Senate Democratic leader Rob Hogg hopes to prevent GOP dismantling of state government

CEDAR RAPIDS - Sen. Rob Hogg says he gets it that the new Iowa Senate Republican majority will do some things he and his Democratic caucus won't like, 'but I hope they don't dismantle the things that make Iowa a great place to live.”

With a Senate majority as well as control of the governor's office and the Iowa House, Republicans 'are in a strong position,” but Hogg doesn't believe they have a mandate to pursue the sorts of changes GOP majorities enacted in Kansas and Wisconsin.

'If you look at the individual races, yes, voters do not want the state to provide money for a trolley that serves the state Capitol,” Hogg said Monday, referring a subject of many GOP attack ads targeting incumbent Democrats. 'That's where the mandate ends.”

Their majority gives Republicans 'freedom to do lots of things, but they have responsibility to govern wisely,” he added.

In the Nov. 8 election, voters gave Republicans control of the Senate for the first time in eight years. The GOP has controlled the governor's office since 2010 and House Republicans expanded their majority to 59-41.

The GOP will have 29 seats when the Legislature convenes Jan. 9. Democrats' numbers could grow to 20 after the Dec. 27 special election to fill a Davenport seat that was held by the late Sen. Joe Seng. There is one Senate independent.

Hogg, 49, a Cedar Rapids attorney and author of a book on climate change, recently was elected by 18 Democratic colleagues to be their leader in the 2017 session.

One of his first items of business will be to prepare the half of his caucus members who have never served in the minority.

'They have to know they still have a job to do and you have to try to get done what you can get done” even if that amounts to playing defense, Hogg said.

'I have a list of things I'd like to prevent from happening, but as a member of a 19-member caucus I can't control what issues (Republicans) choose to bring up,” Hogg said.

'I hope (Republicans) figure out how to do the things they think move Iowa in the right direction, but don't jeopardize Iowa,” he said. 'It's the difference between seeking better public policy and engaging in ideological experimentation. To the extent they say they're going to look for better public policy and move Iowa in a direction that isn't extreme, we'll work through that with them.”

However, if Republicans take the position this is their 'generational chance to remake Iowa in a Republican ideological image, then that's going to be something where we're just going to have to fight tooth-and-nail.”

At the top of that list is preventing backsliding on funding for K-12 schools and the state university system, Hogg said. Based on Gov. Terry Branstad's track record, Hogg believes that's a shared priority. He's also hopeful that Republicans remember what they said on the campaign trail about supporting schools and improving education outcomes.