The decision of Sen. Jim Jeffords, I-Vt. to leave the Republican party, will send one Iowa senator to a top ranking position while removing another from his short-lived chair.

Jeffords’ party switch will give control of the Senate, and all the Senate committees, to the Democrats.

Seth Boffeli, spokesman for Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said Harkin is in line to become the chairman of the Senate agriculture committee and the chairman of the Senate Labor-Health Human Services Education Appropriations Subcommittee.

Kimberly Cass, Public Spokeswoman for Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Grassley will lose his positions as the chair of the finance committee and the chair of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control.

Boffeli said Harkin wants to wait until the switch to take place before discussing new policies the committee will attack, but they are expecting a few small changes in the running of the agriculture committee.

“Agriculture conservation is something that Sen. Harkin wants to put into the new farm bill,” Boffeli said.

He said Harkin will be the first Iowan to chair the Agriculture Committee since 1910. He said it could not come at a better time with the Freedom to Farm Act about to end.

“Being chair of the Agriculture Committee is important for Iowa, and Sen. Harkin is excited, especially since we are going to write the Federal Farm Policy,” Boffeli said.

Cass said the biggest change is Sen. Grassley losing the chairmanship of the finance committee.

“He was working hard for Iowans before the change and will continue to work hard for Iowa after the switch as ranking member of the finance committee,” Cass said.

Cass said Grassley is eager to continue his work on the finance committee under its new leadership.

“Grassley will work with the [probable] chairman, Sen. Baucus, [D-Mont.] to achieve the goals he set for the legislative work of the committee,” she said.

Richard Mansbach, professor of political science, said the eventual change of leadership in the Senate is a large change that Jeffords caused.

“The main difference is the new majority leader and the chairmen of committees. The Democrats will have the ability to discuss which bills are being pushed through the Senate,” Mansbach said.

He said that this will create more difficulty in the legislative branch in the future.

“You are going to have more gridlock in the Legislature. The Democrats are going to be passing bills in the Senate that will not pass in the House and the president would not sign for publicity reasons,” Mansbach said.