| Election Name: | 1879 Iowa Senate election |
| Country: | Iowa |
| Flag Image: | Flag of Iowa (variant).svg |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1877 Iowa Senate election |
| Previous Year: | 1877 |
| Next Election: | 1881 Iowa Senate election |
| Next Year: | 1881 |
| Seats For Election: | 29 out of 50 seats in the Iowa State Senate |
| Majority Seats: | 26 |
| Election Date: | October 14, 1879 |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Last Election1: | 38 |
| Seat Change1: | 3 |
| Seats After1: | 41 |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Last Election2: | 12 |
| Seat Change2: | 5 |
| Seats After2: | 7 |
| Party3: | Greenback Party |
| Last Election3: | 0 |
| Seat Change3: | 2 |
| Seats After3: | 2 |
In the 1879 Iowa State Senate elections Iowa voters elected state senators to serve in the eighteenth Iowa General Assembly. Elections were held in 29 of the state senate's 50 districts. State senators serve four-year terms in the Iowa State Senate.
The general election took place on October 14, 1879.[1]
Following the previous election, Republicans had control of the Iowa Senate with 38 seats to Democrats' 12 seats.
To claim control of the chamber from Republicans, the Democrats needed to net 14 Senate seats.
Republicans maintained control of the Iowa State Senate following the 1879 general election with the balance of power shifting to Republicans holding 41 seats, Democrats having 7 seats, and 2 Greenbackers (a net gain of 3 seats for Republicans and 2 for Greenbackers).
| Senate District | Incumbent | Party | Elected Senator | Party | Outcome | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd | Horatio A. Wonn | Dem | Henry Clay Traverse | Rep | Rep Gain | |||
| 3rd | Joshua Miller | Rep | Jesse J. Wall | Greenbacker | Greenback Gain | |||
| 4th | Henry Laurens Dashiell | Rep | David M. Clark | Greenbacker | Greenback Gain | |||
| 5th | Samuel L. Bestow | Rep | William M. Wilson | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 6th | Frederick Joseph Teale | Rep | Isaac W. Keller | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 8th | Alfred Hebard | Rep | Alfred Hebard | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 11th | Moses Ayres McCoid | Rep | Sanford M. Boling | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 14th | William Wilson | Dem | John Wesley Prizer | Rep | Rep Gain | |||
| 15th | Thomas R. Gilmore | Rep | John Kelly Johnson | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 16th | John L. McCormack | Dem | James F. Greenlee | Rep | Rep Gain | |||
| 17th | William Graham | Rep | Mark Antony Dashiell | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 19th | George Franklin Wright | Rep | George Franklin Wright | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 23rd | Henry C. Carr | Rep | John Russell | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 24th | William A. Maginnis | Dem | Pierce Mitchell | Dem | Dem Hold | |||
| 25th | Ezekiel Clark | Rep | John Clinton Shrader | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 26th | John Nicholas William Rumple | Rep | Christian Hedges | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 27th | Stephen Leland Dows | Rep | John Wimberly Henderson | Dem | Dem Gain | |||
| 28th | John David Nichols | Rep | John David Nichols | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 31st | Samuel D. Nichols | Rep | Samuel D. Nichols | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 32nd | Delos Arnold | Rep | Delos Arnold | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 33rd | William Harrison Gallup | Rep | John Dudley Gillett | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 36th | Charles E. Bronson | Dem | Rodney W. Tirrill | Rep | Rep Gain | |||
| 39th | Merritt W. Harmon | Rep | Merritt W. Harmon | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 40th | John Thompson Stoneman | Dem | Martin Garber | Rep | Rep Gain | |||
| 41st | Samuel Horace Kinne | Dem | Henry Nielander | Rep | Rep Gain | |||
| 43rd | William Larrabee | Rep | William Larrabee | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 46th | William Wallace Blackman | Rep | Wilberforce P. Gaylord | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 47th | Lemuel Dwelle | Rep | Frank M. Goodykoontz | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
| 49th | Elden J. Hartshorn | Rep | Elden J. Hartshorn | Rep | Rep Hold | |||
Source:[2]