Des Moines, Iowa — The 2025 legislative session is underway with Republicans in control of the debate agenda for the ninth consecutive year — but it’s the first time in decades Republicans are holding supermajorities in BOTH the House and Senate.
Last year’s Republican majority of 64 seats in the Iowa House has grown to 67 this year. That’s a two-thirds “super majority.”
House Speaker Pat Grassley says he doesn’t expect a major shift in the approach Republicans take, however. “Making sure that when we can reduce the tax burden on Iowans, we do,” he says. “Making sure we’re funding our commitments, but also making sure that we’re not overspending.”
House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl, like Grassley, has been a legislator for 18 years — but this is the first super majority in the House since the 1970s.
Windschitl, who is in the Marine Reserve, says his primary job as majority leader is counting to 51 — the number of votes needed to pass a bill in the House.
Democrats in the legislature say they’ll press to hold Republicans accountable for policies that aren’t supported by a majority of Iowans. House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst says the 33 Democrats in the House represent over a million Iowans. “Our job is to be here representing our constituents,” Konfrst says. “They deserve to have a voice at the Capitol, just like those that are represented by Republicans.”
Senate Republicans had a “super majority” for the past two years and have one again this year. There are just 15 Democrats in the Senate today — the lowest number since 1970. Senator Janice Weiner is the third Democrat to serve as Senate Minority Leader in the past 19 months.
A special election is scheduled for January 28th to fill the senate seat previously held by Chris Cournoyer of LeClaire. Cournoyer resigned in December, just before Governor Reynolds appointed Cournoyer to be lieutenant governor.
