Waterloo Times

Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver (R-Ankeny) has announced his intention to leave his present seat in Ankeny and run for reelection in a more conservative and rural district of Iowa, the Des Moines  Register reported.

Whitver made his announcement to run for reelection in District 23 (previously Senate District 19) after Iowa's new redistricting positioned him in the newly created Senate District  21, which is centered in Ankeny.

However, Andy Suchorski, executive director of the Iowa Senate Democrats' Majority Fund, said that Whitver is pursuing a safer reelection seat and that his decision is a "clear indication that Republicans are extremely nervous about the  2022 elections."

Republicans, on the other hand, remain optimistic about their prospects in the state's suburban areas, as evidenced by  Rep. Mike Bousselot's (R-Ankeny) victory in a heavily contested special election this fall.

Bousselot also announced his intentions to run for Iowa Senate District 21 in 2022 on Twitter.

"I also love @MBousselot's 'after careful consideration' charade," Suchorski said on Twitter. "Dude's been in office for like a month and @jackwhitver announced his decision to move yesterday, you aren't fooling anybody, bud."

Whitver, who supports fiscal conservatism, tax cuts and pro-growth policies, has served as the Senate Republican leader in Iowa since 2018, where his party maintains a 32-18 majority, according to KCRG.