| State senate | Iowa |
|---|---|
| District | 8th |
| Prior term | 50th (1985–1993; 2003–2013) 42nd (1993–2003) |
| Term start | January 14, 1985 |
| Term end | January 8, 2017 |
| Predecessor | Tom Slater |
| Successor | Dan Dawson |
| Office 1 | President of the National Conference of State Legislatures |
| Term 1 | 2016 |
| Predecessor 1 | Curt Bramble |
| Successor 1 | Dan Blue |
| State house 2 | Iowa |
| District 2 | 99th |
| Term start 2 | January 10, 1983 |
| Term end 2 | January 13, 1985 |
| Predecessor 2 | Emil Pavich |
| Successor 2 | Brent Siegrist |
| Birth date | January 29, 1950 (age 76) |
| Birth place | Council Bluffs, Iowa, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Connie Meisenbach |
| Alma mater | Loyola University, Chicago Antioch College |
| Website | Government website |
Michael E. Gronstal (born January 29, 1950) is a former Iowa State Senator who represented the 8th district in the Iowa Senate. He served from 1985 to 2017 and was the majority leader and chairman of the Rules and Administration committee. He was also chairman of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), the national organization to elect Democratic state legislators.
Personal life and education
Gronstal was born on January 29, 1950. He received his B.A. from Antioch College. Gronstal and his wife, Connie, have two daughters: Kate, who is a transportation engineer at Stantec in Chicago; and Sara, who is currently Director of Forensics at Eastern Illinois University.
Political career
Gronstal was re-elected in 2004 with 12,480 votes (54%), defeating Republican opponent Loren Knauss.[1] He won re-election again in 2008 with 58% of the votes.[2]
Prior to serving in the Senate, he served one term in the Iowa House of Representatives. He also served as the chair of the Pottawattamie County Democratic Party from 1986 to 1988.
Gronstal supported efforts to increase renewable fuels in Iowa and in 2006, Iowa passed the nation's strongest ethanol legislation. Gronstal also supported legislation to increase funding for community colleges and school districts.
After the Iowa Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage in the Varnum v. Brien decision in April 2009, Gronstal blocked a Republican attempt to overturn the Court's decision with a constitutional amendment. He released a YouTube video in which he quoted his daughter's statement that opponents of same-sex marriage in Iowa had already lost because her generation does not care about the issue.[3]
In 2016, he served as president of the National Conference of State Legislatures.[4]
Gronstal lost his bid for re-election to the Iowa Senate in 2016, and was replaced by Republican Dan Dawson. As of 2022, he is a lobbyist for the Iowa State Building and Construction Trades.[5]
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References
- ^ 2004 General Election Results Archived 2007-01-04 at the Wayback Machine Iowa Secretary of State.
- ^ Iowa Secretary of State. "November 4, 2008 General Election Results". Archived from the original on April 8, 2009. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
- ^ Iowa Senate Debate: Gronstal blocks amendment to reverse Iowa marriage equality Archived 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine, Hannah Garden-Monheit, Iowa Senate News, April 6, 2009.
- ^ "NCSL Current and Past Presidents, 1975-2024". NCSL. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
- ^ "Iowa House Republicans advance bill cutting the max time for unemployment benefits by 10 weeks". Iowa Public Radio. 2022-02-02. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
External links
- Senator Michael E. Gronstal official Iowa Legislature site
- Senator Michael E. Gronstal official Iowa General Assembly site
- State Senator Mike Gronstal official constituency site