains unresolved. The seat, which includes parts of Council Bluffs and Carter Lake in Pottawattamie County, was previously held by Democrat Josh Turek. Turek left the Iowa House seat to run for the U.S. Senate, opening the contest between Armstrong and Jones. Armstrong’s win keeps the district in Democratic hands. Iowa law left Armstrong’s name on the ballot because his campaign suspension came too close to the...