Charles City’s Prichard stepping down as state House party leader

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Charles City Democrat Rep. Todd Prichard announced Wednesday he will step down as the House minority leader after three legislative sessions in the position.

“It’s been a great honor to serve as leader of the Iowa House Democrats the last three years. After conversations with my family, it’s time for me to step aside and allow a new member of our caucus to lead,” Prichard said Wednesday in a statement.

“I know my caucus will continue to hold Gov. Reynolds and Republican lawmakers accountable and fight for common sense, progressive values at the Statehouse,” he said.

Prichard won reelection last November, and said he plans to serve the remainder of this term, which ends in 2022. He did not indicate whether he will again seek re-election then.

Prichard is serving his fifth term in the House after first winning the seat in a special election in January 2013 to replace Brian Quirk, who had resigned the seat to become general manager of the New Hampton Municipal Light Plant.

Prichard was elected to lead the Iowa House Democrats after winning reelection in 2018.

Besides being a legislator, Prichard is an attorney in Charles City and a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves. He has been deployed four times, including a tour in Iraq.

State Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, thanked Prichard for his “service and leadership” in a statement, and said he enjoyed learning from Prichard “and working with him to advance our shared progressive values.”

“Despite a difficult legislative session puppeteered by conservative special interests, Rep. Prichard demonstrated steady leadership, fought to hold the Republicans accountable, and presented a vision of an Iowa that works for all hard-working people, not just the special interests dominating the Legislature,” Wahls said.

House Democrats will vote for a new minority leader on June 14.

House Democrats were disappointed in the November 2020 election. They had hoped to retake a majority in the chamber but instead lost six seats, falling from 47 to 41 and seeing Republicans increase their majority to 59 seats.

Republicans also retained a 32-18 edge in the Senate and hold the governorship, allowing the GOP to control the agenda and pass legislation this session without Democrats’ votes.

Republicans have held both chambers and the governorship since 2017.