Gov. Chet Culver’s nominee to head the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Eugene Meyer, will not have sufficient votes to be confirmed by the Senate, a Senate Republican leader said this afternoon.

Senate Minority Leader Mary Lundby said the Republicans determined after a caucus earlier today that Meyer would not receive the four votes needed from her party to reach the 34 required for a two-thirds majority. She said the primary concern was that Meyer, who formerly headed the Division of Criminal Investigation, was a department insider.

Meyer, who has been with the department since 1969, was appointed by Culver as commissioner of public safety on Jan. 12, subject to the Senate’s confirmation.

“For the last seven or eight years, the director of that department has come from outside the department,” Lundby said. “Someone from within the department has biases that come up that are just inherent with someone that comes up from a department.”

Lundby said the Republicans have concerns about a “couple of other” nominees but that no other decisions have been made.

Brad Anderson, Culver’s communications director, said Lundby had numerous opportunities to bring any concerns about nominees to the governor, and called the refusal to confirm “irresponsible.”

“Where were these concerns when Mr. Meyer was first nominated in January?” he said. “Where were these concerns when Mr. Meyer was introduced to Senate Republicans last week? Where were these concerns when the governor met one-on-one with Sen. Lundby last night?”

Anderson said Culver remains confident that his nominees will be confirmed.