Redistricting: Where districts go, legislators go

Iowa House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer (R-Garner) will seek the seat in House District 54, she said Friday.

Image has not been found. URL: http://media.iowaindependent.com/linda_upmeyer_125.jpgLinda Upmeyer

Upmeyer, the first woman House Majority Leader in Iowa history, said she is moving to Clear Lake, some odd 15 miles from Garner, after redistricting combined Franklin County with areas of Cerro Gordo and Butler counties. Garner is in Hancock County, but Upmeyer said the new House District 54 is made up of many of her current constituents.

“After talking with my family and supporters in Cerro Gordo, Franklin and Butler Counties, I look forward to the opportunity to continuing to represent North Iowans,” Upmeyer, a five-term Representative, said in a release Friday. “It has truly been an honor to have served most of this area for the past nine years.”

Upmeyer’s district changed after redistricting was drafted and approved this year, making her one of three Republican incumbents in that district; the other two are Rep. Stew Iverson (R-Clarion) and Rep. Henry Rayhons (R-Garner).

Upmeyer is the state campaign chairwoman for former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and serves as national treasurer for the controversial national conservative organization the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).