Democrat drops out of race due to health concerns and still wins; opponent says, 'We deserve to know more'

A Democratic candidate who dropped his campaign for health reasons still defeated the Republican candidate in an Iowa state House race.

Democrat Eric Armstrong explained in a Sept. 7 Facebook post that he was abandoning his campaign due to health issues.

"Running a successful campaign requires immense physical and mental energy. Recently, I have been facing some personal health issues that require my full attention and immediate care," Armstrong wrote, in part. 

"Because I must prioritize my health and recovery at this time, I am stepping down from my campaign, effective immediately. This was a deeply difficult choice. However, I know it is the right one. 

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Eric Armstrong won the election after dropping his campaign due to his health. (Eric Armstrong for Iowa House District 20 on Facebook)

"Our District deserves a representative who can give 100 percent of their energy to this race. Right now, I must focus on healing so that I can continue to serve our community in other ways in the future."

Despite this announcement, Armstrong's name remained on the ballot, and voters still elected him.

Unofficial results indicate that Armstrong received 4,602 votes, while Republican Keith Jones, who is a member of the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors, received 3,737 votes.

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Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors member Keith Jones (pottcounty-ia.gov)

"I'm going to do my best to represent" the district, Armstrong said during a phone interview Wednesday with The New York Times. "But I still have health issues. That’s what I'm struggling with."

Armstrong did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment Thursday.

In part of a statement to Fox News Digital Thursday, Jones wrote, "I think we deserve to know more."

"Serious rumors were that he was hiding a background that could have disqualified him from office. People ‘could have’ donated to his campaign and subsequently voted for him based on a falsehood. I was a police officer for 29 years. There's absolutely something there that needs to be investigated by the media," Jones later wrote in another statement provided to Fox News Digital.  

"If he's truly sick, why did he reenter the race? Is he healthy enough to hold office? Did he lie about being sick to cover a damaging personal story? Public trust at that level is important. Is he qualified to be in public office?" Jones asked.

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Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek, a Democrat and U.S. Senate candidate, during an election night event with Iowa Democrats in Des Moines, Iowa, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (Scott Morgan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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The state House seat is held by Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek, who defeated Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson in the Iowa U.S. Senate race this week.