Age in the 2025 Iowa General Assembly
The State of Iowa held its elections for a new Iowa House of Representatives and Iowa State Senate on November 4th 2024. In January 2025 the currently active 91st legislative session of the Iowa General Assembly. Among the members elected 13 were aged 35 or younger on election day in 2024. Below is a map of these representatives within both chambers of the Iowa General Assembly.
Iowa Demographic Background in the 2024 Election
Preliminary estimates from CIRCLE at Tufts University indicate that 42% of young people aged 18–29 voted in the 2024 election, with turnout surpassing 50% in key battleground states. Nearly 50 million young citizens were eligible to vote nationwide, including over 8 million who turned 18 since the 2022 midterms.
According to the Pew Research Center, Millennials surpassed Baby Boomers in 2020 to become the largest generation in the U.S., making up 31% of the population, followed closely by Boomers at 30.9%. Generation X accounts for 28%, while the Silent Generation makes up just 9.9%. In Iowa, young voters demonstrated notable political influence in the 2024 elections. The CIRCLE Institute’s Youth Electoral Significance Index (YESI) identified Iowa as a key state for youth impact—not only due to its competitive presidential race but also because two congressional contests, in the 1st and 3rd districts, ranked 28th and 35th nationally for youth electoral significance.
This election showcased the increasing diversity of the youth electorate, with notable differences in voting patterns by race, gender, and issue priorities. Given Iowa’s unique demographics, voters elected twelve members to the Iowa House of Representatives, who were age 35 and under on election day. Below is information about the generational backgrounds of the current Iowa House of Representatives.
The Iowa House of Representatives 91st Legislative Session
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected to the Iowa House of Representatives
- the average age of Iowa House of Representatives members is 54.73 years
- the youngest Representative Blaine Watkins born in 2001
- the oldest Representative Ruth Ann Gaines was born in 1947
- 11 Representatives are Young Elected Leaders age 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Generational Breakdown
Within the Iowa House of Representatives, most representatives come from the Millennial, Generation X or The Baby Boomer generation. Importantly, several members of the current Iowa House of Representatives belong to Generation Z. Scroll below to see the generations in the Iowa House of Representatives visualized.
* Two House members ages are currently missing
Partisanship in the Iowa House of Representatives
The chart below further breaks down the current partisan makeup of the 2025 Iowa House of Representatives. Each dot represents a single member, colored by both party affiliation and whether the legislator qualifies as a Young Elected Leader (YEL)—defined as age 35 or younger at the time of the election. This format provides a visual snapshot of generational and partisan distribution within the chamber, highlighting how younger legislators are positioned across party lines.
Partisan dynamics in the Iowa House of Representatives reflect not only ideological differences but also generational contrasts. The visual below highlights one key distinction: the average age of legislators by party. Both parties in the Iowa House have identical average ages. Differences in average ages may reflect broader trends in political recruitment, generational turnover, and candidate emergence in recent election cycles.
* Two House members age is currently missing
Young Elected Representatives – Iowa House of Representatives
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Iowa, eleven members aged 35 or under were elected to the Iowa House of Representatives. Below are all eleven of these members along with information about their local districts and party affiliation.
| Name | District |
Birth year (Age on Election Day/Special Election) |
Year first elected to Iowa House | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Blaine Watkins (R) | 100th District –
Fort Madison, IA |
*2001 (Age 23) | *2025 |
 |
Angel Ramirez (D) | 78th District –
Cedar Rapids, IA |
*2000 (Age 25) | *2025 |
 |
Adam Zabner (D) | 90th District –
Iowa City, IA |
1999 (Age 25) | 2022 |
 |
Carter F. Nordman (R) | 47th District –
Panora, IA |
1998 (Age 26) | 2020 |
 |
David Blom (R) | 52nd District –
Marshalltown, IA |
1998 (Age 26) | 2024 |
 |
Devon Wood (R) | 17th District –
New Market, IA |
1996 (Age 28) | 2022 |
 |
Taylor R. Collins (R) | 95th District –
Mediapolis, IA |
1996 (Age 28) | 2022 |
 |
Austin Harris (R) | 26th District –
Moulton, IA |
1995 (Age 29) | 2022 |
 |
Skyler Wheeler (R)
|
4th District –
Hull, IA |
1993 (Age 31) | 2016 |
 |
Zachary M. Dieken (R) | 5th District –
Granville, IA |
1990 (Age 34) | 2022 |
 |
Sam Wengryn (R)
|
24th District –
Pleasanton, IA |
1989 (Age 35) | 2024 |
Photos courtesy of the Iowa House of Representatives member roster.
* Denotes a Member that was elected during a special election on 3/24/2025 and 5/13/2025. Ages for these members are calculated from the date of special election.
Gender in the Iowa House of Representatives
The Iowa House of Representatives reflects a range of age and gender dynamics that help shape the composition of the state’s legislative body. Across all members, 72% are men, while women make up the remaining 28%. Age differences between these groups are very similar: male representatives had an average age of 52.33 at the time of the election, compared to 52.82 for their female colleagues. Of the the 11 Young Elected Leaders, 9 are male and 2 are female.
When examining both gender and party affiliation, additional differences in age emerge within the Iowa House of Representatives. Not much variance exists across party and gender within the Iowa House of Representatives. Overall across both parties the average for all groups across party and gender lies above 51 years old. These patterns show that age representation in the Iowa House of Representatives varies by both gender and partisan alignment, highlighting differing pathways to political office across demographic groups.
* Two House members ages are currently missing
Race and Ethnicity in the Iowa House of Representatives
The racial and ethnic composition of the Iowa House of Representatives varies significantly across generations. In the 2024 Iowa House older generations are overall more diverse, countering national trends. This table highlights how race and ethnicity intersect with age in shaping the diversity of the legislative body.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the Iowa House of Representatives
|
Generation Z 1997 – |
Millennial Generation
1981 – 1996 |
Generation X
1965 –1980 |
Boomer Generation
1946 – 1964 |
Silent Generation
1928 – 1945 |
Full Chamber | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 4
(80%) |
23
(92%) |
33
(97.06%) |
30
(88.24%) |
– | 90
(91.84%) |
| Black/African American | – | 1
(4%) |
1
(2.94%) |
4
(11.76%) |
– | 6
(6.12%) |
| Hispanic/Latino | 1
(20%) |
– | – | – | – | 1
(1.02%) |
| Other | – | 1
(4%) |
– | – | – | 1
(1.02%) |
| Total (Precent of Iowa House) | 5
(5.1%) |
25
(25.51%) |
34
(34.69%) |
34
(34.69%) |
– | 98*
(100%) |
*Missing ages for two house members. The full Iowa House of Representatives is comprised of 100 seats.
The Iowa Senate
Below is information covering age dynamics in the recently elected Iowa State Senate.
- the average age of Iowa State Senate members is 58.22 years
- the youngest Senator is Zachary Wahls who was born in 1991
- the oldest Senator is Julian B. Garrett who was born in 1940
- 1 Senator is a Young Elected Leader, aged 35 or younger as of Election Day 2024
Young Elected Senators in the Iowa State Senate
Following the 2024 State Legislative Elections in Iowa, one member aged 35 or under was elected to the Iowa State Senate. Below is information about their local districts and party affiliation.
| Name | District | Birth Year (Age on Election Day) |
Year First Elected to the Iowa State Senate |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Zachary Wahls (D) | 43rd District – Coralville, IA | 1991 (Age 33) |
2018 |
Photos courtesy of Iowa State Senate member roster
Partisanship in the Iowa State Senate
In the Iowa State Senate, 35 senators belong to the Republican Party, 16 senators are Democrats. The mean age of Republican state senators after the 2024 election was 58.03, while the mean age of Democratic state senators was 58.59. Each generation had a different partisan makeup. Below is the breakdown of party composition for each generation within the Iowa State Senate.
* One seat is currently vacant
Gender in the Iowa Senate
The generational makeup of the Iowa Senate also reflects important gender dynamics. Across generations, gender balance is more male skewed across generations. Overall more men are represented than women among Millennial, Generation X and members of The Baby Boomer generation. These patterns suggest that gender balance varies across generational lines, with women represented in each age cohort of the Iowa Senate.
Race and Ethnicity in the Iowa Senate
The racial and ethnic composition of the Iowa Senate reveals generational variation in representation. Below is the breakdown of race and ethnicity within the Iowa Senate.
Generations by Race/Ethnicity in the Iowa State Senate
| Millennial Generation | Generation X | Boomer Generation | Silent Generation | Full Chamber | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 5 (100%) | 21 (95.45%) | 21 (100%) | 1 (100%) | 48 (97.96%) |
| Black/African American | – | 1 (4.55%) | – | 1 (2.04%) | |
| Total | 5 (10.2%) | 22 (44.9%) | 21 (42.86%) | 1 (2.04%) | *49 (100%) |
* One seat is currently vacant. The full Iowa State Senate is comprised of 50 seats.
Notes
The Young Elected Leaders Project applies the generational categorization of the Pew Research Center:
- Silent Generation: 1928 – 1945
- Baby Boomer Generation: 1946 – 1964
- Generation X: 1965 – 1980
- Millennial Generation: 1981 – 1996
- Generation Z: 1997 – 2012
This analysis is based on data from the most recent state legislative election in Iowa which took place on November 5th 2024.
Citation Guideline
In referencing the Young Elected Leaders Project in publication please use the following language: “The Young Elected Leaders Project is housed at the Center for Youth Political Participation at The Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University – New Brunswick.”
Bibliographic Citation For this document
Author: Young Elected Leaders Project
Corresponding Authors: George D. Quinn
Year: 2024
Title: Age in the 2025 Iowa General Assembly