Linda Upmeyer
American politician
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Linda L. Upmeyer (born July 23, 1952) is an American politician who served in the Iowa House of Representatives from the 54th district from 2003 to 2021 and as the Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives from 2016 to 2020. She was the first female Speaker in Iowa's history. She received her BSN from the University of Iowa and her MSN from Drake University. On August 19, 2015, Upmeyer was elected by the members of the Iowa House of Representatives Republican majority to serve as the Speaker of the House. Upmeyer's father, Del Stromer, served as Speaker from 1981–82.
Linda Upmeyer | |
|---|---|
| |
| Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives | |
| In office January 14, 2016 – January 13, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Kraig Paulsen |
| Succeeded by | Pat Grassley |
| Member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 54th district 14th (2003–2016) | |
| In office January 13, 2003 – January 11, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Clarence Hoffman |
| Succeeded by | Shannon Latham |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 23, 1952 Mason City, Iowa, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Doug Upmeyer |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | North Iowa Area Community College University of Iowa (BS) Drake University (MS) |
Upmeyer formerly served on the Administration and Rules committee in the Iowa House. She was also a member of the Legislative Council.
Biography
Upmeyer was born in Mason City, Iowa, to Del Stromer and Harriett Ostendorf. She grew up in Garner on the family farm. First elected in 2002, Upmeyer serves as the Majority Leader of the Iowa House of Representatives. She is a cardiology nurse practitioner. She is the National Chair of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), an organization funded by the Koch brothers[1] and focused on limited government, free markets, and federalism.
Electoral history
| Election | Political result | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa House of Representatives primary elections, 2002 [2] District 12 Turnout: 4,112 | Republican (newly redistricted) | Linda Upmeyer | Republican | 2,799 | 68 | ||
| Kirk Kraft | Republican | 1,309 | 32 | ||||
| Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2002 [3] District 12 Turnout: 10,820 | Republican (newly redistricted) | Linda Upmeyer | Republican | 6,617 | 61 | ||
| Jim Braun | Democratic | 4,197 | 39 | ||||
| Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2004 [4] District 12 Turnout: 15,033 | Republican hold | Linda Upmeyer* | Republican | 10,436 | |||
| Vernon Harper | Democratic | 4,585 | 31 | ||||
| Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2006 [5] District 12 | Republican hold | Linda Upmeyer* | Republican | unopposed | |||
| Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2008 [6] District 12 Turnout: 14,474 | Republican hold | Linda Upmeyer* | Republican | 10,086 | 70 | ||
| Randall Rainer | Democratic | 4,380 | 30 | ||||
| Iowa House of Representatives elections, 2010 [7] District 12 | Republican hold | Linda Upmeyer* | Republican | unopposed | |||
| Iowa House of Representatives general elections, 2012 [8] District 54 | Republican (newly redistricted) | Linda Upmeyer* | Republican | unopposed | |||
* = incumbent
