Whiting resigns Senate District 1 seat

Clay County is currently without representation in the Iowa Senate.

District 1 Sen. Zach Whiting, R-Spirit Lake, resigned from his seat effective Oct. 30. Whiting, 33, made the announcement Oct. 28 after the Senate approved the new redistricting maps during a special session.

"I want to say a sincere thanks to all my constituents, my colleagues and all the staff," Whiting said on the Senate floor. "Being here in my 30s is awesome; being here anytime is awesome."

Whiting will be moving to the Lone Star State. He recently accepted a position with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, an Austin-based conservative think tank.

"This all happened very suddenly, but it was an opportunity professionally that I just couldn't pass up," he said.

Whiting was elected in 2018. Though he ran unopposed in the general election, he faced a three-way primary race. He beat out fellow Republicans Brad Price and the late Jesse Wolfe with 62.4 percent of the vote.

Whiting served on five standing committees in Des Moines: Commerce, Judiciary, Labor and Business Relations (chair), Rules and Administration, and Ways and Means. He said he enjoyed his time underneath the golden dome.

"I really do think we have a good atmosphere of civility and collegiality," he said. "That is really something that I think is lacking in Washington and lacking in our national discourse. I think we do it well in Iowa. In this case, I think our laboratory is working well."

Whiting previously worked in Washington, D.C. for former District 4 Rep. Steve King's office. He and his wife, Juliana, have two children.

"The most important title I want in my life is good husband and good dad," he said. "In the midst of [being a senator], that kind of gets put to the test. I decided that for myself and my family, that's the title I want to carry into the future."

District 1 also includes Osceola, Lyon, Dickinson and Palo Alto counties. As per Iowa Code, a special election will be called to fill Whiting's seat. He is in the last year of his term.

As of Tuesday afternoon, two Republicans – Dave Rowley and Barb Clayton, both of Spirit Lake – had announced campaigns to succeed Whiting.