KDSN RADIO News
State Senator De Witt dies after long cancer battle
A state senator from the Sioux City area has died of cancer at the age of 66.
Rocky De Witt, a Republican from Lawton, worked for MidAmerican Energy for 22 years. He was elected to the Iowa Senate in 2022 after serving six years on the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors.
Governor Kim Reynolds said De Witt made “a profound impact in the state legislature, all while heroically battling cancer.” Senate Republican Leader Jack Whitver said De Witt “was a passionate defender of constitutional rights” and he will be “deeply missed” by his colleagues.
De Witt’s last speech in the legislature was on April 15, 2025, about a proposed constitutional amendment to require supermajority votes to pass income tax increases in the Iowa House and Senate.
State Representative J.D. Scholten, a Democrat from Sioux City, issued a written statement this evening. “Rocky and I were in separate chambers and separate political parties, but we both agreed that we preferred being back in Sioux City with our constituents,” Scholten said. “My prayers go out to his loved ones tonight.”
