Hunter
06/08/23
The Iowa Senate Democrats have ousted Coralville senator Zach Wahls as their leader.
The Gazette reports that last night, the party met and elected Dubuque Sen. Pam Jochum as their new leader, in the process ousting Wahls.
Party members did not respond to questions about the change. However, The Iowa Capital Dispatch, Iowa Field Report, and Iowa Starting Line reported Wednesday that many Senate Democrats were upset that Wahls recently fired two longtime staffers, Erik Bakker and Deb Kattenhorn.
Wahls was elected leader of the minority-party Senate Democrat in 2020. Jochum served in the Iowa House since 1993 and joined the state senate in 2009. In a statement, she said the party hopes to defend its incumbent senators, grow the caucus and win a majority that delivers for middle-class Iowans.
