Republican candidate Jesse Green won the District 24 Iowa State Senate seat. 

Green defeated his Democratic opponent, Cynthia Paschen, by a respective count of 21,696 to 11,310, gaining 65.7 percent of the vote, according to the Iowa Secretary of State website. 

Green will take over for long-time District 24 Republican Iowa State Sen. Jerry Behn, who retired.  

Green, a fifth-generation farmer, former chair of the Dayton Rodeo and Bible teacher, hopes to bring new ideas to Iowa agriculture and help rural areas.  

“I see rural Iowa changing so fast,” Green said in a previous interview. “The average age of the average farmer is 59 years old. There is going to be a huge transition coming very soon in this industry, and I don’t know if Iowa is ready for this transition. This is going to drastically affect small town Iowa, either in a good way or a bad way. I want to do what I can to shape ag policy and rural economic development to make sure we respond correctly.”

Green also said voters can expect him to bring his strong work ethic and mindset to the Senate. 

“One thing about working on a farm is that there are some things that are not fun, but you know that you have to do and you have to do it right and you have to do it well,” Green said. “You deal with circumstances that are outside your control all the time, and so as a farmer, you have to be attentive and you have to be responsive. I think I can bring that work ethic into the Senate. I look forward to doing the hard work and being on the committees that some people don’t think that are that much fun. Whatever is in the interest of my district, I am willing to do.”