Iowa House Democrats over the weekend reelected state Rep. Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights to lead the caucus during the upcoming Iowa legislative session, despite losing seats in last week’s election.
As it stands, according to unofficial results, Republicans are expected to grow their supermajorities in the Iowa Legislature after a strong showing in the Nov. 5 election.
If results hold, Republicans are poised to hold a 67-seat majority in the 100-member Iowa House and a 35-seat majority in the 50-member Iowa Senate. They’re the largest majorities the party has held in the Iowa Legislature since 1970. Some races remain tight and could be headed to recounts.
As of Monday, House Republicans had flipped Democrat-held seats in Ankeny, Dubuque, Marshalltown and Mason City and held off Democratic challengers in the Des Moines metro. Democrats picked up a seat left by Republican Rep. Luana Stoltenberg of Davenport, who chose not to seek re-election. Republicans did not field a candidate in that race.
Voters last week elected four new Iowa House Democrats in open races where mainly Democratic incumbents did not seek re-election: Dan Gosa of Davenport, the Rev. Rob Johnson of Des Moines, Larry McBurney of Urbandale and Aime Wichtendahl of Hiawatha.
Konfrst, an associate professor at Drake University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, is the first woman to lead Iowa House Democrats. She first was named to the position in 2021 to replace former minority leader Todd Prichard, D-Charles City, who stepped down from the leadership position for the remainder of his term and did not seek re-election. She first was elected to the Statehouse in 2018 and was elected to her fourth two-year term in last week’s election.
“While Tuesday’s election results were disappointing and there is a lot of uncertainty ahead, our caucus will never stop fighting for the values we share as Iowans. When the session begins in January, we’re going to work together on every issue we can to improve the lives of Iowans and put people over politics,” Konfrst said in a statement.
House and Senate Republicans have not elected their leaders yet. Currently, Republican lawmakers are led by Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver of Grimes and House Speaker Pat Grassley of New Hartford.
Senate Democrats will elect a new leader. Senate Democratic Leader Pam Jochum of Dubuque did not seek re-election this year and will retire at the end of her current term after more than 30 years as a lawmaker. She was elected to lead the caucus in 2023 following the abrupt ouster of Sen. Zach Wahls, D-Coralville.
Iowa House Democrats will select members to serve as minority whip and assistant leaders at its caucus in December.
Hinson takes herself out of running for House GOP leadership role
Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, of Marion, removed herself Monday as a top contender eyed to replace New York U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik as House GOP conference chair.
Hinson was seen as a favorite to replace Stefanik, who has been tapped for a top position in President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, as one of the top ranking GOP leaders in Congress. Trump on Monday announced he chose Stefanik to serve as his ambassador to the United Nations.
Hinson easily secured a third term in last week’s election to represent Northeast Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District.
The former state lawmaker and KCRG-TV news anchor has been heralded as a rising star within the party. She landed a coveted spot as a first-term lawmaker on the powerful U.S. House Appropriations Committee, and has proved adept at communicating the party’s message in media appearances and appealing to young Republican women as a “minivan driving mom” who flipped a blue seat red in 2020 by campaigning on kitchen-table issues and pledging to be a taxpayer advocate.
She cochaired the National Republican Congressional Committee’s Young Guns program, which helps promising House GOP candidates — a group Hinson belonged to in 2020. She also crisscrossed the country in the lead-up the Nov. 5 election to help boost other Republican candidates, and has developed powerful allies in GOP leadership, including Trump, who endorsed her re-election.
The House GOP conference chair leads the party’s messaging.
“I’m humbled that my colleagues would consider me for this important post, but I am not running for a leadership position,” Hinson said in a statement to The Gazette. “My focus is on serving Iowa’s Second Congressional District and working to ensure we carry out President Trump’s agenda.”
Some have speculated whether Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds may appoint Hinson to the U.S. Senate sometime before the end of Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley’s term. Grassley, 91, was reelected to an eighth term in 2022. The oldest current sitting senator, Grassley would be 95 at the end of his six-year term.
“Iowa is blessed to have the two best Senators in the country, Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, and that isn’t changing anytime soon,” Sophie Seid, a spokeswoman for Hinson, said in a statement. “Anyone suggesting otherwise is just peddling in nonsense. Rep. Hinson’s focus remains on serving the people of Iowa’s Second District and delivering on the commitments made during this campaign to Make America Great Again.”
Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau
