Eric Armstrong | |
|---|---|
| Representative-elect of the Iowa House of Representatives for the 20th district | |
| Assuming office January 11, 2027 | |
| Succeeding | Josh Turek |
| Personal details | |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Hillary Parker |
| Occupation | Railroad executive |
| Website | Official website |
Eric Armstrong is an American politician and retired railroad executive. He ran in the 2026 Iowa House of Representatives election in the 20th district as a Democrat before suspending his election campaign in September to focus on his health, leading most Iowa Democrats to expect his defeat. In the November election, he defeated Republican nominee Keith Jones by ten points and will succeed Josh Turek, who won the 2026 U.S. Senate election in Iowa. In an interview with The New York Times after his victory, Armstrong said he would do his best to serve while dealing with his health issues.
His state house district represents parts of Council Bluffs and Carter Lake in Pottawattamie County.
Armstrong was born and[failed verification] raised in Burlington, Iowa. He previously worked as a commercial salesman, and later worked as a railroad executive and an entrepreneur. Armstrong and his wife have both served in executive roles at Union Pacific Railroad.
In December 2023, Armstrong and his wife Hillary received an Iowa Department of Natural Resources administrative order to "immediately remove the dock" that extended from their property along Carter Lake. Iowa was then the only state in the country to prohibit hard roofs and enclosures on docks on state-managed waters, and their city of residence, Carter Lake, Iowa is located along the Iowa–Nebraska border and on the western bank of the Missouri River, resulting in inconsistencies in regulation.
Armstrong approached his state representative, Josh Turek, who introduced a bill, and Armstrong and his wife baked several hundred cookies and made more than 25 trips to Des Moines to mobilize grassroots lobbying and converse with lawmakers to bolster the bill's support. Armstrong testified during a subcommittee hearing that the softer enclosure materials, such as canvas, would be less stable and more vulnerable to storms. The bill, Iowa House File 710, passed unanimously in the Iowa House of Representatives and also passed the Iowa Senate. Kim Reynolds, the governor of Iowa, signed the bill into law on May 6, 2025, and it took effect on July 1, 2025.
Before Turek announced his 2026 bid for the U.S. Senate, he encouraged Armstrong to run for his vacated state house seat during a Labor Day picnic. Armstrong had been retired for three years and he had previously volunteered for Turek's campaign. He campaigned on economic development in western Iowa and issues of education and affordability, and he received union backing from the Iowa AFL-CIO and Iowa State Education Association. He supported expanding access to pre-K, funding for public schools and phasing out private school vouchers, reproductive choice, incremental increases to the minimum wage, and attracting the development of grocery stores in the 20th district to overcome the issue of food deserts and create job opportunities separate from the dependence on the Omaha metropolitan area. He attributes his political engagement and marketing strategy to his grandmother, who actively knocked on doors and distributed flyers for political candidates in his early 20s.
After advancing the primary election unopposed, Armstrong faced the Republican nominee Keith Jones, a retired police lieutenant who was appointed to a vacant Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors seat earlier in January 2026. On September 7, 2026, Armstrong announced the suspension of his campaign, citing personal health issues. His name remained on the ballot, and most Iowa Democrats concluded that they would lose the seat.[failed verification] Amid the 2026 midterm "blue wave", Armstrong defeated Jones with 55.19% of the vote to Jones's 44.81%. He told The New York Times that he would "do [his] best to represent" the district even with his health issues.
The Iowa House of Representatives will start their 2027–29 session on January 11, 2027.
Armstrong is married to Hillary Parker, a mechanical engineer who was originally from New York. They moved to Carter Lake, Iowa, where they have lived for over 25 years as of 2026. They have two sons, who are both married with daughters of their own.