2015

We have the first big policy fight of the 2016 presidential election, and it’s… vaccinations? On Monday, Chris Christie and Rand Paul set off a firestorm of controversy in the political world when they cast doubt on the universal need for vaccinating children against communicable diseases. Following a recent measles outbreak in the United States,…

The Des Moines Register and Bloomberg Politics conducted the first big Iowa Poll of the year, asking likely caucus-goers who they would caucus for. It provided a wealth of information for those of us wishing to dissect the presidential race still in its infancy. So let’s get to it: Democrats: Clinton Maintains Huge Lead On…

If any clerks, pages or other young staff at the Iowa Legislature think they could benefit from a motivational life coach, they may want to pull up a chair next to new State Representative Timi Brown-Powers of Waterloo. The positive-thinking legislator loves encouraging others to discover their own leadership potential. She sees her election as…

The Des Moines Register and Bloomberg Politics released the newest Iowa Poll Saturday evening, which showed Hillary Clinton with a commanding 56% share of likely Democratic caucus-goers. Elizabeth Warren, who has said she won’t run, trails her at 16%. Vice President Joe Biden is at 9%. That’s a lead many Democratic presidential hopefuls would look…

I wanted to write a special thank you to our readers for a great week and let you know about some updates on the blog. First off, thank you again for reading our posts and sharing them around. If you can’t tell, I’m having a lot of fun with this, and I really hope you…

Run Warren Run’s Des Moines office opening Thursday evening felt like many other caucus campaign launches. Excited supporters gathered to see how they can help. Staff and volunteers shared their moving stories of why they supported the candidate. A wish list of office supplies hung on the wall. Volunteers stuck around afterwards to make calls.…

Hoping to recapture the magic of his 2012 Iowa Caucus win, Rick Santorum crisscrossed the state in the days following Steve King’s Freedom Summit in Des Moines. From Sioux City to Davenport, the former Pennsylvania Senator dropped in at some of his old haunts to rekindle an interest in another presidential run. Yet even as…

Iowa Democrats have reason for optimism as they look to the future, despite the terrible results from the 2014 election. A crop of inspiring leaders are looking for their moment on the bigger stage. Republicans like Terry Branstad and Chuck Grassley won’t be around in office forever, but even before they depart, multiple opportunities exist…

Jake Oeth, Bruce Braley’s former political director, has been brought on by Martin O’Malley’s PAC to begin outreach efforts in Iowa, according to a Politico story posted early Tuesday morning. Starting Line as well had heard from multiple sources in Iowa that Oeth had been recruited by O’Malley to start laying the groundwork for a…

At an age where many young people are still figuring out their direction in life, newly-elected State Representative Abby Finkenauer walks onto the floor of the Iowa House each day with a passion and purpose unlike many others. Elected from District 99 in Dubuque, Finkenauer, a 26-year old Democrat, already looks like she belongs because…