A reel of "I Voted Today" stickers rests on a ballot scanner during a recent special election. Voters in Iowa will head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 3, as part of the 2026 General Election. TAMA-GRUNDY PUBLISHING FILE PHOTO

AREA – The upcoming General Election set for Tuesday, Nov. 3, will feature a somewhat unusual race for Iowa Senate District 27.

Up until recently, Republican state Sen. Annette Sweeney of Iowa Falls, the incumbent, was the only candidate in the race after she defeated her primary challenger, Rocky Damiano of Iowa Falls, this past June with more than 68% of the vote share.

No Democrat ran in the June primary for the seat and no candidate was nominated over the summer by special convention, leaving Sweeney the only printed name on the ballot in the race – a fact that still remains.

But earlier this month, Ben Robertson of Reinbeck launched a write-in campaign for Sweeney’s seat. When contacted by the newspaper, Robertson said he was running for SD 27 as a no-party/independent candidate, but would caucus with the Democrats if elected.

Iowa Senate District 27 is a vast district that covers Grundy, Hardin, and Poweshiek counties, most of Tama County, and parts of Black Hawk County. Sweeney has represented SD 27 since the November 2022 election. Prior to redistricting, she represented Iowa Senate District 25 to which she was first elected in an April 2018 special election.

Sweeney also served two terms in the Iowa House before losing in 2012 to Pat Grassley in a Republican primary following redistricting.

Ahead of the General Election, the newspaper sent questionnaires to both Sweeney and Robertson.

Sweeney’s responses can be viewed in full here.

Robertson’s responses can be viewed in full here.