Iowa

Speaker Pat Grassley to seek reelection to Iowa House in 2026, foregoing run for governor

Published

6 months ago

June 27, 2025

Press Room

Speaker Pat Grassley to seek reelection to Iowa House in 2026, foregoing run for governor

Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley announced he will seek reelection to his House seat, forgoing a run for governor in 2026.
Grassley has served as House speaker since 2020 and represents District 57 in northeastern Iowa.
Grassley cited his commitment to his constituents, family and farming as reasons for seeking reelection to the House.

Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley has announced he will seek reelection to his House seat in 2026, taking himself out of the wide-open governor’s race.

Grassley, a Republican from New Hartford, had been considering running for governor since Gov. Kim Reynolds in April said she would not seek a third full term in office.

Instead, Grassley announced in a newsletter Friday, June 27, that he will run again for House District 57 in northeastern Iowa, which includes Butler County and part of Bremer County.

“When I reflect on my time serving our area since 2007, I have so much gratitude for the trust you’ve placed in me as your representative in the Iowa House,” Grassley said. “It’s an honor to work on your behalf, and today, I’m excited to announce that I will be seeking reelection to House District 57 in the 2026 election.”

Grassley was first elected to the Iowa House in 2006 and has served as House speaker since 2020. He is the grandson of longtime U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley.

Under his tenure, House Republicans have expanded their majority from 53 seats to 67 — their first supermajority in more than 50 years.

“My commitment remains rooted in the three roles that define me: serving as your voice in the Iowa House, being a dedicated father to my children and working the land as a farmer,” Grassley said.

Grassley has led House Republicans to pass GOP priorities such as tax cuts, private school education savings accounts and abortion restrictions.

Ahead of the 2025 legislative session, he created a new House Higher Education Committee, which advanced several bills aimed at further dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion efforts from the state’s public universities and community colleges.

“Over the years, we’ve achieved significant wins for Iowa — lowering taxes, strengthening our schools, passing common-sense protections for children and supporting our rural communities,” Grassley said. “But there’s still more to do. I believe I can best serve our district by continuing to represent you in the Statehouse, fighting for the values and priorities that make our communities strong.”

The GOP primary field continues to take shape.

State Rep. Eddie Andrews and former state lawmaker Brad Sherman have launched campaigns. Republican U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra has formed an exploratory committee and aired TV ads as he moves aggressively toward a formal run. Sen. Mike Bousselot also has created an exploratory committee.

Attorney General Brenna Bird also is considering the possibility.

Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. Reach her by email at mjpayne@registermedia.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @marissajpayne.

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Iowa

Iowa man charged in connection to horse-drawn buggy crash that killed teen

Published

9 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Iowa man charged in connection to horse-drawn buggy crash that killed teen

CLARKE COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – An Iowa man was charged Friday in connection to a deadly horse-drawn buggy crash that killed a teenager last month.

Jacob Wright, 41, of Grand River, is facing charges including involuntary manslaughter and leaving the scene of a deadly accident.

The crash happened in Clarke County on November 12. According to the crash report, Wright’s car hit the back of the buggy and ran it into a ditch.

Elmer Borntrager, 16, was thrown from the buggy and died at the scene.

Police found Wright’s damaged vehicle days later about five miles from the crash scene.

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Iowa

How much snow did we get? See Iowa snowfall totals from Thursday.

Published

21 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

How much snow did we get? See Iowa snowfall totals from Thursday.

Another round of snow swept through Iowa, leaving more than 3 inches in some parts of the state.

Flurries began falling in Des Moines around noon on Thursday, Dec. 11, and persisted until late in the evening.

Here’s a look at the highest snowfall totals in Iowa as of 8 a.m. Friday, Dec. 12, according to the National Weather Service.

What were the highest Iowa snowfall totals?

West Burlington: 4 inches
Parnell: 3.8 inches
Salem: 3.8 inches
Mooar: 3.6 inches
Webster City: 3.5 inches
Muscatine: 3 inches
Yarmouth: 3 inches
Williamstown: 3 inches
New London: 2.8 inches
Riverside: 2.8 inches
Ottumwa: 2.8 inches

How much snow did Des Moines get?

Over an inch of snow fell at the Des Moines International Airport, with the National Weather Service reporting 1.1 inches as of 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11.

Grimes reported 1.3 inches of snow and other reports from the Des Moines area were around 1 inch.

Nevada in Story County reported 0.5 inches

How much snow did Iowa City get?

No reports were received from Iowa City, according to the National Weather Service. Nearby University Heights reported 1.5 inches. Oakdale reported 2 inches and North Liberty reported 1.3 inches of snow.

When is the next chance for snowfall in Des Moines?

Another round of snow is expected to begin Friday night and continue into Saturday, Dec. 13, in the afternoon.

Des Moines is projected to receive between 2 and 4 inches of snow during this time. A winter weather advisory is in effect for Des Moines from 12 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The advisory is also in effect in cities spanning from Sioux City to Davenport.

Temperatures are also expected to drop during the weekend, with daytime highs of 9 degrees on Saturday and Sunday, and lows of 10 degrees below zero on Saturday and 1 degree below zero on Sunday.

Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.

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Iowa

Iowa women’s wrestling goes on the road to defeat Grand View

Published

1 day ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Iowa women’s wrestling goes on the road to defeat Grand View

While Iowa women’s wrestling rolled Grand View, 32-10, on Dec. 11 at Waukee Northwest High School, the Vikings provided a worthy challenge in Central Iowa.

The Hawkeyes and Grand View were the second leg of a doubleheader, with a high school dual between Raccoon River Wrestling and Ankeny, the top two teams at last season’s IGHSAU state meet, happening earlier in the night.

The Hawkeyes won each match that was held, but did not send a wrestler at 160 pounds, while Grand View did not participate at 180, so each team took one forfeit. In the eight matches held, Iowa won all of them and two by bonus points at 131 and 145. A sizeable chunk of Iowa’s top starters didn’t wrestle, but Grand View fought tough nonetheless.

“They’re (Grand View) scrappy and they fight hard,” said Iowa coach Clarissa Chun.

The Hawkeyes opened with four wins by decision from 103 to 124 against top-end wrestlers in the NAIA division. Sterling Dias earned a 3-0 decision over Judy Sandova (No. 2 in NAIA) at 103, followed by an 8-2 victory for Nyla Valencia over Tristan Nitta (No. 5 in NAIA) at 110 and a 9-2 decision for Brianna Gonzalez over Mayangelie Colon (No. 3 in NAIA) at 117.

In one of the best wins of the night, Cali Leng downed Catharine Campbell (No. 3 in NAIA) at 124 by a 9-1 decision. Her front headlocks and control of the hand fight led to her rotating behind Campbell for multiple takedowns.

“She’s got a big gas tank and a big heart,” Chun said. “She found ways to adjust and put points on the board.”

Emily Frost won at 131 pounds as she normally does, locking up a headlock and tossing Maya Davis for a win by fall in the first period. Iowa native Lilly Luft followed that pin with a tough win by decision, trailing by criteria at 6-6, but securing two takedowns late in the second period to defeat Adrienna Turner, 10-6. Before the two forfeits, Cadence Diduch rolled in a 10-0 technical fall of Sofia Delgado at 145 pounds.

In the final bout of the night, Libby Dix gave fans at Waukee Northwest a show. Trailing by criteria at 2-2, Dix scored a late step-out point with just a few seconds remaining to clinch the win. While she hadn’t wrestled a ton of freestyle before her college career, she won with her awareness late to score on the one-point action unique to freestyle.

“She’s a gamer,” Chun said. “She’s competitive. If she wasn’t, she would’ve been hung up on losing the match 2-2, but she wanted to go get one.”

The Hawkeyes have one more test before going off on winter break, traveling to Naperville, Ill. on Dec. 14 for the North Central Open.

Iowa women’s wrestling vs. Grand View box score

103: Sterling Dias (IOWA) over Judy Sandoval (GVU) (Dec 3-0)
110: Nyla Valencia (IOWA) over Tristan Nitta (GVU) (Dec 8-2)
117: Brianna Gonzalez (IOWA) over Mayangelie Colon (GVU) (Dec 9-2)
124: Cali Leng (IOWA) over Catharine Campbell (GVU) (Dec 8-1)
131: Emily Frost (IOWA) over Maya Davis (GVU) (Fall 2:21)
138: Lilly Luft (IOWA) over Adrienna Turner (GVU) (Dec 10-6)
145: Cadence Diduch (IOWA) over Sofia Delgado (GVU) (TF 10-0 2:08)
160: Kami Senlycki (GVU) over (IOWA) (For.)
180: Katja Osteen (IOWA) over (GVU) (For.)
207: Libby Dix (IOWA) over Andjela Prijovic (GVU) (Dec 3-2)

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.

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