Iowa

The name Iowa comes from the Iowa River, which was named after the Ioway people who inhabited the region before European colonization. Iowa became a state on December 28, 1846.

Before 1988, Iowa was largely a Republican stronghold, including during the Civil War years. The state voted for the Republican candidate in several elections prior to 1988. From 1992 to 2012, Iowa supported Democratic candidates in six out of seven presidential elections.

In the 2016 presidential election, however, Iowa voted for Republican candidate Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton. Trump also won Iowa in the 2020 election with approximately 53.2% of the vote, compared to Joe Biden's 45.0%, reflecting an 8.2% margin.

Iowa’s electoral votes have declined with its decreasing population. The state currently has six electoral votes, down from 11 electoral votes it had from the 1880s through the 1920s.