Elections were held in 21 of the state senate's 50 districts.

A statewide map of the 50 state Senate districts in the 1897 elections is provided by the Iowa General Assembly here.

[1] The general election took place on November 2, 1897.

To claim control of the chamber from Republicans, the Democrats needed to net 19 Senate seats.

Republicans maintained control of the Iowa State Senate following the 1897 general election with the balance of power shifting to Republicans holding 39 seats and Democrats having 11 seats (a net gain of 4 seats for Democrats).