Republicans have won a majority of seats in the Iowa House, giving the G.O.P.control of the debate agenda when the 2011 Iowa Legislature convenes in January.
“Iowans have made a decision,” House Republican Leader Kraig Paulsen says. “House Republicans wanted to be in a position to govern, and that’s the decision they made.”
Reducing state spending will be top priority according to Paulsen. “And we’re going to focus on our economy and making sure Iowa is a place that employers want to invest,” Paulsen says.
Paulsen is likely the next House Speaker, as he was the leader primarily responsible for recruiting House G.O.P. candidates. “We had some remarkable candidates who worked hard, and got out and met Iowans — listened to Iowans — and they’re ready to go to work,” Paulsen says.
Preliminary election returns indicate Republicans likely have won at least 58 of the 100 House races.
Party control of the Iowa Senate is too close to call. It appears Democrats will hold 25 of the 50 seats, with two other races undecided this morning. The margin in one of those undecided state senate races is just over three dozen votes. If the Iowa Senate is split, 25-25, the two parties would have to share power, as was the case earlier in the decade when 25 Republicans and 25 Democrats served in the state senate.