© 2024 Iowa Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

GOP Takeover of Iowa Senate Part of National Trend

John Pemble/IPR
Iowa Senate debate. Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, pictured here, was defeated for re-election in Tuesday's election

The Republican party did well in statehouse races across the country Tuesday, and the Iowa GOP did its part for the victory.   

Republicans took control of the Iowa Senate, continuing a nationwide trend over the past several years.   

Republicans have dominated state legislatures since 2010

Daniel Diorio with the National Conference of State Legislatures says Republicans now control two-thirds of all House and Senate chambers nationwide. 

“Republicans are at their all-time high for state chamber control,” Diorio said.   “So they have really dominated ever since 2010 state legislatures across the country.”

In addition to Iowa, there was a big change in Kentucky.

“Prior to the election, the Kentucky House was the only Democratically-controlled chamber in the South,” Diorio said.   “Republicans flipped it dramatically and there are no longer any Democratic-controlled chambers anywhere in the South.”

Diorio says in 21 of the past 29 presidential elections, the party of the winning candidate picked up statehouse seats.  

There are no longer any Democratic-controlled chambers anywhere in the South

In Iowa, Republicans gained six seats in the Senate and two in the House.    

One Senate seat remains too close to call.

After Tuesday’s flip in the Iowa Senate, there are now only three states in the country with divided control of the legislature.