Iowa senator to remain an independent after leaving GOP

DES MOINES - A northwest Iowa senator who dropped his Republican Party affiliation over disagreements with Donald Trump called Tuesday's presidential outcome 'incredible” but said he plans to retain his independent status and not rejoin the new GOP majority in the Iowa Senate.

Sen. David Johnson, 65, an 18-year legislator from Ocheyedan who is midway in his fourth Senate term, shocked his GOP colleagues in June when he broke ranks and espoused no political party affiliation in protest of what he called Trump's 'racist remarks and judicial jihad” regarding a federal judge of Mexican heritage who was born in Indiana and presided in a legal case dealing with the now-defunct Trump University - a business owned by Trump.

Johnson said he respects the people's voice which called for 'a dramatic change in direction” for the nation by electing Trump the 45th president of the United States in surprising fashion over Democrat Hillary Clinton - another presidential candidate he did not support.

But, he added, Trump's success in solidifying his role as leader of the Republican Party does not change his mind because he remains convinced Trump is 'morally bankrupt” and has tossed character, trustworthiness and truth 'into the dust bin of history.”

'I believe that the country still has no direction. It certainly wasn't revealed during the campaign,” Johnson said in an interview Wednesday. 'The voters want change and they're willing to put a morally bankrupt man into the White House.”

Johnson said he intends to maintain his independent status in the 85th General Assembly even through Republicans scored crushing victories in Tuesday's election to grow their new majority to at least 29 members with a special election slated in Davenport next month to fill a vacancy created by the death of Democratic Sen. Joe Seng earlier this year.