The Democrats’ 26 to 24 majority in the Iowa state Senate is the only thing standing between the GOP and complete control of the state government, and Team Red will make another effort to flip the chamber this fall. However, their task got a little tougher on Tuesday when state Sen. David Johnson announced that he was switching his party registration from Republican to "no party" over “the racist remarks and judicial jihad” coming from Donald Trump. Johnson, who is not up for re-election until 2018, says he has not decided if he’ll remain a member of the GOP caucus.
Johnson made it clear he would not back Hillary Clinton and says that “If there is a profound split [within the Republican Party], I’ll gladly re-join Republicans who are dedicated to equality and justice for all, and let Mr. Trump lead his supporters over the cliff.” Johnson’s seat backed Romney 63-36, so it’ll probably be represented by a member of the GOP caucus by 2019 at the latest. Still, Iowa Democrats won’t complain if Johnson holds out for a while and makes it tougher for Team Red to capture a majority in the Senate this year.