Costello elected to fill Ernst’s seat in Iowa Senate

Mark Costello has been elected to replace Joni Ernst in the Iowa State Senate.

Costello, 53, will be the next senator from District 12 after a special election Tuesday in southwest Iowa. Costello, an Imogene Republican, defeated Steve Adams, a Democrat, and Don Brantz, a Libertarian, while receiving 3,068 votes or 74 percent of the votes cast at the polls Tuesday. Adams finished with 22 percent, while Brantz tallied three percent of the vote.

Costello carried Mills County with 77 percent (737) of the 954 votes cast. Adams received 154 votes and Brantz 46. There were 13 write-in votes. Overall, turnout was low in the county with just 8.8 percent of 10,772 registered voters casting ballots in the special election.

Since 2012 Costello had represented District 23 in the Iowa House of Representatives. In the Iowa Senate he will replace Ernst, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in November. A special election will be held to replace Costello in the Iowa State House.