Election results in little change in control at the Statehouse

After all the campaigning, the balance of power remains essentially the same at the Iowa Statehouse. Heading into the election, Republicans held a 56 to 44 seat edge in the Iowa House, and a 30 to 20 seat advantage in the Iowa Senate. That meant republicans controlled the legislature’s debate agenda. House Speaker Brent Siegrist of Council Bluffs says republicans will retain majority control of the House and Senate, but one seat remains in doubt. House Democrat Leader Dave Schrader admits disappointment at the “status quo” election. Democrat Governor Tom Vilsack says he’s ready to bury the partisanship of the campaign and work with republicans who control the legislature. Voter turnout was heavy in some portions of Iowa, but weather in the northwest quadrant affected turnout there according to some election officials. Not far away in Council Bluffs, though, turnout was “huge.”Pottawattamie County Auditor Marilyn Jo Drake says there were “lines everywhere.”