Former Iowa Lt. Gov. Patty Judge has won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, overcoming a challenge from three lesser-known candidates and setting up a matchup with longtime Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley. Judge won the primary election Tuesday over state Sen. Rob Hogg, attorney Tom Fiegen and former state legislator Bob Krause. She now will face an even harder task as she runs against Grassley, who is seeking his seventh term and has never lost an election since he first ran for the Iowa Legislature in 1958. Judge was a late entry into the race, announcing she was running in March after Grassley’s refusal to hold hearings for President Barack Obama’s pick to fill a Supreme Court vacancy led Democrats to feel more optimistic about their chances of winning.

Former Iowa National Guard soldier Jim Mowrer has won the Democratic nomination in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District and will face Republican David Young. Mowrer won the primary election Tuesday over Desmund Adams and Mike Sherzan in a district that stretches from Des Moines to Council Bluffs. Mowrer, of Des Moines, served in the National Guard in Iraq and later worked in the Pentagon. He received the Democratic nomination in the 4th District in 2014 but lost to Republican Steve King. The three Democrats seeking the nomination agreed on most issues, and the campaign largely focused on who was the best candidate to run against Young, a longtime aide to Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley who is seeking a second term. Republicans hold a registration edge in the district, but the general election is expected to be competitive.

Monica Vernon has won in her second try at the Democratic nomination in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District and a chance to face Republican Rep. Rod Blum. The former Cedar Rapids City Council member won Tuesday’s primary election against former state Rep. Pat Murphy, who beat Vernon in 2014 before losing to Blum.

Republicans in Iowa’s sprawling 4th Congressional District have chosen outspoken conservative Rep. Steve King over a state senator. King won the primary election Tuesday over state Sen. Rick Bertrand, who had argued that voters were tired of the seven-term congressman’s brash statements on topics ranging from immigration to abortion. King gained the endorsements of most Iowa elected Republicans, including U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds. The primary campaign was focused more on candidate styles than policy positions because they agree on most issues, although Bertrand called for more emphasis on Iowa’s agricultural economy. Since being elected to Congress in 2002, King hasn’t faced a close general election. Republicans hold a significant voter registration advantage over Democrats.

Republican David Young has easily won his party’s nomination as he seeks a second term representing Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District. Young won the Republican primary Tuesday over retired educator Joe Grandanette. Young will face the winner of a three-person Democratic contest. Young was a longtime aide to Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley who returned to Iowa in 2014 to run for the U.S. House. He won in a crowded GOP field and then went on to win a convincing general election victory. Republicans hold a registration edge in the district, which stretches from Des Moines to Council Bluffs, but the general election is expected to be competitive.