Who is on the ballot in 50543?

Chris McGowan (Republican), Dave Dawson (Democratic) meet on the November 3 ballot for Iowa's 4th Congressional District, per the Secretary of State's 2026 General Election candidate list. The seat is open on this ballot: Rep. Randy Feenstra, the sitting member per the House roster, is not among the filed candidates for Iowa's 4th District in the SOS's 2026 general election candidate list. Major-party nominees were chosen at the June 2 primary; No Party candidates qualify by nominating petition.

Only one name is on the ballot for this office: no other candidate qualified. An unopposed candidate is elected unless a write-in outpolls them where write-ins are allowed, so this line still counts as a vote.

Open seat: sitting Auditor Krystal Lloyd did not file for re-election (the Webster County Board of Supervisors separately appointed her interim Auditor on July 28, 2026 under Iowa Code section 69.14A, pending the November 3, 2026 election, per the board's official meeting minutes). Democrat Doreen Pliner won her party's June 2, 2026 primary outright with 2,570 votes (no opponent), per the county's official primary results. No Republican candidate filed. On the Republican primary ballot, a generic "Write-in" line recorded 51 votes, of which 50 were credited by name to a person recorded as "Doreen Pliner" -- the identical name to the Democratic nominee, and a much more concentrated result than the county's other write-in contests this cycle. This agent could not confirm from an official county document whether this concentrated write-in vote met Iowa's statutory nomination threshold (Iowa Code section 43.66), whether the Republican write-in "Doreen Pliner" is the same person as the Democratic nominee, or whether a Republican nominee was certified for this seat. No Republican candidate is listed here; Webster County's certified November 3, 2026 candidate list should be checked before publishing a second line for this office.

Only one name is on the ballot for this office: no other candidate qualified. An unopposed candidate is elected unless a write-in outpolls them where write-ins are allowed, so this line still counts as a vote.

Incumbent Democrat Darren Driscoll is unopposed, with no primary opponent and no general-election opponent; no Republican is on the ballot for this office. He received 1,129 votes in the June 2, 2026 primary. He was appointed county attorney in February 2018 to replace Jennifer Benson, won his first term in the November 2018 general election, and was reelected in 2022.

Only one name is on the ballot for this office: no other candidate qualified. An unopposed candidate is elected unless a write-in outpolls them where write-ins are allowed, so this line still counts as a vote.

Incumbent Democrat Brenda Angstrom is unopposed, with no primary opponent and no general-election opponent; no Republican is on the ballot for this office. She received 1,161 votes in the June 2, 2026 primary and is seeking her third term.

The only contested Webster County courthouse race on the November 2026 ballot. Democrat Courtney Bender Balkenende, appointed to the post in July 2025 to replace Lindsay Laufersweiler and now seeking her first full term, ran unopposed in the Democratic primary with 1,133 votes. Republican Tina Eldal, a Deputy Auditor, ran unopposed in the Republican primary with 1,581 votes. The two face off in the November 3, 2026 general election.

Incumbent Republican Sheriff Luke M. Fleener, who has served 29 years with the Webster County Sheriff's Office, won his party's June 2, 2026 primary outright with 2,385 votes, per the county's official certified primary results and the Sheriff's Office roster page. Democrat Tony Walter won a two-way primary over Trevir Michehl, 1,372 votes (51.2%) to 1,305 (48.8%), per the county's official certified primary results.