By Shane Goodman shane@dmcityview.com

The most powerful Democrat

Mike Gronstal won’t acknowledge the title, but others do

We are pretty sure that Chet Culver doesn’t like to hear it. Word is that Mary Lundby will acknowledge it. And we hear that Christoper Rants’ skin crawls whenever it is spoken. But Mike Gronstal, the Senate majority leader, is considered by many to be the most powerful Democrat in the state.

It seems the only person who won’t say the shoe fits is Gronstal himself, a self proclaimed “moderate liberal.”

A Council Bluffs native, Gronstal was first elected to the Iowa legislature in 1982. Twenty five years later, and at age 57, he still lives a humble lifestyle. So humble, he is sometimes referred to as “cheap.” Gronstal prefers “frugal.”

Gronstal typically is not known for splitting hairs. One doesn’t win a seat in a red county by doing that. But Gronstal is no ordinary Democrat. He is said to work as well with teachers as with bankers. Meanwhile, he guides statewide campaign strategy, fundraising and recruiting.

This week’s cover takes a close look at the Senate majority leader and his impact in leading Iowa politics from a western county. Warren Francke, a freelance writer from Omaha, may give many of you a new perspective of the man who is said to not make promises he can’t keep. And by leading Democrats in building their numbers from 21 to 25 to 30 in the last two elections, both sides better take notice.

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