Democratic Gov.-elect Rob Sand says the Iowa lawmakers he’s spoken with since the election heard much the same message from voters. They want the two parties to work together to make state government serve Iowans better.
Republican House Speaker Pat Grassley. R-New Hartford, said his caucus will hear Sand out on proposals it considers reasonable. But he’s already questioning how Sand’s pledge to veto what the governor-elect calls “culture war” bills squares with his promise to work across party lines.
Their remarks at separate press conferences Friday and Monday offered a preview of Iowa’s first divided state government since 2016. Sand will take office in January with Republicans holding a 56-44 majority in the House and a 32-18 majority in the Senate.
The GOP lost 11 House seats in the midterm elections, costing it the two-thirds majority it would need in that chamber to override a veto.
Grassley spoke Friday after House Republicans chose him for another term as speaker. He acknowledged a difficult election night, but said Republican candidates ran ahead of their party’s nominee for governor in 21 competitive districts.
Grassley said Sand had reached out to him and that he wanted to meet with his caucus before getting back to the governor-elect. He said House Republicans would discuss proposals they believe would benefit Iowans and would “draw the line if there’s things that we think go too far or start to compromise our principles.”
Grassley said Sand’s comments about vetoing bills could make it harder to fulfill his campaign promise of bipartisanship. He also questioned some of Sand’s transition appointments, calling some members of the team “hyperpartisan.” He said he would give Sand the benefit of the doubt until he sees actual legislation.
Sand says lawmakers will get credit for working with him
At his transition press conference on Monday, Sand said he had talked with legislative leaders and rank-and-file lawmakers from both parties in the House and Senate. He said he would invite any lawmaker who supports a bill he signs to the signing ceremony.
“Credit given where credit is due,” he said.
Sand named former Iowa Republican Party chair Mike Mahaffey and outgoing independent state Rep. Brian Lohse of Bondurant to co-chair his transition steering committee. Lohse announced he would leave the Republican Party after losing his June primary.
Sand also named longtime adviser Abe Rakov as his chief of staff, citing Rakov’s experience working with a divided government in Missouri. Rakov was a longtime aide to Democratic former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander, served as Missouri’s deputy secretary of state and led early-state operations for Democrat Beto O’Rourke’s 2020 presidential campaign. He also served as president of Let America Vote, a national political engagement group that Kander founded after losing to GOP Sen. Roy Blunt.
Sand said he’s spoken with Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and wants to meet face-to-face with current agency directors soon as he decides whom to keep. Grassley said Friday he wants officials from the new administration to appear before House budget subcommittees and expects transparency from Sand’s team.
Policy debates await specific proposals
Sand said he intends to begin the process of ending privatized Medicaid on his first day in office, following a campaign pledge to do so via executive order. He said the change would take time, recalling that federal officials told former Republican Gov. Terry Branstad’s administration to slow down when it moved to privatize the program.
Grassley said his caucus had yet to settle on legislative priorities. Asked about limiting eminent domain for carbon dioxide pipelines and letting independent voters participate in primaries, he said he wanted to see specific bills before weighing in. He also said it was too early to assess a possible sales tax increase to fund water quality efforts. He pointed to tax policy, budgeting and potential relief for Iowans facing financial pressure as areas the caucus would consider.
Lawmakers are set to convene Jan. 11. Sand said Republican leaders have publicly said they’ll work with him where they agree.
“I can't guarantee you that the Legislature will want to get things done. I think they do,” Sand told reporter Monday. “They have said they want to, and they've said that publicly that they'll be working with me on places where we agree. Good, let's go get stuff done. Time will tell.”
