For months, the conventional wisdom has been that the Iowa Senate after the 2010 election will remain in the control of the Democratic Party. The chamber was deadlocked 25-25 after the 2004 election, which made for an interesting year politically as the two parties had to work together, but Republicans fell into a major minority after the 2006 and 2008 elections. Today, the Democratic hold is 32-18, but that doesn’t seem too much to overcome, in the outlook of Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley, R-Chariton.
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McKinley said he’s confident the electorate is moving to embrace Republicans in Iowa, after what he called overspending through actions by Gov. Chet Culver and the two Democratic chambers. He again spoke derisively about the 2009 I-JOBS state stimulus fund, noting the cost for the $830 million in bonds will hit $1.7 billion with interest and because the 30,000 jobs sought haven’t remotely been created. He said Democrats are sticking their head in the sand when not seeing the financial problems as the state and nation fights to move out of recession.
I have the distinct honor of representing all of Lucas, Monroe and Marion Counties in the Iowa Senate along with parts of Jasper and Mahaska Counties.
Today, the Iowa Secretary of State released new numbers showing the voter registration numbers of all the counties, house districts and senate districts.
In the last month, we've seen a huge swing toward the Republican Party not only in my district but throughout the state. It's a real indication that folks are looking for a new governor and a new Legislature.
Here's a quick breakdown of my district. As you can see, there are fewer Democrats and No Party registrants and significantly more Republicans.
In June of 2010, there were 12,486 Democrats. As of July 1, there are 12,115 Democrats
In June of 2010, there were 14,880 Republicans. As of July 1, there are 15,948 Republicans
In June of 2010, there were 15,315 No Party. As of July 1, there are 14,467 No Party.
Republicans are now a plurality in my district as there are more GOPers than No Party.
DES MOINES - Senate Republican Leader Paul McKinley (R-Chariton) today issued the following statement following Governor Culver’s release touting a politically heightened dollar figure in state savings while completely ignoring his record of unsustainable spending, sky-rocketing property taxes, generational debt and unacceptable levels of unemployment:
“While Governor Culver is touting a politically heightened state savings projection, he has failed to address the nearly $250 million increase in property taxes this year, the quintupling of state debt, the consistently high unemployment and is denial about the almost $1 billion budget shortfall for next year. The legacy of Governor Culver and legislative Democrats is not one of savings but one of saddling future Iowans with more taxation, more debt and higher unemployment.”
