The shrunken Republican caucus in the Iowa Senate has elected State Sen. Paul McKinley of Chariton as its new Minority Leader, ousting State Sen. Ron Wieck.

McKinley ran for the post last year, but Wieck defeated him.  Shortly after his victory last year, Wieck told the Iowa Independent that he planned to contrast Republican and Democratic positions on property taxes and social issues, among other things, during the 2008 legislative session.

More recently, however, Wieck was known for setting a low bar for GOP State Senators on election day, hoping only to keep Democrats from picking up enough seats to achieve a supermajority.