The 2025 legislative session starts today with Republicans in control of the debate agenda for the ninth consecutive year, but it’s the first time in decades Republicans are holding supermajorities in both the House and Senate.
Last year’s Republican majority of 64 seats in the Iowa House has grown to 67 this year. That’s a two-thirds “supermajority.” House Speaker Pat Grassley said he doesn’t expect a major shift in the approach Republicans take, however.
“Making sure that when we can reduce the tax burden on Iowans, we do,” he said during an interview. “Making sure we’re funding our commitments, but also making sure that we’re not overspending.”
House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl, like Grassley, has been a legislator for 18 years.
“Is it going to be interesting? Absolutely. Is it going to be challenging? Certainly,” Windschitl said, “but, as a United States Marine, I improvise, I adapt, I overcome and I’m looking forward to the work that House Republicans can do moving Iowa forward.”
Windschitl, who is in the Marine Reserve, said his primary job as majority leader is counting to 51 — the number of votes needed to pass a bill in the House.
“People will automatically assume, ‘Well, you’ve got 67 and 35 in the Senate and a Republican governor, you should have the proverbial ‘magic wand’ and just be able to make it happen,'” Windschitl told reporters after a Greater Des Moines Partnership forum in December, “but with 67, end up getting people that can’t vote for a bill for this reason…or that reason. All of that goes into the calculation of when do we have the opportunity to run legislation.”
Democrats in the legislature say they’ll press to hold Republicans accountable for policies that aren’t supported by a majority of Iowans. House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst said the 33 Democrats in the House represent over a million Iowans.
“Our job is to be here representing our constituents,” Konfrst said during an Iowa Capitol Press Association forum last week. “They deserve to have a voice at the Capitol, just like those that are represented by Republicans.”
Senate Republicans had a “supermajority” for the past two years and have one again this year. There are just 15 Democrats in the Senate today — the lowest number since 1970. Senator Janice Weiner is the third Democrat to serve as Senate Minority Leader in the past 19 months.
“Senate Democrats will focus on the everyday things that matter to all Iowans,” Weiner said last week. “We want to help people get ahead, not just get by.”
A special election is scheduled for January 28 to fill the senate seat previously held by Chris Cournoyer of LeClaire. Cournoyer resigned in December, just before Governor Reynolds appointed Cournoyer to be lieutenant governor.