Republican Waylon Brown resigns from Iowa Senate seat just weeks after winning primary

State Sen. Waylon Brown, a Republican from Osage, is resigning his Iowa Senate seat effective Wednesday.

Brown made the news in a statement Monday, saying his resignation would be effective July 10. He gave no explanation for why he is stepping down.

"When I took office, I said I wanted to leave things better than I found them, and I believe I accomplished that," Brown said in the statement, citing Republicans' efforts to lower taxes and cut regulations.

Brown, who took office in 2017, chairs the Senate Commerce Committee and serves as the majority whip for the 34-member Republican supermajority.

He represents Iowa Senate District 30, which includes Worth, Mitchell and Cerro Gordo counties and part of Floyd County.

"I will forever be grateful to the people of my district who entrusted me to represent them in the Iowa State Capitol," Brown said in the statement. "I'm thankful for my wife, Julie, and our two kids, who have supported me throughout my tenure as state senator. I look forward to my next chapter. The best is yet to come!"

Brown won a tight Republican primary race in June against challenger Doug Campbell, prevailing with 53% of the vote to Campbell's 47%.

Brown has faced criticism for years from opponents of carbon capture pipelines for declining to hold hearings in the Commerce Committee on bills to restrict how eminent domain can be used for the projects.

Campbell made opposition to the use of eminent domain for the pipelines a major issue in his primary campaign.

The Iowa Utilities Board in June approved Summit Carbon Solutions' bid to build a carbon pipeline across Iowa and to use eminent domain to acquire access to land from unwilling owners.

Republicans can hold a convention to nominate a new candidate for District 30.

Democrat Rich Lorence is also running for the seat. In a statement Monday, he thanked Brown for his hard work in the Senate and wished him well.

"As we move forward, I am more committed than ever to serving North Central Iowa and making our state better for everyone," Lorence said in the statement. "This election is a pivotal moment for our district, and we have the opportunity to bring in new ideas and address the challenges we face to improve our public education, protect our landowner’s rights from big corporations, and ensure Iowan’s freedoms are protected from politicians in Des Moines."

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.