The Des Moines Register:

Democratic candidate Liz Mathis won the $1 million special Iowa Senate race Tuesday, allowing her party to retain control of the chamber.

Democrats will maintain a 26-24 edge through the 2012 legislative session. Republicans had hoped for a 25-25 tie and the potential opportunity to move forward on now-gridlocked priorities, such as a move to begin the process to ban same-sex marriage in Iowa.

... Unofficial counts show that Mathis received 56 percent of the vote in one of the most expensive races in legislative history. Small business owner Cindy Golding, a Republican, received 44 percent. Third-party candidate Jon Tack received 1 percent.

Republicans for weeks have said one of their biggest challenges in the race was competing against Mathis’ name recognition.

... Nearly $1 million was raised for the race as of last Friday. Mathis raised $690,036 in both cash and in-kind contributions, while Golding raised a total of $250,325, reports released Tuesday showed.