The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly,United States. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate,representing 50 single-member districts across the state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency,as of the 2010 United States census. Each Senate district is composed of two House districts. The Senate meets at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines.
Roger F. Wendt was a Democratic member of the Iowa House of Representatives,representing the 2nd District from 2003 until 2011,though he stepped down from the Iowa House in February 2010 due to serious illness. He died on March 30,2011,from lung cancer.
Brian J. Quirk is a former Democratic member of the Iowa House of Representatives,representing the 30th District from 2001 to 2003,and the 15th District from 2003-2012. He received his AA from North Area Community College. He is a veteran and served in the military from 1987-1991.
Roger D. Thomas is the Iowa State Representative from the 55th District. He served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1997 to 2001 in the 32nd District and from 2003 to 2011 in the 24th District. He received his BS from Upper Iowa University.
Todd Taylor is the Iowa State Senator from the 40th District. A Democrat,he has served in the Iowa Senate since 2019. Previously between 1995 and 2019 he had served in the Iowa House of Representatives from the 70th District. He received his BA from Graceland College and his BS from the University of Northern Iowa.
Swati A. Dandekar is a former Iowa state legislator and former U.S. Executive Director at the Asian Development Bank. She is a Democratic member of the Iowa Utilities Board,awaiting Senate confirmation in 2012. Previously,she was a member of the Iowa House of Representatives for the 36th District from 2003 to 2009 and a member of the Iowa Senate for the 18th District from 2009 to 2011. She received her B.S. degree in Biology and Chemistry from Nagpur University and a graduate diploma in dietetics from University of Mumbai. As of 2011 Dandekar serves as the Chair of the National Foundation for Women Legislators and as a board member of the Iowa Math and Science Coalition,the Greater Cedar Rapids Foundation,and the Belin-Blank International Center for Gifted &Talented. Dandekar previously served on the Iowa Association of School Boards,and as a board member of the Women in Public Policy,and the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy. On July 23,2013 Dandekar announced that she would be running for the U.S. Congress from the 1st congressional district;she lost in the primary to former state house speaker Pat Murphy,who himself lost to Rod Blum.
Art Staed is a current Iowa State Representative from the 80th District. A Democrat,he was in the Iowa House of Representatives for one term,from 2007 to 2009,before being elected again in 2013. Staed holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Rockhurst University in Kansas City,a Master's degree in Secondary Education from the University of Missouri at Kansas City and another master's degree in Secondary Administration from East Central University in Ada,Oklahoma.
Dawn E. Pettengill is an American retired politician from Iowa. She was a member of the Iowa House of Representatives from 2005 to 2019,where she represented the 75th District. On April 30,2007,she switched to the Republican Party,having previously served in the House as a Democrat. In a letter to her constituents,Pettengill said she decided to switch parties due to disagreements with fiscal and labor policy,as well as the state Democratic Party's decision to take her off the incumbent protection list for the 2008 elections.
Beth Wessel-Kroeschell is an American politician who held the District 45 seat in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2005 to 2023. During the 2022 state legislative elections,she was redistricted to District 49.
Jo Oldson is an American politician serving as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives for the 41st district. A Democrat,she has served in the Iowa House of Representatives since 2003. Oldson was born and raised in Eagle Grove,Iowa and resides in Des Moines. She received her BA and JD from Drake University.
Janet Petersen is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Iowa Senate representing the 18th District since January 2013. She previously served as the Senate Minority Leader and has previously represented the 64th district in the Iowa House of Representatives between 2001 and 2013. She received her BA from the University of Northern Iowa and her MA from Drake University.
Jodi Tymeson is a former Iowa State Representative from the 77th and 73rd Districts. She served in the Iowa House of Representatives since 2001,representing the 77th District until it was redrawn in 2003 and representing the 73rd District until 2011. She received her BA from the University of Northern Iowa and her MPA from Drake University.
Eric J. Palmer is a former Iowa State Representative from the 75th District. A Democrat,he served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011.
Jeff A. Kaufmann is a former Iowa State Representative from the 79th District. He served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2004 until his retirement in 2013. He served in House leadership for six years,serving as the assistant minority leader and speaker pro tem.
Linda J. Miller is the Iowa State Representative from the 94th District. A Republican,she has served in the Iowa House of Representatives since 2007.
Cindy Winckler is an American politician and member of the Iowa Senate for the 49th District. Previously,she served in the Iowa House of Representatives for the 90th District. She served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013. She received her MA from the University of Northern Iowa.
Kurt Swaim is the Iowa State Representative from the 94th District. He has served in the Iowa House of Representatives since 2003.
Doug Struyk is a former Iowa State Representative from the 99th District. He served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2003 to 2011 and was an assistant minority leader. He resigned from the Iowa House in 2011 to work for the Iowa Secretary of State's office. Struyk received his B.A. from Iowa State University and his J.D. from Creighton University School of Law. He is vice president of his family's Council Bluffs,Iowa,lawn care business.
Nathan Willems is a Democrat representing the 29th District in the Iowa House of Representatives since 2009. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (2001) and a Juris Doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law (2007).
Phyllis Thede is an American former politician who represented the 93rd District in the Iowa House of Representatives as a member of the Iowa Democratic Party. With a background in community education and unions,she was first elected in 2009. She is married and the mother of Robin Thede,a nationally known comedic actress and writer,and two other daughters.
