Essential Estrogen

Although a few days remain before Iowans will know all the 2008 candidates for the state Legislature, retirements and switches already appear to have taken a toll on the number of women who will be seated in Des Moines when the next legislative session begins.

Women currently occupy 34 of Iowa's 150 legislative seats -- 28 in the House of Representatives and six in the Senate. Five of those have announced retirements at the end of this term:

• Sen. Mary Lundby, R-Marion, District 18
• Rep. Sandy Greiner, R-Keota, District 89
• Rep. Polly Granzow, R-Eldora, District 44
• Rep. Libby Jacobs, R-West Des Moines, District 60
• Rep. Carmine Boal, R-Ankeny, District 70

In addition, two more women -- Reps. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, and Swati Dandekar, D-Marion -- will vacate their House seats to launch bids for open Senate seats.

While highly unlikely, if all the women who have so far filed candidacy papers win their elections, the state would see an increase of six women -- three in each branch -- when the State Legislature convenes in January 2009. Given Iowa's track record for supporting incumbents, a far more likely scenario, however, is the addition of one or two women in the Senate and a loss of four or five female legislators in the House.

Because only half of the seats in the Iowa Senate appear on the ballot every two years, the good news is that four seats currently held by women are not up for re-election. Assistant Majority Leader Amanda Ragan, D-Mason City; Assistant Minority Leader Nancy Boettger, R-Harlan; Sen. Becky Schmitz, D-Fairfield; and Sen. Staci Appel, D-Ackworth, will not appear on the 2008 ballot.

There are no safe seats in the Iowa House, since all 100 districts are up for re-election every two years. Twenty-two of the women currently serving in the House -- six Republicans and 16 Democrats -- intend to stand for re-election. Of those who have had candidates file to run against them, only two -- Rep. Jodi Tymeson, R-Winterset, and Marcella Frevert, D-Emmetsburg -- are facing a female opponents (Maxine Bussanmas and Deborah Satern, respectively). In the Senate the only female incumbent on the ballot is Sen. Pat Ward, R-West Des Moines. At press time, Ward did not have an opponent.

Although all candidate filings are not in, another bright spot appears in Senate District 48, a seat being vacated by current Assistant Minority Leader Jeff Angelo, R-Creston. Republican Kim Reynolds and Democrat Ruth Smith have each filed candidacy papers for the seat.

So far a total of six women have launched bids against male House incumbents. Democrat Anne Marie Fairchild will face Republican Henry Rayhons in House District 11. Democrat Cayla Baresel of Waverly has announced her intention to face Republican Pat Grassley for House District 17. Republican Renee Schulte, who made an unsuccessful bid for Iowa Senate in 2006, will face Democrat Art Staed in House District 37. Democrat Susan Temere will face Republican Ralph Watts in House District 47. Democrat Pat Van Zante will have to wait until a Republican primary decides her opponent in House District 71. Democrat Phyllis Thede, who made an unsuccessful bid for Iowa Senate in 2006, will face Republican Jamie Van Fossen in House District 81.

In House District 7, Democratic incumbent Marcella Frevert is now slated to face Republican challenger Deborah Satern of Estherville. If there are no other filings, this is a seat that will be filled by a woman.

Democrat Sharon Steckman and two male Democrats have filed candidacy papers for House District 13. Only one male Republican has filed for this seat, which is being vacated by incumbent Rep. Bill Schiekel, R-Mason City. In addition one Republican woman, Annette Sweeney, has filed to run in House District 44 (the seat Granzow is vacating). Although no women have filed candidacy papers in House District 27 (the seat Jochum is vacating for her senatorial run), Gretchen Lawyer, a Marion Democrat, has filed to run in House District 36 (the seat Dandekar is vacating for her senatorial run).

As stated earlier, both Jochum and Dandekar will be making bids for open Senate seats. If no additional candidates file in Senate District 48, then that seat will be held by one of the two women who have launched bids. The only other possible senatorial pickup comes in District 40 where Democrat Sharon Savage has launched a bid against incumbent James Hahn, R-Muscatine.