By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

Jack Whitver, the top Republican in the Iowa Senate, is stepping down from his leadership position and will not seek reelection in 2026.

Whitver has been Senate Majority Leader for the past seven and a half years. Last spring, Whitver announced he’d been diagnosed with a brain tumor. In a written statement issued today, Whitver said “while progress remains positive, I still have a long way to go.”

Whitver, who’s from Ankeny, was first elected to the Senate in early 2011. Whitver said he ran because “taxes were too high and I wanted to make it easier to work, start a business and raise a family in Iowa.” Whitver said he believes through is service in the senate he’s accomplished those goals.

Whitver’s current term in the Iowa Senate extends until early 2027. Senate Republicans will meet soon to select a new majority leader.

Governor Kim Reynolds, in a written statement early this evening, said Whitver’s been part of the G-O-P leadership in the statehouse “during one of the most consequential periods in modern Iowa history.” Whitver has constantly listed tax cuts as his top priority. This is how he put it five years ago. “As long as I’m leader, as long as we’re in the majority, tax reform is going to be on the agenda,” Whiter said in the fall of 2020 after his GOP peers reelected him senate majority leader.

This past spring, Whitver received the Herbert Hoover Uncommon Service Award and he made brief remarks on the senate floor. “The last year has been full of challenges for me, but almost daily someone asks how my family is doing,” Whitver said. “…The kids are actually doing well. I’m thankful for every person that has been praying for us and helping us.”

Whitver turned 45 earlier this month. He and his wife are the parents of three children.