If the crowd at the announcement reception for Rep. Swati Dandekar is
any indication, her upcoming pursuit of a seat in the Iowa Senate will
continue to be as bipartisan as her past successes in House District
36. Dandekar's special guest at the reception in a Cedar Rapids home
was Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal. He told those in attendance
that Dandekar's run had both his blessing and his support. "I can't
tell you how excited I am to have Swati running for a seat in the Iowa
Senate," Gronstal said at the Oct. 18 reception. "I'm serious. There
was something said before about how many more Democratic members do we
want in the Iowa Senate. Thirty-one -- and this is the 31st seat. We
want to win this seat. It is the next one on our list."

Labels: Mike Gronstal