Iowa Senate Appears Headed for 25-25 Split
by Jonathan Roos and Lynn Campbell, Des Moines Register
Tuesday's
unpredictable battle for control of the Iowa Senate may have ended in a
history-making tie, leaving neither party with a majority to pass bills.
“It
appears we're left with a 25-25 tie,” said Senate Minority Leader
Michael Gronstal, a Council Bluffs Democrat who would be in the
position of sharing power with the current Senate majority leader –
Republican Stewart Iverson of Dows.
…Republicans
went into the election with a 29-21 advantage. Twenty-six votes are
needed to approve laws. If one side can only muster 25 votes, it will
need help from the other party in passing a bill. Republicans actually
would have only 24 senators on hand, since Chuck Larson, a Cedar Rapids
Republican, is on Army Reserve duty in Iraq.
…Sievers was defeated by Democratic challenger Frank Wood of Eldridge in Senate District 42.
Democrats
grabbed an open seat from Republicans in Black Hawk County. Jeff
Danielson, a firefighter, defeated Frank Dowie, an insurance executive.
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