Iowa House Republicans Re-Elect Paulsen and Upmeyer as Top Leaders

(DES MOINES, IA)—Today Iowa House Republicans elected new leadership to carry them into the eighty-fifth General Assembly.

Rep. Kraig Paulsen (R-Hiawatha) was selected to continue in the roll of the Speaker of the House.  Paulsen will be serving his sixth term.  He is an attorney for CRST International, Inc. in Cedar Rapids.  A former member of the United States Air Force, Paulsen had previously served as the Minority Whip and the House Republican Leader.

Rep. Linda Upmeyer (R-Clear Lake) was re-elected as the House Majority Leader.  Upmeyer will be serving her sixth term in the House and is a nurse practitioner.  Upmeyer previously served as the House Minority Whip for two years and the Majority Leader for two years.

Rep. Steve Olson (R-DeWitt) was selected to once again serve as the Speaker Pro Tem. .  Olson will be serving his sixth term in the House.  He has previously served as a House Assistant Leader and was elected as the Speaker Pro Tem in May to replace outgoing Rep. Jeff Kaufmann. He is a veteran and family farmer.

Also elected was Rep. Chris Hagenow (R-Windsor Heights) as the House Majority Whip.

Majority Assistant Leaders are:  Reps. Matt Windschitl (R-Missouri Valley), Walt Rogers (R-Cedar Falls), Jeff Smith (R-Okoboji), and Joel Fry (R-Osceola).

“I’m honored that House Republicans have once again selected me to serve as their Speaker,” said Paulsen.  “House Republicans look forward to continuing to work on behalf of Iowans and move forward with ways to make Iowa stronger.”

The Legislature convenes on January 14, 2013.