January 2015

Throughout the caucus season, Iowa Starting Line will check in on the Republican presidential candidates’ standing in the race. With the Republicans we will focus on who has the most excitement and buzz right now among Iowa caucus-goers.

The midterms before the Iowa Caucus provide an excellent opportunity for potential presidential candidates to visit the First in the Nation state. Early trips to Iowa can connect candidates with grass-top activists, pique interest in local and national media, and build up political favors that can be cashed in on later. 2014 was no different.…

Is the GOP Grooming Joni Ernst for the VP Nomination? Later tonight, recently sworn-in Senator Joni Ernst will grace television screens and live-streams nation-wide as she gives the official Republican rebuttal to President Obama’s State of the Union. It’s a heady task for the freshman Senator. And one that has some wondering about whether Republicans…

On an unseasonably warm Saturday that felt like a spring thaw, top Democratic activists from around the state looked to shake off the cold reality of their 2014 losses and chart a new course forward to victory. The party’s state central committee met in Des Moines to choose a new state chair out of a…

Less than three months after Rod Blum’s election to Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, Democrats are lining up to get another crack at the Democratic-leaning seat. Cedar Rapids businesswoman Monica Vernon announced her second bid on Thursday. Vernon enters the race in a much stronger position than she did last time, when she was a little-known…

Welcome to the brand new Iowa political news site, Iowa Starting Line!  I (Pat Rynard) am very happy you’re here and I hope you’ll join us on a daily basis to find news on the Iowa Caucus and Iowa politics. What will you find here? Iowa is about to take center stage as the Republican…