Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Small numbers of outstanding mail ballots are arriving after the election in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, where the candidates remain locked in a tight race. In unofficial returns, Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks leads Democrat Rita Hart by 282 votes out of 393,000 tabulated. The candidates are competing for a seat that opened with the retirement of Democratic Rep. Dave Loebsack. Iowa will count absentee ballots that were postmarked by Monday and arrive by noon Nov. 9 and any provisional ballots that are deemed eligible. Johnson County has received 28 absentee ballots thus far that have yet to be counted. Two other counties carried by Hart _ Clinton and Jefferson _ have a combined total of 18 absentee ballots to be counted.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — President Trump received more than 70% of the votes cast on Election Day in Iowa, easily overcoming Joe Biden’s substantial lead among those who voted early. Unofficial results show Trump captured Iowa’s six electoral votes by winning more than 53% of the vote, defeating Joe Biden by about 138,700 votes. A record number of people voted early in person and through the mail. Those voters heavily favored Biden. Trump entered Election Day facing a deficit of 161,000 votes but ended up picking up about 300,000. Only 704,000 votes were cast at polling places Tuesday, a 230,000 decrease from 2016 as voters embraced other voting options.

OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) — A judge has found an Ottumwa woman guilty of involuntary manslaughter, rather than murder, in the death of her 5-year-old daughter. Kelsie Thomas was charged with first-degree murder in the 2018 death of her daughter at their home. Her first trial ended in a hung jury. After a two-week bench trial last month, Judge Lucy Gamon on Thursday convicted Thomas of the lesser charge. KTVO reports Thomas initially told authorities her daughter accidentally hung herself but later confessed to killing her. Gamon ruled that Thomas’ actions were horrific but she did not find evidence of premeditation, which is required for first-degree murder.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is launching a media campaign to encourage people to take action to reduce the state’s surging number of coronavirus infections but will not impose any mandates or enforce new rules. Reynolds also said Thursday that the success of Republican candidates in the general election was proof that most Iowans support her decision to not require masks and quickly end most restrictions on businesses. Reynolds says the media campaign would begin next week and would include newspaper, television and radio advertising. She spoke on a day when there were 4,562 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours and 20 more deaths.