A look at presumptive new Iowa House speaker coming in The Gazette

When Republicans took control of the Iowa House in Tuesday's elections attention turned to the Corridor, where Rep. Kraig Paulsen lives.

Paulsen, a Hiawatha Republican and 1983 Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School graduate, has been House minority leader the past two years and is in line to be the next speaker of the House.

Political reporter James Q. Lynch has prepared a story about Paulsen for the Monday, Nov. 8, Gazette. The story will go beyond politics and give you some insight into Paulsen's life, although most of what Iowans know about Paulsen in the next couple of years will be tied to what the Iowa Legislature does after convening in January.

Paulsen has been in the Legislature since 2003. Two years ago he defeated longtime Statehouse Republican leader Christopher Rants, of Sioux City, for the House minority leadership position. Paulsen called then for Republicans to take a fresh approach to the House, which Democrats had controlled since 2000.

The election shows some success with that approach.

Observers will watch to see what gets accomplished when Republicans can control legislation in the House and expect an ally in the governor's office, but also must work with the still-Democratic Senate.