Iowa State Sen. Janice Weiner, D-Iowa City, will lead Iowa’s Senate Democrats in the next legislative session. 

Weiner is a first-term state senator from Iowa City and previously served on the Iowa City City Council until she was elected to the state senate in 2022. Before serving in public office, Weiner was a foreign service officer for the U.S. State Department for 26 years. 

“I have spent countless hours talking to Iowans all over our state – from small towns to urban centers, from the suburbs to our rural communities,” Weiner said in a news release Friday. “I listened to Iowans describe their struggle to make ends meet, their challenges accessing healthcare, and their concerns about inadequate resources and a lack of funding for their kids’ public schools.”

Weiner said that Senate Democrats have “a lot of work to do for the people of Iowa.” 

“As I look ahead to 2025 and beyond, Senate Democrats will fight to ensure opportunity for all Iowans – every worker, every family, and every child,” Weiner said in a news release Friday. “We will hold those in power accountable, and work to preserve and protect Iowans’ freedoms.” 

During the first two years of her term, Weiner was a staunch advocate for bettering Iowa’s long-term care facilities, protecting reproductive health care, and pushing the state to enroll in federal summer nutrition programs.