Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal today named five-term Democratic Senator Matt McCoy as chair of the Commerce Committee. He replaces Swati Dandekar, who resigned on Friday to accept an appointment to the Iowa Utilities Board. If Democrats lose the November special to replace Dandekar, McCoy will likely co-chair the Commerce Committee with a Republican colleague during the 2012 legislative session. Jerry Behn was the ranking GOP senator on the Commerce Committee during this year’s session.

I’ve posted background on McCoy and his senate career after the jump. His position on the nuclear energy bill Dandekar championed is unclear.

Announcing his decision on September 19, Gronstal released this statement:

“Senator McCoy is a strong advocate for a competitive, Iowa economy that encourages the creation of good jobs at good wages,” said Gronstal.  “As the chair of the Commerce Committee, he will put the interests of Iowa businesses and consumers ahead of out-of-state corporations.  He’s working to create an environment where businesses can find well-educated, well-trained workers, a high quality of life, and a competitive tax policy.”

McCoy voted for the pro-nuclear bill when it passed the Senate Commerce Committee earlier this year, and an action alert from the Iowa Renewable Energy Association described him as one of that bill’s leading backers in the Senate. McCoy re-evaluated his support as disaster unfolded at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear facility, telling journalists that MidAmerican Energy “have an extreme burden now to resell this [bill].” At the same time, McCoy did not go as far as nine of his Senate Democratic colleagues, who called for shelving the legislation.

In his new position, McCoy will be deeply involved in Senate debates over tax policy in 2012. He was among the architects of a bill limiting certain business tax credits during the 2010 legislative session. But the same year, he was one of the few statehouse Democrats endorsed by the Iowa Association of Business and Industry’s PAC. It probably helped that in addition to being business-friendly in general, McCoy represented a safe Democratic district in Des Moines. His token Republican opponent didn’t receive much help from the state party or Senate GOP leaders.

During the 2011 legislative session, McCoy repeatedly spoke out for maintaining the universal voluntary preschool program for four-year-olds. He and other Democrats argued that expanding preschool access would boost Iowa’s economy while helping children. McCoy was a leading voice for funding passenger rail projects, citing the potential for economic development. His wide-ranging legislative interests have included floor-managing the bill raising the cigarette tax in 2007 and the bill reining in abuses at “puppy mills” in 2010.

McCoy is Iowa’s first openly gay state legislator. Outside the state he may be best known for recording this video on April 3, 2009, the day the Iowa Supreme Court announced its Varnum v Brien decision on marriage. In the filmed statement, McCoy hailed the court ruling and argued that “Iowa won’t go backwards on marriage rights.”

During the last decade, McCoy was often mentioned as a possible successor to Leonard Boswell in Iowa’s third Congressional district. That prospect took a hit in 2007, when U.S. Attorney Matt Whitaker prosecuted McCoy for attempted extortion. But the case was weak. Several commentators questioned the Republican rising star’s decision to prosecute after a jury took less than two hours–including a lunch break–to acquit McCoy.

McCoy was re-elected to his fifth Senate term in 2010. Redistricting paired him with Republican Pat Ward in the new Senate district 21, covering parts of Des Moines and West Des Moines (map). Ward quickly announced plans to move to the more Republican-friendly new Senate district 22. As the sole incumbent in an odd-numbered district, McCoy won’t be on the ballot again until 2014.

Share any relevant thoughts in this thread.

UPDATE: John Deeth points out in the comments that McCoy had filed papers to run for Congress in IA-03 in 2001. He withdrew from that race after Leonard Boswell decided to move to Polk County to avoid facing Steve King in IA-05.