A lot will change at the state capitol when Iowa returns to divided government in January, with a much smaller contingent of Republicans in the Iowa House. But familiar faces will remain in charge of both legislative chambers.

Turnover will be greater at the committee level in the aftermath of the November elections.

House Republicans stay the course after “difficult night”

Following a caucus meeting at the capitol on November 6, Iowa House Republicans announced that members unanimously re-elected the same leadership team that guided the caucus during the 2026 session:

• Speaker Pat Grassley has held that position since late 2019.
• Majority Leader Bobby Kaufmann has held that position since the summer of 2025.
• Speaker Pro-tem John Wills has held that position since late 2019.
• Majority whip Henry Stone has served in that since the 2023 legislative session.

The Republican majority in the lower chamber will shrink from 67-33 in 2026 to 56-44 in the new legislature, after Democrats defeated ten GOP incumbents and flipped one open House seat. But members didn’t blame leadership for the heavy losses.

Speaking to reporters on November 6, Grassley acknowledged the “difficult night” but emphasized that GOP candidates overperformed the top of the ticket in many legislative districts. “No one ever likes losing,” he said, but his caucus members recognize that Republicans lost more legislative seats (and in some cases their majorities) in other states.

House Republicans will elect assistant majority leaders later this year.

Senate GOP caucus stays mostly intact

Senate Republicans also met at the capitol on November 6. Their caucus weathered the blue tsunami better, with only one GOP incumbent losing and one open seat moving to the Democratic column. Since Republicans defeated one Democratic incumbent, their majority will shrink by just one seat: 32-18 for the 2027 legislative session, down from a 33-17 majority this year.

Republicans re-elected Mike Klimesh as majority leader, a position he has held since September 2025. (Confusingly, “majority leader” is the top position in the upper chamber and the second-ranking position in the House.) Amy Sinclair remains Senate president, having served in that role since the 2023 session. Dan Zumbach remains majority whip, a position he gained in 2025.

Republicans had to make two minor changes to the Senate leadership team, because last year’s President Pro-tem Ken Rozenboom did not seek re-election in 2026. They elected Tim Kraayenbrink, who had previously served as an assistant majority leader. GOP senators chose Dawn Driscoll to replace Kraayenbrink in that role.

The other three Senate assistant majority leaders remain the same as for the 2026 session: Adrian Dickey, Lynn Evans, and Carrie Koelker.

New leadership coming to many committees

Iowa legislative leaders typically announce new committee assignments in late November or December. Grassley and Klimesh will need to make some changes, which usually leads to a chain reaction affecting other panels. The following House committees will certainly have new leaders:

• Agriculture (current chair Derek Wulf became the GOP nominee for lieutenant governor instead of seeking re-election to the legislature)
• Commerce (current chair David Young lost on November 3)
• Economic Development Appropriations subcommittee (current chair Shannon Latham did not seek re-election)
• Education Appropriations subcommittee (current chair Dan Gehlbach lost on November 3)
• Justice Systems Appropriations subcommittee (current chair Brian Lohse lost the GOP primary)
• Ethics Committee (current chair Bill Gustoff lost on November 3)
• Labor and Workforce (current chair Barb Kniff McCulla ran for the Iowa Senate instead of for re-election to the House)
• State Government (current chair Jane Bloomingdale lost the GOP primary)
• Veterans Affairs (current chair Tom Determann lost on November 3)

On the Senate side, the following committees will certainly have new leaders:

• Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations subcommittee (current chair Tom Shipley did not seek re-election)
• Justice Systems Appropriations subcommittee (previous chair Julian Garrett died in June 2026)
• Commerce (current chair Mike Bousselot did not seek re-election)
• Local Government (current chair Scott Webster lost on November 3)
• State Government (current chair Ken Rozenboom did not seek re-election)