DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The new Republican-controlled Senate has selected leaders for the next two years.
Members of the chamber met privately Friday at the Iowa Capitol and selected Sen. Bill Dix as majority leader and Sen. Jack Whitver as president. The selections will be official in January when the legislative session begins.
The Senate has been controlled by Democrats since 2007, while since 2011 the Republicans have held a majority in the House. Republicans flipped six Senate seats in Tuesday’s election and now have a 29-19 majority. There is one independent and one open seat.
Dix, of Shell Rock, replaces Mike Gronstal. The Council Bluffs Democrat was majority leader for the past decade and lost his re-election race on Tuesday.
Whitver, of Ankeny, replaces Sen. Pam Jochum, a Dubuque Democrat.
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