(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Senate has confirmed former Muscatine County Attorney Alan Ostergren to a seat on the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. Senator Mike Bousselot, a Republican from Ankeny, says Ostergren will bring a level-headed and analytical approach to the role. “Somebody who’ll look at the laws that are in place, the regulations that are in place and then the facts that are presented to him,” Ostergren says.

All 34 Republicans and one Democrat in the Senate voted to confirm Ostergren for the post. Fifteen Democrats voted no. The Senate’s Democratic leader says Democrats did not have a chance to speak with Ostergren about his philosophy on gaming issues. Ostergren is currently president and chief legal counsel of the Kirkwood Institute, a law firm that takes on conservative causes.

Ostergren successfully represented the 2020 Trump campaign in its challenge of the decison by three county auditors to mail out voter registration forms that were not blank, but contained voter information. Ostergren also led the challenge of the nominating petitions U-S Senate candidate Abby Finkenauer presented for the 2022 Democratic Primary and applied for a seat on the Iowa Supreme Court in 2019.