After the 2018 midterms I wrote:
So, barring surprises, in 2020 Iowa will have Republican women in three top positions — Reynolds, Ernst, and Speaker of the House Linda Upmeyer — and Democratic women in two more, Axne and Finkenauer.
Well, guess what, there was a surprise. Linda Upmeyer stepped down as speaker, and the fill-in (not official until the Legislature reconvenes) is Pat Grassley, Chuck’s grandson. So, instead of having women top Iowa’s executive and half of the legislative branch, it’s one of three, while Ernst is the most prominent Republican up for election this year.
Ten years ago, political blogger John Deeth speculated that Chuck would want to hand off his U.S. Senate seat to Pat in 2016. That didn’t happen, but Speaker of the House would be a nice resume line for 2022, wouldn’t it?