Iowa general election: November 3, 2026

Who is running for District 5C Judge Retention: Sarah Crane in 2026?

Here are the candidates for District 5C Judge Retention: Sarah Crane on the November 3, 2026 ballot. This race is on the ballot for voters in Judicial Election District 5C.

This is a retention vote: voters decide yes or no on keeping this judge for another term. Judges may not promise how they would rule, so we show experience and record instead of issue positions.

Sarah Crane

· Incumbent

District Court Judge, Judicial Election District 5C (Polk County)

Sarah Crane serves as District Court Judge, Judicial Election District 5C (Polk County). Sarah Crane is up for a retention vote on November 3, 2026: voters decide yes or no on keeping the judge in office, and the judge serves another term if a majority votes yes¹³. The Iowa Judicial Branch says the judge was appointed as a District Court Judge in June 2018².

District Court Judge, District 5C (Polk County), appointed June 2018; also a member of the Iowa Business Specialty Court since November 2019²
Before appointment: private practice at Davis Brown Law Firm in Des Moines; earlier a clerk for the Iowa Supreme Court and a private-practice lawyer in Chicago²
Gustavus Adolphus College, 2004, summa cum laude; University of Chicago Law School, 2007²
The Iowa Judicial Branch says this judge was appointed as a District Court Judge in June 2018². Iowa district judges and district associate judges are chosen by the governor from two names sent by a district judicial nominating commission, and then stand in retention elections³.

Last reviewed 2026-10-06. Spotted something wrong? Every claim links to its source so you can check it yourself.