Republican Party of Iowa Co Chair Linda Upmeyer released the following statement in response to the death of former Iowa State Representative Dolores Mertz:

"I am sad at the loss of the tiny powerhouse, Rep. Mertz. No one had a deeper love of where she was from and who she served, than Dolores, which she memorably expressed every St. Paddy’s Day with an Irish jig. She was my mentor – introducing me to ALEC, pushing me to be on the board, and ultimately national chair. More importantly, she was my friend. I’ll miss our talks, watching her in action and her warm smile."

Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said: 

“I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of former Rep. Dolores Mertz. I had a front row seat as Dolores never gave up a fight for her rural communities and Iowa agriculture. She always did it with a kind word and political courage. During her tenure, she stopped more bad legislation from moving forward than any one person in Iowa history. Her principles transcended party politics and there was not one person she met that wasn’t her friend. We will be praying for her family and community.”

###