Council Bluffs Democrat changes party to Republican

There’s one more republican in the Iowa House. There was no election. Representative Douglas Struyk of Council Bluffs was a democrat until last night when republicans issued a news release to announce Struyk switched parties. Struyk left the statehouse before the announcement and was unavailable to answer questions. It was House Speaker Christopher Rants, a republican from Sioux City, who made the explanations. Rants says he and Doug have had a good relationship and he saw Struyk “have some struggles” so Rants say the two “just started talkin’.” House Democrat Leader Pat Murphy of Dubuque wasn’t too talkative last night. Murphy says all he had to say was that “Doug Struyk made a personal decision and that’s his choice.” With the switch, republicans hold a 54 vote majority in the Iowa House compared to the democrats’ 46 votes. Struyk today will file for re-election as a republican. Struyk is a small business owner and an attorney. He was first elected to the House in 2002.