Biography
Paul Pate is Iowa's Republican Secretary of State and is seeking re-election in 2026. A small business owner by background, he has held the office from 1995 to 1999 and again since 2015. He says he is running on a layered approach to election security, including voter ID, paper ballots and post-election audits, alongside business-filing modernization.[1][2][3]
Pate was born in Ottumwa, Iowa, and earned an associate degree from Kirkwood Community College in 1978.[2] He works as a small business owner and describes himself as the third-generation owner of his family's asphalt business.[2][3]
Pate first served as Iowa Secretary of State from 1995 to 1999, and he took the office again on January 1, 2015.[2] In his Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey he says he also served as a state senator and as a mayor.[3] He says he earned a CERA election-administration designation while in office.[3]
Pate cites among his accomplishments a Fast Track Filing system that he says cut business filing times from weeks to minutes, a redesigned website and a 24-hour call center.[3] He also says he worked with the legislature to create Safe at Home, an address confidentiality program for survivors of violent crime.[3] Pate won the June 2, 2026 Republican primary and faces Democrat Ryan Peterman in the November 3 general election.[1]
- 1.Iowa Secretary of State election, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-10-19 Reference
- 2.Paul Pate · Ballotpedia Reference
- 3.Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey: Paul Pate (2026) · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey · 2026 Candidate's own words
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.
On the ballot
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