Iowa Senate Democrats elect Pam Jochum as leader, replacing Zach Wahls

Iowa Senate Democrats have elected Sen. Pam Jochum as the Senate Minority Leader, the caucus announced Wednesday night, a sudden and unanimous ousting of former Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls.

Jochum, D-Dubuque, is serving her fourth term in the Iowa Senate. She has a long record at the Iowa Capitol: she was first elected to the Iowa House in 1993, then she served eight consecutive terms. Jochum was elected to the Senate in 2008, and became Senate President in 2013, when Democrats held the majority in the chamber.

Jochum pledged Senate Democrats would "continue to fight for the principles we believe in on behalf of the people of Iowa."

"We’re fighting for strong working families and the rights and freedoms of all people," Jochum said in a statement. "We’re fighting for high-quality public education and affordable, accessible healthcare in every community.”

Jochum thanked Wahls for "his vision and leadership in guiding our caucus over the last three legislative sessions."

Wahls, D-Coralville, was elected to the Iowa Senate in 2018. He debuted in Iowa politics years before, when a 2011 video of him speaking about growing up with lesbian parents went viral online.

Wahls became Senate Minority Leader in November 2020, during his second year in office.

The Wednesday news release did not provide a reason why Wahls would no longer serve as minority leader. Wahls did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a June 2 episode of Iowa Press, Wahls said he will not be running for the U.S. House in 2024.

"I'm really enjoying my work in the Senate and I'm going to stay focused there," Wahls said.

Katie Akin is a politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at kakin@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @katie_akin.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Senate Democrats vote in Pam Jochum as leader, replacing Zach Wahls