Democrat Chris Jones concedes agriculture secretary race to incumbent Mike Naig

Republican Mike Naig was expected to keep his job as Iowa Secretary of Agriculture as unofficial results from the Associated Press late Wednesday showed him leading Democratic challenger Chris Jones.

Results late Tuesday showed a lead from Naig of less than 1%, but by early Wednesday morning, as a greater share of rural precincts submitted vote counts, Naig led with 53% of the vote to 47% for Jones, with an estimated 96% of the vote reported, according to the AP. 

Jones, who ran on a platform of improving water quality and dramatic shifts in the farm economy, conceded the race earlier in the night and said change for Iowa’s water quality isn’t going to happen if people just “nudge it.” Speaking at watch party in Des Moines’ East Village, Jones said a “big complex” system like Iowa’s agriculture changes with a flip. 

“So we really need to have grassroots demands here that this is gonna change, that we’re gonna ask for change, we’re gonna demand for change,” Jones said. “Change can happen. We should not be disbanded or despair … I did my best to make it happen. I tried to make words matter.”

Naig has been the head of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship since 2018, and he has started programs like Choose Iowa, a state brand for local products, and championed the Farm-to-Faucet legislation in 2026 that provided greater state support for conservation practice adoption and water treatment infrastructure.

In a victory statement early Wednesday, Naig said he was grateful for the trust of Iowans who voted for him to serve in the role again.

“Tonight, Iowans rejected divisive rhetoric and attacks on our farming community, choosing instead a positive vision for the future of Iowa agriculture,” Naig said.

Jones is known for his Substack column and book, “The Swine Republic” where he has criticized the current agricultural system in Iowa that relies on large-scale farms growing mostly corn and soybeans and, he argues, contributes to Iowa’s poor water quality.

Naig said he was proud of the work he has done in the role so far and looks forward to “building” on that progress.

“We’ll continue to strengthen Iowa agriculture by building markets internationally, domestically, and locally, working together to improve water quality, protecting our food supply, and ensuring our farms remain strong for the next generation,” Naig said in the statement.

Throughout his campaign Jones said his candidacy should be considered a “referendum” on Iowa’s water quality. Before retiring, Jones was a research engineer at the University of Iowa. 

He has pitched dramatic shifts in Iowa agriculture, including taxpayer-supported off ramps for producers who want to transition their operations to grow oats, for example, instead of corn and soybeans. He has also called for the state to require a certain share of locally produced foods in school lunches, and to support new crop markets to move away from ethanol. 

Iowa has had a Republican secretary of agriculture since 2007, when Patty Judge left the role. 

Jones said that when he launched his campaign in January, he was one of the few candidates talking about water quality, but by the end of the campaign, “every candidate in the state was running on this.”

“We can only hope that maybe some of these people we see on the screen tonight are going to be the second people, that can take it up and take the ball over the goal line,” Jones said.

Joanna Schroeder contributed to this article.