Michael T. Klimesh
Michael T. Klimesh (Republican Party) is a member of the Iowa State Senate, representing District 32. He assumed office on January 3, 2023. His current term ends on January 2, 2029.
Klimesh began serving as the majority leader of the Iowa Senate on September 24, 2025.[1] Iowa's Senate majority leader determines which bills come up for a vote and appoints committee members. Klimesh said his priorities included "continuing to implement our agenda to reduce taxes, making it more affordable to live in Iowa, [reducing] barriers to work and invest in this state, [expanding] the economy, and [returning] Iowa schools to their status as the best in the country."[2]
Klimesh was born in Decorah, Iowa, in 1969.[3] He graduated from South Winneshiek High School in 1987 and earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Luther College in 1991. Klimesh's career experience includes working as the manager of Graphics Inc. He also served with the Winneshiek County Economic Development Board and the Winneshiek County Community Foundation Board.[4] Klimesh also coached the shooting teams for Northeast Iowa Community College and South Winneshiek High School.[5]
Klimesh served as mayor of Spillville for a total of 22 years, including serving from 2008 to 2020.[6][5] In 2010 and 2012, he ran for the Iowa House of Representatives, losing to Brian Quirk (D) with a margin of 54% to 46% and to Roger Thomas (D) with a margin of 51% to 49%, respectively. Klimesh ran for the Iowa Senate in 2020. He said he ran "to implement common-sense policies to lower the tax burden on Iowans, improve education, and ensure rural Iowa has a strong voice in Des Moines."[7] Klimesh won the election with 62% of the vote and was re-elected in 2024 with 65% of the vote.
During his Senate tenure, Klimesh sponsored a bill that was signed into law, which required work requirements for certain Medicaid recipients.[8] He said he supported the bill because "Work is more than just a paycheck. It provides individuals with a sense of pride, accomplishment, and a deeper connection to society. This bill ensures that individuals receiving Medicaid expansion benefits are given the opportunity to experience this dignity."[9] As leader for the 2026 legislative session, Klimesh said his priorities included addressing property tax rates, diversifying the state's economy, and addressing eminent domain.[10]
Biography
Michael T. Klimesh lives in Spillville, Iowa. Klimesh graduated from South Winneshiek High School in 1987. He earned a degree in political science from Luther College in 1991. Klimesh's career experience includes working as the manager of Graphics Inc. He also served with the Winneshiek County Economic Development Board and the Winneshiek County Community Foundation Board. and also worked as the coach of the shooting teams for Northeast Iowa Community College and South Winneshiek High School.[4][5] Klimesh served as mayor of Spillville for a total of 22 years.[6]
Committee assignments
2025-2026
Klimesh was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Commerce Committee
- Health and Human Services, Chair
- Senate Local Government Committee, Vice Chair
- Rules and Administration Committee
- Senate Transportation Committee
- Senate Ways and Means Committee
- Health Policy Oversight Committee
2023-2024
Klimesh was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Commerce Committee
- Senate Government Oversight Committee, Vice Chair
- Senate Local Government Committee
- Senate Transportation Committee, Chair
- Senate Ways and Means Committee
- Health Policy Oversight Committee
2021-2022
Klimesh was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Appropriations Committee
- Senate Commerce Committee
- Senate Local Government Committee, Vice chair
- Senate Transportation Committee
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.
Elections
2024
See also: Iowa State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for Iowa State Senate District 32
Incumbent Michael T. Klimesh defeated Brian Bruening in the general election for Iowa State Senate District 32 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Michael T. Klimesh (R) | 64.6 | 22,097 |
 | Brian Bruening (D) | 35.3 | 12,080 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 27 | ||
| Total votes: 34,204 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Iowa State Senate District 32
Incumbent Michael T. Klimesh advanced from the Republican primary for Iowa State Senate District 32 on June 4, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michael T. Klimesh | 99.3 | 3,664 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.7 | 26 | ||
| Total votes: 3,690 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Klimesh in this election.
Pledges
Klimesh signed the following pledges.
2020
See also: Iowa State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for Iowa State Senate District 28
Michael T. Klimesh defeated Matt Tapscott in the general election for Iowa State Senate District 28 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michael T. Klimesh (R) | 62.4 | 19,630 |
 | Matt Tapscott (D) | 37.5 | 11,785 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 28 | ||
| Total votes: 31,443 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Iowa State Senate District 28
Matt Tapscott advanced from the Democratic primary for Iowa State Senate District 28 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Matt Tapscott | 99.8 | 4,540 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 8 | ||
| Total votes: 4,548 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Iowa State Senate District 28
Michael T. Klimesh advanced from the Republican primary for Iowa State Senate District 28 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michael T. Klimesh | 99.7 | 4,450 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 15 | ||
| Total votes: 4,465 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2012
Klimesh ran in the 2012 election for Iowa House of Representatives District 55. Klimesh defeated Marshall A. Nessa and Dustin Noble in the Republican primary on June 5, 2012. He was defeated by incumbent Roger Thomas (D) in the general election on November 6, 2012.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Roger Thomas Incumbent |
50.6% | 7,781 | |
| Republican | Michael T. Klimesh | 49.4% | 7,585 | |
| Total Votes | 15,366 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Michael T. Klimesh |
47.3% | 892 |
| Marshall Nessa | 31.5% | 593 |
| Dustin Noble | 21.2% | 399 |
| Total Votes | 1,884 | |
2010
Klimesh was defeated by Brian Quirk (D) in the November 2 general election.[11]
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Michael T. Klimesh did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Michael T. Klimesh did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2012
Klimesh's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[12]
Job Creation and Retention
- Excerpt: "I will work to restructure the corporate tax rate, help to craft real and sustainable commercial property tax reform, reevaluate business tax credits, and unemployment tax rates."
Education
- Excerpt: "I will work to ensure the State maintains a course of fiscal responsibility for the education of our children while maintaining local control of your schools."
Responsible Taxation/Local Control
- Excerpt: "I will work to return control to your Counties, Cities and School Boards. I will advocate for responsible taxation and reasonable spending to stop the current trend of "tax shifting."
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.
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.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 8 to April 20.
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2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 9 to May 4.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 10 to May 24.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Iowa State Legislature was in session from January 11 to May 19.
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Klimesh and his wife Kate have one child.[12]
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Iowa Capital Dispatch, "Sen. Mike Klimesh elected Iowa Senate majority leader," September 24, 2025
- ↑ Iowa Public Radio, "Iowa Senate Republicans elect Mike Klimesh as majority leader," September 25, 2025
- ↑ Iowa Legislature, "Senator Mike Klimesh," accessed January 4, 2026
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Waukon Standard, "Mike Klimesh announces candidacy for District 28 of the Iowa Senate," accessed January 11, 2021
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Vote Smart, "Michael Klimesh's Biography," accessed January 4, 2026
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Waukon Standard, "Mike Klimesh announces candidacy for District 28 of the Iowa Senate," February 19, 2020
- ↑ The Courier, "Spillville Mayor Mike Klimesh is running for the Iowa Senate," February 19, 2020
- ↑ Iowa Legislature, "SF 615," accessed January 4, 2026
- ↑ Iowa Capital Dispatch, "Iowa Senate approves bill setting expanded Medicaid work requirements," March 25, 2025
- ↑ WHO 13, "Iowa State Senate leadership lays out 2026 legislative priorities," December 18, 2025
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official 2010 General election results," accessed October 1, 2014
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedwebsite
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Iowa State Senate District 32 2023-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by Michael Breitbach (R) |
Iowa State Senate District 28 2021-2023 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Mayor of Spillville |
Succeeded by - |
