Articles Tagged: Iowa Senate

Catelin Drey, a northwestern Iowa Democrat who won an August special election and broke the Republican supermajority in the Iowa Senate, was sworn in at the Iowa Capitol Monday morning.

Iowa state Sen. Charlie McClintock announced Thursday he will run for the open 2nd Congressional District seat in northeast Iowa, setting up what is expected to be a crowded Republican primary.

This week on the podcast: Catelin Drey wins Western Iowa special election. Plus, highlights from Ashley Hinson’s annual fundraiser and Bernie Sanders in the Quad Cities.

Iowa Democrats celebrated Catelin Drey’s victory, saying the Tuesday results — alongside results from other special elections this year — mark a turning point for the state party following several election cycles of overwhelming GOP victories.

Iowa law imposes stringent restrictions on the acceptance of gifts by public officials, employees and candidates. The goal is to protect the public trust and prevent conflicts of interest or the appearance of impropriety. But what does the law say? And how often is it broken?

Also in The Gazette’s Capitol Notebook, Canadian National Railway announces $38 million investment in Iowa

Rocky De Witt, a Republican who rose from relative obscurity a decade ago to a seat on the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors and then a seat in the Iowa Senate, has died following a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Seventy legislators in the Iowa House signed a petition to override Gov. Kim Reynolds’ veto of eminent domain and property rights legislation, the House Speaker’s Office announced Tuesday. But a special session of the Iowa Legislature remains unlikely given the lack of interest from Republican leaders in the Iowa Senate.

Iowa Senate President Amy Sinclair said Thursday she believes state legislation that would limit eminent domain and regulate hazardous liquid pipelines is unconstitutional and will cost the state money, in both legal fees and missed economic development.

Iowa state Sen. Art Staed, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, said he plans to continue to serve in the Iowa Senate in light of the diagnosis.

This week on the podcast: the 2025 legislative session ends, plus candidates emerge for 2026 races.

A slate of Iowa tax credits would be repealed, created or adjusted under legislation making its way through the state legislature as the end of the session nears.

Debate and lawmakers’ votes in the Iowa Senate once again revealed a divide among statehouse Republicans over landowner rights, eminent domain and infrastructure projects

Also in the Capitol Notebook, the Senate advanced a ban on DEI funding for local governments and community colleges

Gov. Kim Reynolds, who appointed Cournoyer last year to the role, said in a statement she is “proud to endorse” Cournoyer’s campaign, calling her “a true fiscal conservative with a strong record of improving government efficiencies and accountability.”