Democrats in the state house have become the last to choose their legislative leaders, reelecting representative Dick Myers of Iowa City as house minority leader. Myers helped democrats pick up two legislative seats in last week’s election but says they failed to wrest majority control from the republicans. He says democrats “got out-Iraq’d” when president Bush swept the nation the last ten days campaigning for GOP candidates. Myers says he’s well pleased with the new crop of democrats elected to the house. Myers says the voters elected three new black legislators, three women and the first Indian American in the nation, making the legislature look more like the population of the state. Myers says house democrats will focus much of their energy on finding money to reduce class sizes in grade-schools and fund a state teacher-compensation plan.
