Members of the Iowa Senate spent two hours this afternoon honoring Jack Whitver, the Senate’s former GOP leader who’s being treated for a brain tumor and is not seeking reelection.
Following Iowa Senate tradition, Whitver was the last to speak. Whitver began by mentioning he ran for the senate the first time in early 2011, in a special election.
“As I step away to focus on my health, I wish this entire chamber nothing but the best,” Whitver said. “This is a special place, much give and take and we usually — usually — end up in the right spot.”
Whitver closed his remarks with emotional thank yous to his parents, his children and his wife. “Allergies! Allergies are really kicking up! Geez,” Whitver joked as he paused to wipe the tears from his eyes and his fellow senators laughed.
Many of Whitver’s fellow senators cited Whitver’s background as a college athlete — he played wide receiver for the Iowa State Cyclones — and his team-centered approach to leadership. Senator Amy Sinclair, a Republican from Allerton who is president of the Senate, said Whitver gave his colleagues the confidence to do big things. “It was about doing the right thing, rather than being someone,” Sinclair said.
Whitver, who is 45, stepped down as majority leader last fall. Many of the Republicans shared stories about first meeting Whitver when he was recruiting them to run for the Senate. And three senators who identified themselves as Hawkeye fans joked the first time they heard Whitver’s name was when he caught eight passes the day the Iowa State Cyclones beat the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2002.
One Democrat, Senator Izaah Knox of Des Moines, shared that he’d admired Whitver for years, so before he ran for the Senate in 2022 he called Whitver to ask some questions. “I want to thank you for that real, true, honest advice,” Knox said.
Senator Janet Petersen, a Democrat from Des Moines, expressed her thanks to Whitver as well. “Thank you for your service to the state of Iowa and thank you for the things you did to uplift the institution of the Iowa Senate,” she said.
A handful of former senators sat in the gallery above the senate floor today in tribute to Whitver. Senator Carrie Koelker, a Republican from Dyersville, invited Whitver to look around the room and see all the senators he’d mentored.
“You’ve recruited us, you’ve helped us, you’ve handheld…you’ve watched us cry, you’ve watched us struggle, but you were always so calm and cared about our families,” Koelker said. “You’ve been a hell of a friend to all of us in this room.”