Democrats can’t lose for winning.
An Iowa candidate came out on top in his race for state legislature Tuesday despite dropping out of the contest in September to address unspecified “personal health issues.”
Eric Armstrong, a retired railroad executive, was projected to defeat Republican Keith Jones by about nine percentage points in the Hawkeye State’s 20th House District, according to the Associated Press.
Armstrong announced he was quitting the race Sept. 7, saying in a statement on his campaign’s Facebook page: “Because I must prioritize my health and recovery at this time, I am stepping down from my campaign, effective immediately. This was a deeply difficult choice. However, I know it is the right one.
“Our District deserves a representative who can give 100 percent of their energy to this race. Right now, I must focus on healing so that I can continue to serve our community in other ways in the future.”
On Wednesday, Armstrong told the New York Times that he was “going to do my best” to represent his new constituents, but “I still have health issues, that’s what I’m struggling with.”
If able to take his seat in the Iowa House of Representatives, Armstrong will succeed fellow Democrat Josh Turek, who upset GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson to flip one of the state’s two US Senate seats.
As part of the blue wave that swept the nation Tuesday, Democrats also managed to take three of Iowa’s four US House seats and won the governor’s race for the first time in 20 years.
In a small consolation, Iowa Republicans were able to hold onto their majorities in both the state House and state Senate with a handful of races left to be called as of Thursday morning.