DUBUQUE, Iowa — Every judge on Dubuque County ballots in the November 3, 2026, general election was retained, matching the statewide pattern in which nearly 90 judges across Iowa won new terms, according to unofficial results reported November 4, 2026.

Iowa judges do not run against opponents. They are appointed by the governor and then face periodic retention elections, in which voters answer a simple question: shall this judge be retained in office? A majority “yes” vote keeps the judge on the bench for a new term. No Iowa Supreme Court justices were on the ballot in 2026.

At the top of the judicial ballot for every Iowa voter were three judges of the Iowa Court of Appeals, the state’s intermediate appellate court, which hears cases referred by the Supreme Court. All three were retained by wide margins statewide: Judge Julie Schumacher by 47.5 percentage points, Judge Sharon Soorholtz Greer by 42.5 points, and Judge John Sandy by 42 points. Schumacher and Soorholtz Greer have served on the court since 2019; Sandy joined in 2024.

Dubuque County voters also decided the fate of four local judges in Judicial District 1A, which covers Dubuque and surrounding northeast Iowa counties. District Judge Alan Heavens, District Associate Judges Stephanie C. Rattenborg and Mark T. Hostager, and Associate Juvenile Judge Thomas J. Straka were all retained, according to the statewide results, which showed every district and associate judge on the ballot winning by wide margins, most by two-to-one or better.

Before the election, the Iowa State Bar Association released performance reviews of every judge standing for retention, based on surveys of attorneys who have practiced before them. In District 1A, the share of surveyed attorneys recommending retention was 97.1 percent for Hostager, 93.9 percent for Heavens, 86.8 percent for Rattenborg, and 71.4 percent for Straka. For the three Court of Appeals judges, the figures were 92.7 percent for Schumacher, 90.9 percent for Soorholtz Greer, and 87.8 percent for Sandy. Most district and associate judges statewide were endorsed by 90 percent or more of the attorneys surveyed, including 12 judges recommended by every respondent.

Retention elections rarely remove a judge. The Iowa Judicial Branch notes that the votes focus on the professional competency of the judges, and it is nearly unheard of for a judge or justice not to be retained. The significant exception came in 2010, when three Iowa Supreme Court justices lost their retention elections amid backlash to the court’s ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in Iowa.

One local voter guide circulated before Election Day urged voters not to retain Hostager while recommending retention for the other Dubuque judges, but the unofficial results show Hostager was retained along with the rest.

Dubuque County-specific yes and no vote totals for each of the seven retention questions were pending at the time of writing; the statewide totals reported by the Secretary of State’s Office show all seven retained. Dubuque County reported 44,064 ballots cast in the November 3, 2026, election, a turnout of 64.1 percent. All results remain unofficial until the county and state canvasses certify them; the state canvass must be complete by November 30, 2026.

Sources: Iowa State Bar

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