New Iowa House leader to be chosen Thursday

DES MOINES - The power structure in the Iowa Capitol is about to undergo a significant change, as state legislators from the Republican Party, who control the Iowa House, are set to choose a new leader.

House Republicans will meet Thursday morning to elect a new House speaker. Kraig Paulsen, who has served in the speaker's chair since 2011, recently announced he will resign the post before next year's legislative session.

Paulsen, from Hiawatha, also said he will not run for re-election in 2016.

Only two House Republicans have publicly stated their desire to be the next speaker: Linda Upmeyer of Clear Lake, who since 2011 has served as House majority leader, the next highest-ranking leadership position to the speaker, and Josh Byrnes of Osage.

The speaker helps determine which bills are debated in the Iowa House and orchestrates floor debate.

The House speaker, Senate majority leader and governor have the most direct impact on determining what becomes law in Iowa.

'It is without a doubt the best job in state government,” said Christopher Rants, who was a Republican Iowa House speaker from 2003 to 2006. 'You get to set an agenda and influence legislation and get things done and still have anonymity when you walk into Hy-Vee. …

'I used to tell people the speaker has a veto pen before the governor does, and unlike the governor, the speaker gets to vote. It's a pretty great position. It's a great job. But it's a tough job.”

Rants succeeded a speaker from his party when Brent Siegrist stepped down to run for Congress.

Rants said the new House speaker will be surprised by the scope of the position.

'Nobody knows what they're in for. I mean honestly, I was in the leadership chain, I was majority leader for four years before I became speaker. I thought I knew what I was in for,” Rants said. 'Nope. Not even close.”

The new speaker will take over not only in an election year, but coming off a 2015 session in which House Republicans were sharply divided over an increase on the state's gas tax and that stretched a month longer than scheduled because of lengthy budget negotiations.

'Whoever comes in as the new speaker on the House side is definitely going to have some hurt feelings and some bridges to have to span,” said Mack Shelley, chairman of the Iowa State University department of political science.

Tim Hagle, a political science professor at the University of Iowa, said Iowa's first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses could add some additional stress for the new speaker. The Republican Party will not want Statehouse Republicans at each other's throats when the session starts, which will be roughly two weeks before the caucuses.