Linda Upmeyer

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	(1952-07-23) July 23, 1952 (age 72) Mason City, Iowa, U.S.
Political 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

See also

• Iowa portal

• List of female speakers of legislatures in the United States

References

1. The Center for Public Integrity (January 31, 2013). "Koch brothers pour more cash into think tanks, ALEC". Center for Public Integrity. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
2. "Canvass Summary – 2002 Primary Election (6/4/2002)" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. July 1, 2002. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 29, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
3. "Canvass Summary – Final – 2002 General Election (11/5/2002)" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. December 2, 2002. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 9, 2003. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
4. "Canvass Summary – Final – 2004 General Election (11/2/2004)" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. December 6, 2004. p. 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 4, 2007. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
5. "Official Results Report – Statewide, 2006 General Election 11-07-2006" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. November 21, 2006. p. 27. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 14, 2006. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
6. "November 4, 2008 General Election Results". Iowa Secretary of State. Archived from the original on April 8, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
7. "Official Results Report, General Election held November 2, 2010" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. December 16, 2010. p. 53. Retrieved September 19, 2011.^{[permanent dead link]}
8. "2012 General Election Canvass Summary" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. p. 100. Retrieved December 12, 2013.

External links

• Representative Linda Upmeyer official Iowa General Assembly site
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Financial information (state office) at the National Institute for Money in State Politics
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Profile at Iowa House Republicans

Iowa House of Representatives
Preceded by Clarence Hoffman	Member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 12th district 2003–2013	Succeeded by Dan Muhlbauer
Preceded by Ron Jorgensen	Member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 54th district 2013–2021	Succeeded by Shannon Latham
Political offices
Preceded by Kraig Paulsen	Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives 2016–2020	Succeeded by Pat Grassley