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Kaufmann named to Republican House leadership team
by Rob Poggenklass · News · November 21, 2006
West Branch’s representative in the Iowa House has been elected to his party’s leadership team, becoming one of four assistant minority leaders for the 2007-08 legislative session.
Rep. Jeff Kaufmann, of Wilton, who was re-elected to a second term as the District 79 representative on Nov. 7, was chosen by House Republicans during a caucus last week. He will serve as one of four assistants to House Minority Leader Christopher Rants, of Sioux City, who was formerly the Speaker of the Iowa House.
Though Kaufmann and Rants were re-elected, the Republicans lost their slim majority. The Democrats hold a 54-45 edge in the Iowa House.
The new Speaker of the House is Pat Murphy, D-Dubuque. The new majority leader is Kevin McCarthy, D-Des Moines.
The seat of the late Mary Lou Freeman, R-Storm Lake, will be determined by a Dec. 12 election. Republican Gary Worthan, 52, is expected to beat Democrat Kate Logan, 21, a sophomore at Buena Vista University, to keep the seat for Republicans. That would leave a 54-46 margin for the Democrats.
As an assistant leader, Kaufmann said he will help Rants set the agenda for House Republicans in the upcoming session. As the minority party, Kaufmann admitted the agenda would largely be a reactive one, as Democrats will control which bills will go to the floor of the Legislature.
Kaufmann said he was one of 10 Republican legislators nominated for the post, with each candidate giving a speech to the Republican caucus. Kaufmann said that in his speech, he focused on the party’s need to stay positive despite the loss of at least five seats in this month’s election. He said Republicans need to reach out to independent voters and “enlarge the tent,” rather than reassuring the party’s conservative base.
Rep. Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, will be the minority whip, second in command to Rants. The three other assistant minority leaders are Rep. Linda Upmeyer, R-Garner; Rep. Doug Struyk, R-Council Bluffs; and Rep. Rod Roberts, R-Carroll.
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