State Rep. Steven Holt, a Denison Republican who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, was re-elected Tuesday to his sixth term in the House. Register opinion editor Lucas Grundmeier checked in with Holt for a Republican view on the election results in Iowa and nationally. This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Looking at the results in Iowa, do you feel like that affirms the work you and your colleagues did on things like AEAs and ESAs and protecting life, where there had been some division?
Holt: Absolutely. I mean, the Democrats made those things issues, and we went from 64 to 67 in the House . So, it absolutely vindicates that Iowans approve of our common-sense approach to government. They want parental choice. They want parents to be in control. As I talked about in my final comments in my campaign, my favorite president was Ronald Reagan, who believed in empowering people. He famously said, “Some of the scariest words in English language are ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’ And I think that’s the Republican approach in Iowa. We’ve tried to empower people, not government. The election absolutely was Iowans supporting what we’ve been doing.