DES MOINES - It appeared early today that Democrats added slightly to their majorities in the Iowa House and Senate.

Democrats said they'd extended their majority to 54 seats in the House with a pair of Sioux City races left outstanding that won't be determined until today at the earliest.

Democrats also claimed 31 seats in the Senate but said absentee ballot returns may nudge their majority to 33. A Republican aide put the Senate margin at 31-19.

Democrats went into Tuesday's election with a 53-47 majority in the House and a 30-20 advantage in the Senate.

All 100 seats in the House and half of the 50 seats in the Senate were on the line in Tuesday's election.

"Middle-class families in Iowa will benefit the most from the wins made by House Democrats tonight," said House Speaker Pat Murphy, D-Dubuque, in a statement. "Iowans can trust us to keep the state's fiscal house in order with a balanced budget and strong reserves while providing more economic security for Iowans through good-paying jobs, a world class education, expanded renewable energy and affordable health care."

House Minority Leader Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City, said there will be recounts in a few of the tightest races.

Rants said a strong absentee showing from Democrats hurt the Republican cause.

"That's a problem the Republican Party will have to come to grips with in the future," he said. "We clearly got beat with absentees."

Senate Minority Leader Ron Wieck, R-Sioux City, said he didn't expect Republicans to chip away at the Democratic majority in the Senate, but he said Republicans minimized their losses and set up a strong showing in 2010.

Here are some of the highlights from the House races according to unofficial results:

n Mason City Democrat Sharon Steckman picked up House District 13 after a hotly contested campaign against Republican Scott Tornquist for the open seat vacated by Republican Bill Shickel.

n Democratic incumbent Elesha Gayman of Davenport fended off a stiff challenge from Republican Ross Paustian in House District 84.

n Democratic challenger Phyllis Thede of Bettendorf upset Republican incumbent Jamie Van Fossen in House District 81.

n Cedar Rapids Republican Renee Schulte upset Democratic incumbent Art Staed in House District 37

Here are some of the standout Senate races:

n Cresco Democrat Mary Jo Wilhelm upset Republican incumbent Mark Zieman in Senate District 8.

n Republican Merlin Bartz of Grafton took the victory in Senate District 6, which was left vacant by Republican Thurman Gaskill.

n Democrats captured Senate District 22 in Hardin and Marshall counties, a seat formerly under Republican control, after Democrat Steve Sodders of State Center defeated Marshalltown Republican Jarret Heil.

Unofficial results in Black Hawk County showed Democrat Kerry Burt defeating Rep. Tami Wiencek, R-Waterloo, by a slim margin in House District 21 and Republican Walt Rogers beating Sen. Jeff Danielson, D-Waterloo, in Senate District 10. But election officials say more than 2,000 ballots in the county have yet to be returned and counted, which could change the outcome.

Contact Fred Love at

(515) 243-0138 or fred.love@lee.net.