Iowa House Speaker Kraig Paulsen announced that he will not seek reelection in 2016 and in January he’ll step down from his job as the top-ranking Republican in the legislature. Paulsen held a news conference on the floor of the Iowa House.

Paulsen told reporters the contentious 2015 legislative session had nothing to do with his decision.

Paulsen had been thinking about retiring from the legislature before lawmakers convened their 2015 session this past January.

A leadership election will be held within the next few weeks to choose a new speaker of the Iowa House. House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer of Clear Lake, the number two Republican in the House today, will seek the job — and Paulsen says he will vote for her to get it.

Paulsen says he is passing the leadership torch so his successor can be in charge of recruiting 2016 candidates and raising money for House races.