The 2026 U.S. midterm elections delivered a decisive Democrat victory this week, with a blue wave taking control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. It also unexpectedly swept up a Democratic candidate from Iowa who’d dropped out of the race, putting him in office regardless — and prompting numerous jokes online.
In September, Democratic nominee Eric Armstrong suspended his campaign for Iowa House District 20 due to health issues.
“Our District deserves a representative who can give 100 percent of their energy to this race,” Armstrong wrote in a Sept. 7 Facebook post announcing his decision. “Right now, I must focus on healing so that I can continue to serve our community in other ways in the future.”
With Armstrong no longer campaigning, Republican Keith Jones appeared to have a much clearer path to victory. But Armstrong’s announcement came after Iowa’s deadline for nominees to withdraw, meaning his name remained on the ballot when voters headed to the polls on Nov. 3.
As such, Iowans who took to the polls apparently looked at his announcement, looked at the ballot, looked back at Armstrong’s withdrawal, and basically said, “Nah, we’re not accepting that.”
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Despite having stopped campaigning in September, Armstrong defeated Jones with 55.2 percent of the vote, keeping the seat in Democratic hands. He will succeed fellow Democrat Josh Turek, who flipped a Republican-held U.S. Senate seat in Iowa.
The unexpected result has inspired jokes online imagining Iowa voters as particularly demanding bosses, unwilling to approve Armstrong’s request for time off.
“Iowa said ‘you are still going to work,'” wrote TikTok user @jalasherese. “We don’t care if we have to wheel you in there.”
“Drink some ginger ale and we’ll see you in January Eric,” @mona_licia83 commented on TikTok.
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For his part, Armstrong has indicated that he intends to serve, although his health remains a concern. In an interview with the New York Times, Armstrong said that he was still dealing with health issues but added, “I’m going to do my best to represent [the district].”
According to his campaign website, his priorities include expanding access to pre-K childcare, closing the minimum wage gap between Iowa and Nebraska, and improving benefits for Iowa educators to help schools recruit and retain staff.
