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Josh Byrnes
2020 - Present
2025
5
Josh Byrnes is a member of the Iowa Utilities Board. Byrnes assumed office in 2020. Byrnes' term ended on April 30, 2025.
He was appointed to the position by Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) on November 30, 2020.[1]
Byrnes is a former Republican member of the Iowa House of Representatives, representing District 51 from 2011 to 2017. Byrnes did not seek re-election to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2016.
Biography
Byrnes earned his B.A. in biology from Luther College and his M.S. in educational leadership from Winona State University. His professional experience includes working as the Agricultural and Industrial Division chair at North Iowa Area Community College and a teacher at middle and high schools.
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.
Elections
2016
Elections for the Iowa House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 18, 2016. Incumbent Josh Byrnes (R) did not seek re-election.
Jane Bloomingdale defeated Tim Hejhal in the Iowa House of Representatives District 51 general election.[2][3]
| Iowa House of Representatives, District 51 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Jane Bloomingdale |
62.49% | 9,408 | |
| Democratic | Tim Hejhal | 37.51% | 5,647 | |
| Total Votes | 15,055 | |||
| Source: Iowa Secretary of State | ||||
Tim Hejhal ran unopposed in the Iowa House of Representatives District 51 Democratic primary.[4][5]
| Iowa House of Representatives, District 51 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Tim Hejhal (unopposed) | |
Jane Bloomingdale ran unopposed in the Iowa House of Representatives District 51 Republican primary.[4][5]
| Iowa House of Representatives, District 51 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Jane Bloomingdale (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the Iowa House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 14, 2014. Laura Hubka was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while incumbent Josh Byrnes was unopposed in the Republican primary. Hubka faced Byrnes in the general election.[6][7][8] Incumbent Byrnes defeated Hubka in the general election to maintain his seat.[9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Josh Byrnes Incumbent |
63% | 7,268 | |
| Democratic | Laura Hubka | 37% | 4,272 | |
| Total Votes | 11,540 | |||
2012
Byrnes ran in the 2012 election for Iowa House of Representatives District 51. Byrnes ran unopposed in the Republican primary on June 5, 2012, and defeated Eric S. Hungerford (D) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[10][11]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Josh Byrnes Incumbent |
64.6% | 9,714 | |
| Democratic | Eric Hungerford | 35.4% | 5,324 | |
| Total Votes | 15,038 | |||
2010
Byrnes won election to the Iowa House of Representatives, defeating Kurt Meyer (D) in the November 2 general election.[12]
| Iowa House of Representatives, District 14 General Election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Josh Byrnes (R)
|
6,696 | |||
| Kurt Meyer (D) | 4,281 | |||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Byrnes and his wife, Colleen, have three children.
State legislative tenure
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Iowa scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2017
In 2017, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 9 through April 22.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills tracked by CCI Action.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to labor issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 11 through April 29.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 12 through June 5.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the 85th Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 13 through May 2.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 14 to May 23.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the 84th Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 9 to May 9.[15]
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Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Byrnes served on the following committees:
| Iowa committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Agriculture |
| • Education |
| • Transportation, Chair |
| • Ways and Means |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Byrnes served on the following committees:
| Iowa committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Education |
| • Natural Resources |
| • Transportation, Chair |
| • Ways and Means |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Byrnes served on the following committees:
| Iowa committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Economic Growth/Rebuild Iowa |
| • Education |
| • Environmental Protection |
| • Ways and Means, Vice chair |
See also
| Iowa | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Iowa Utilities Board, "Board Members," accessed December 15, 2020
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "General Candidate List, 2016," accessed August 24, 2016
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "2016 General Election Canvass Summary," accessed December 16, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Iowa Secretary of State, "Candidate Listing by Office," March 21, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Iowa Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Canvass Summary," accessed August 22, 2016
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official primary election candidate list," accessed March 18, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed June 30, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official general election candidate list," accessed July 7, 2014
- ↑ The Des Moines Register, "Election2014," accessed November 4, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official Primary Results," accessed October 1, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Department of Elections, "2012 Primary Candidates," accessed May 15, 2012
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official 2010 General election results," accessed October 1, 2014
- ↑ ACLU Iowa, "Legislative Report & Civil Liberties Scorecard," accessed July 11, 2017
- ↑ ACLU of Iowa, "Legislative Report & Civil Liberties Scorecard," accessed July 11, 2017
- ↑ StateScape, "Session schedules," accessed August 2, 2014
- ↑ ACLU of Iowa, "Civil Liberties report card," accessed July 11, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Nick Wagner |
Iowa Utilities Board 2020-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by Dan Muhlbauer (D) |
Iowa House of Representatives District 51 2011-2017 |
Succeeded by Jane Bloomingdale (R) |
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