Democrat Eric Armstrong won a seat in the Iowa state legislature—despite suspending his campaign nearly two months ago.
Armstrong captured 55.2 percent of the vote in his red-leaning House district, handily beating his Republican opponent, retired police lieutenant Keith Jones.
In early September, the former railroad executive announced that he was stepping back from the race, citing “personal health issues.” He has not specified what health issues he is battling.
“Our District deserves a representative who can give 100 percent of their energy to this race,” he wrote on social media. “Right now, I must focus on healing so that I can continue to serve our community in other ways in the future.”
In a Wednesday morning phone interview, Armstrong told The New York Times that he planned to “do my best to represent” Iowa’s 20th district.
“But I still have health issues, that’s what I’m struggling with,” he added.
Armstrong did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
The largely suburban district is located in southwest Iowa’s Pottawattamie County, covering parts of Council Bluffs and Carter Lake.
Democrat Josh Turek previously represented the district, after flipping the seat in 2022.
Turek, a two-time Paralympic gold medalist in wheelchair basketball for Team USA, defeated Republican Ashley Hinson in the race to fill outgoing GOP Sen. Joni Ernst’s seat Tuesday night.
He is the first Democrat to win an Iowa Senate seat since 2008.
President Donald Trump visited Iowa twice to campaign for Hinson ahead of the election.
