Iowa Senate poised to go to GOP

DES MOINES — Republicans will control the agenda in the Iowa Capitol for at least the next two years after Tuesday's election flipped control of the Iowa Senate.

A wave of Republican victories Tuesday included the ouster of the Senate's majority leader, Mike Gronstal, who held his Senate seat for more than three decades.

Republicans also appeared on track to maintain their advantage in the Iowa House, and with Gov. Terry Branstad left with two years remaining on his term, the GOP will have unfettered control of the lawmaking agenda in Iowa through 2018.

'Can you feel it in the air tonight? Just this huge red wave moving across Iowa,' Republican Party of Iowa chairman Jeff Kaufmann said Tuesday night.

Republicans secured victories over Democratic incumbents in four Iowa Senate races and held strong leads in two more as of late Tuesday night, according to results reported by the Iowa Secretary of State's Office.

Republicans needed to hold their seats and defeat two Democratic incumbents to win control of the Senate.

If Republicans hold onto the leads they enjoyed as of late Tuesday, they will pick up six Senate seats and take a 29-19 advantage into the 2017 legislative session.

'We're going to be focused on the issues that we ran on — bringing about fiscal responsibility to state government, what we can do to stimulate new career development in our state and growth. Those are our two priorities, and we're not going to take our eye off that ball,' said Bill Dix, the Republican Senate minority leader who now is in line to be Senate majority leader. 'We'll be working on a package with the governor and the House to make sure that we move forward with an agenda that creates new job opportunities in Iowa.'

One seat belongs to an independent senator who recently disavowed his Republican Party affiliation in protest of presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Another seat is vacant with the death of Sen. Joe Seng, a Democrat from Davenport. A special election is scheduled for Dec. 27; Democrats will be favored to hold the seat because of voter makeup in the district.

'It means that we have a lot of work to do. It means we have to reach out across the aisle with both parties so that we pass legislation for Iowa and for Iowans,' Democratic Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad of Des Moines said Tuesday night. 'What we see tonight is that we have voices in the United States and in Iowa that we have to begin listening to. Individuals that didn't have a voice for decades have come out and voted.

'Now we have to see how we pull that together. We have to pull all of that back together and make it work, because it's about Iowans.'

In those battleground races Tuesday night:

• Gronstal was defeated by Dan Dawson, 54 percent to 46 percent.

• Republican challenger Mark Lofgren defeated Democratic incumbent Chris Brase, 57 percent to 43 percent.

• Republican challenger Waylon Brown defeated Democratic incumbent Mary Jo Wilhelm, 62 percent to 38 percent.

• Republican challenger Tom Greene defeated Democratic incumbent Tom Courtney, 53 percent to 47 percent.

• Republican challenger Craig Johnson led Democratic incumbent Brian Schoenjahn, 59 percent to 41 percent, with 42 of 49 precincts reporting.

• Republican challenger Jeff Edler led Democratic incumbent Steve Sodders, 56 percent to 44 percent, with 34 of 40 precincts reporting.

House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer, a Republican from Clear Lake, said late Tuesday she thinks Republicans will expand their advantage in the House.

'We'll finally be able to get the work done we've been waiting to for the last six years, and I'm so excited about that,' Upmeyer said. 'The best is yet to come.'