Iowa Sen. Waylon Brown announces resignation

Only about a month after winning a Republican primary in hopes of serving another term in the Iowa Legislature, Senate Majority Whip Waylon Brown of St. Ansgar announced his resignation Monday without providing an explanation.

Brown's resignation, which takes effect Wednesday, narrowly won the June 4 Republican primary against former Mason City school board member Doug Campbell, and advanced to the Nov. 5 general election.

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The two GOP candidates had conflicting platforms about the use of eminent domain for construction of the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline that would pass through all four counties in the legislative district. Brown, while chairing the Senate Commerce Committee, notably buried measures that would limit the use of eminent domain from being debated.

Late last month, Iowa regulators approved the proposed Summit carbon dioxide capture pipeline in the state, and gave the company authority to force unwilling landowners to grant it, with compensation, easements for the route. But state regulators said other states also would have to grant Summit permission before construction on the Iowa portion of the five-state route could start.

Brown was endorsed for re-election by both the Iowa Small Business PAC and the Iowa Association of Business and Industry.

Brown could not be reached for comment.

"I will forever be grateful to the people of my district who entrusted me to represent them in the Iowa State Capitol. I’m thankful for my wife, Julie, and our two kids, who have supported me throughout my tenure as state senator," a news release he issued Monday stated.

Brown has served in the Iowa Senate since defeating incumbent Democrat Mary Jo Wilhelm in 2016. He represents Mitchell, Worth and Cerro Gordo counties as well as portions of Floyd County.

According to state law, Iowa Republicans must now call a special convention where party delegates from District 30 will select a new nominee to take Brown's place on the ballot in November. It's unclear yet when and where the convention will be.

Campbell said he isn't certain he'd be selected as the nominee. "You lose the primary, and so you're not on the ballot. And now the possibility exists, the same as before, but the process is a little different. It's all about the delegates (now)," Campbell said.

In a statement, Democratic candidate for the seat, Rich Lorence of Mason City, thanked Brown for his time serving in the Senate and wished him well.

"As we move forward, I am more committed than ever to serving North Central Iowa and making our state better for everyone," he said.

In Brown’s news release, he recounted successes of the GOP-controlled Legislature but stopped short of saying why he’s leaving.

“When I took office, I said I wanted to leave things better than I found them, and I believe I accomplished that. In the past seven years, we have enacted responsible budgeting, including the elimination of the inheritance tax and taxes on retired income. We said goodbye to needless red tape and are getting Iowans into the workforce faster because of licensing reform. As Chair of the Commerce Committee, I oversaw significant energy policies, making Iowa more competitive and increasing the stability of our electrical grid.

"Our rural and agricultural communities are stronger than they were seven years ago. This is critical — since ag and rural industries are the lifeblood of Iowa."