state house districtIowa 72nd State House District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004D+17.2
2008D+24.4
2012D+19.6
2016D+5.4
2020D+3.7
2024R+1.4
net swing · 2004→2024R+18.7D+17.2 → R+1.4
vs. U.S. · 2024D+0.1R+1.4 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 69.1% of 24,223 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
8,116
8,353
277
16,746
24,223
69.1%
2020
8,785
8,145
387
17,317
23,869†
72.6%
2016
7,890
7,025
1,092
16,007
23,638†
67.7%
2012
9,525
6,365
269
16,159
22,915†
70.5%
2008
9,504
5,734
243
15,481
22,348†
69.3%
2004
8,814
6,201
144
15,159
21,781†
69.6%
† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles from the constituent-county ACS trend anchored to the current figure. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupIA HD 72IowaUnited States
German44.7%30.5%12.5%
Irish19.4%12.8%9.4%
English6.7%10.2%9.5%
American5.1%4.6%5.3%
Norwegian2.6%4.1%—
Italian2.1%1.6%4.8%
French1.8%—1.6%
Dutch1.4%2.7%—
African American†3.2%2.6%9.9%
African0.4%0.3%0.5%
Mexican1.7%5.0%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.3%0.3%1.8%
Filipino0.4%0.2%0.9%
Asian Indian0.3%0.5%1.4%
Chinese0.2%0.3%1.3%
Burmese0.2%0.3%—
Marshallese2.0%——
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
IA HD 72
Iowa
United States
Median age
40.5
38.8
39.1
Age 18–24
9.8%
10.0%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
19.4%
18.1%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
IA HD 72
Iowa
United States
Median household income
$68,971
$75,059
$84,427
Poverty rate
12.7%
11.1%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
33.4%
31.8%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
IA HD 72
Iowa
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
4.8%
9.2%
22.3%
Spanish
2.3%
4.7%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
IA HD 72
Iowa
United States
Catholic
—
14.7%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
10.9%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
55.2%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Iowa 72nd State House District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+17.2%
2008
+24.4%
2012
+19.6%
2016
+5.4%
2020
+3.7%
2024
−1.4%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
48.5%Harris8,116
49.9%Trump8,353
1.7%
R+1.4
R+5.1
D+0.1
16,746
D
50.7%Biden8,785
47.0%Trump8,145
2.2%
D+3.7
R+1.7
R+0.8
17,317
D
49.3%Clinton7,890
43.9%Trump7,025
6.8%
D+5.4
R+14.2
D+3.3
16,007
D
58.9%Obama9,525
39.4%Romney6,365
1.7%
D+19.6
R+4.8
D+15.7
16,159
D
61.4%Obama9,504
37.0%McCain5,734
1.6%
D+24.4
D+7.1
D+17.1
15,481
D
58.1%Kerry8,814
40.9%Bush6,201
0.9%
D+17.2
—
D+19.7
15,159
current representation
Current officeholders
RJennifer SmithState House · 72
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
With a 2024 presidential margin of just R+1.3, this central Iowa district sits near the tipping point between the state's dominant rural red precincts and denser suburban clusters that have trended more competitive in recent cycles.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 24.4 points in 2008 and a Republican high of 1.4 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 5.1 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 1.4 points.
A population of 32,168, a 87% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $68,971 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State House District 71 and State House District 65.
Akashic
Political twins — state-house districts
The state-house districts whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Iowa 72nd State House District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/19072/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Iowa 72nd State House District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Iowa 72nd State House District voted Republican by 1.4 points (R+1.4), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 16,746 votes cast, 8,116 went Democratic and 8,353 went Republican.
When did Iowa 72nd State House District last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Iowa 72nd State House District voted Democratic was 2020.
How many people live in Iowa 72nd State House District?
Iowa 72nd State House District has a population of 32,168 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Iowa 72nd State House District?
Median household income in Iowa 72nd State House District is $68,971 — below the national median of $80,734. The Iowa state median is $75,059.
What is the political history of Iowa 72nd State House District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Iowa 72nd State House District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 1 went Republican.
