Interest is running high for a special election for an Iowa Senate seat in northwest Iowa.
Woodbury County Auditor and Election Commissioner Michelle Skaff said the candidates are working hard to get their messages out, and it shows in early voting turnout.
She predicted higher-than-normal numbers to pick the winner of the District 1 Senate seat left vacant after the death of Republican Sen. Rocky De Witt. The district includes Sioux City and a portion of Woodbury County.
Republicans in the Iowa Senate currently hold 33 seats. Democrats hold 16 after Democrat Mike Zimmer won a special election in eastern Iowa to replace Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer. A win for Prosch would uphold the GOP supermajority. If Drey wins, Democrats would break Republican's supermajority in the Iowa Senate.
The special election candidates
Prosch, the owner of a media consulting firm, is the Republican in the race. His top priorities include eliminating the state income tax, creating jobs and protecting property owners against eminent domain.
“I've been pretty strong on economics. Obviously, Sioux City and the Siouxland area have been really stymied by Sioux Falls and Omaha. They just had better job opportunities,” Prosch said. “We need a tax overhaul. Also, we have an energy crisis that needs to be dealt with. The county board is trying to address that over the next five to 10 years. And also, we have property rights issues with the CO2 pipeline.”
Drey, the Democrat, works for an advertising and marketing company in Sioux City and is the founder of the advocacy group Moms for Iowa. She said she wants to improve the lives of Iowa families by focusing on child care, health care and housing.
“I'm focused on how we can make life better and more affordable for those folks in Senate District 1,” Drey said. “Our cancer rates are rising, and our schools are underfunded. Instead of focusing on those issues, we see a ton of distraction and an unwillingness from the current administration and leaders to address the issues that are actually affecting Iowans.”
Clashing on education
One point of contention between the two candidates is education. Prosch emphasized the need to enhance options for families with the continuation of education savings accounts (ESAs). But he is willing to look at an income-tiered system.
“We don't believe that children or parents should be stymied into a situation geographically, if they want to take their child to a parochial school, private school or charter school," Prosch said. “I've talked with so many teachers — there's not an issue with public education in Sioux City.”
Meanwhile, Drey opposes public money going to private schools. Iowa’s ESA program provides families with $7,988 per student for the 2025-2026 school year.
“I am so disheartened by the fact that there is an uncapped line item in the state's budget right now. That is a disservice to students who are utilizing public education, but it's also a disservice to taxpayers at large,” Drey said. “We have a high-need population in our public schools, and not having a state supplemental aid budget that keeps pace with or exceeds inflation is especially devastating to Sioux City and our local rural public schools. So that is the number one priority for me.”
The race takes a negative turn
Potential voters have been inundated with political advertisements and mailers. One that targeted Drey showed her with bright-pink hair, claiming she supports “illegal aliens” voting in elections, a statement she called untrue.
“The Iowa GOP has really taken a page out of the national playbook in terms of digging up 'dirt on the other candidate.' I will say that number one, no. I don't believe in allowing undocumented or non-U.S. citizens to vote in our elections. That's ludicrous,” Drey said.
"I don't believe in allowing undocumented or non-U.S. citizens to vote in our elections. That's ludicrous.”Catelin Drey, Democratic candidate for Iowa Senate District 1
Meanwhile, Prosch faced criticism that he doesn’t have roots in Sioux City and that he supports far-right views. Prosch said a video circulating about his views on abortion was taken out of context.
"I'm 100% pro-life, from conception to natural death," Prosch said.
Drey said she believes in body autonomy for women.
Both candidates grew up in South Dakota. Drey moved to Sioux City almost 20 years ago to attend Morningside University. Prosch married a Sioux City-native and said they settled into the community three-and-a-half years ago.
“When it comes to PACs or even party politics, both parties run what they want to run,” Prosch said. “I have not publicly made any comments negatively about her [Drey]."
Prosch said that within six hours of winning the nominating convention, the Democratic Party in Des Moines viciously attacked him.
“We've both been hit pretty heavily by attack ads," he said. "I do wish that we could just focus on policy alone.”
Candidate forum controversy
The League of Women Voters of Sioux City, a nonpartisan political organization, sent out a news release last week that stated it would not hold a candidate forum for the special election. The organization said Drey wanted to participate, but the group did not hear back from Prosch after making several attempts to call or email him.
“Voters want to know their candidate. I love Sioux City, and I am happy to do any media appearance. I was more than willing to appear at the League of Women Voters forum, and the same cannot be said for my opponent,” Drey said. “I want to be available and transparent and in community with the people that I'm hoping to represent.”
Prosch said the date proposed did not work for his schedule.
“We have state officials and majority leaders coming in on the day of the proposed forum,” Prosch said. “Honestly, my schedule is just jam-packed, to be honest with you. But, I welcomed other dates."
Officials with the League of Women Voters of Sioux City countered Prosch's statement about the forum. They said no specific date was mentioned for the political event.
The final push for support
Both candidates planned to reach out to as many potential voters as possible by knocking on doors, sharing their vision for the future and listening to the concerns of the community.
“If I do win, I would still be a vocal supporter of working across the aisle. That's the great thing about the constitutional republic, the fact that every voice — no matter how big or small — still matters. And we still need to work with both parties to get things done,” Prosch said. “We want to be victorious. But either way, I'm still very blessed with an amazing wife, great family, great career."
“I think that the enthusiasm that we're seeing in other special elections in even redder parts of the state is indicative of people being ready to try something different. What we have been doing in this state for the past 8 to 10 years is clearly not working,” Drey said. “We are 52nd in terms of maternal health care providers, so we can't get worse. We have gone from number one in the country in education to 23rd — we also have the worst economy in the country."
A numbers game
In the lead-up to the election, data for the 22 precincts in the district revealed registered Republicans outnumbered Democrats by 38% to 31%. Additionally, 29% report having no party affiliation.
Skaff, the county auditor and election commissioner, said as of Aug. 13, there have been 1,776 requests for absentee ballots and a consistent flow for in-person absentee voting.
“I am so hopeful that voters are starting to realize that just because there's an 'R' or a 'D' behind someone's name doesn't mean that that's who they have to vote for. And so I'm encouraged by the conversations that I'm having with voters,” Drey said. “At the same time, I'm exceptionally frustrated that my opponent is not running a campaign on the issues.”
Voters in Senate District 1 can cast their ballots Tuesday, Aug. 26, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
