2015

The Super PAC ads are coming. That was the warning given by many of the speakers at Iowa Pays The Price’s Stand Up To Super PAC rally this Sunday outside the state Capitol building in Des Moines. And in many ways, the unlimited money available through those organizations have already poured into the state in…

The Democratic Senate primary fight for the right to take on Chuck Grassley in 2016 added a new name this weekend: Ray Zirkelbach, a former State Representative and Iraq veteran from Monticello. Zirkelbach announced his intentions and an exploratory committee at the Jones County Democrats’ dinner on Sunday. “I’m not a politician, I’m a worker,…

He hasn’t broken into the double-digits in state or national polls. He failed to ignite a spark after the first national Democratic debate or Iowa’s Jefferson-Jackson Dinner. He has yet to dominate a news cycle in the national media. But Martin O’Malley is holding his own in the fight for the nomination, and he should…

The progressive movement and clean energy advocates scored an important victory on Friday with President Obama’s official rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline proposal. Obama cited concerns over climate change as a major factor in turning down the project, saying it would undermine the United States’ efforts to lead on that issue. Keystone’s approval had…

For well over a decade Democratic politicians have been hesitant to take on the NRA, burned too many times by electoral losses in swing districts and states caused in part by the gun rights organization’s influence among rural white voters. But after years of non-stop mass shootings and widespread gun violence, the issue has returned…

The press risers and tables were packed at the Republican Party of Iowa’s Growth And Opportunity Party this Saturday, but one media outlet wasn’t able to get inside: The Daily Show. Iowa GOP chair Jeff Kaufmann decided to deny Trevor Noah’s team access to the 10 candidate event, out of a stated concern that they…

At a press conference this morning, Governor Terry Branstad reportedly said he favors the use of eminent domain in certain circumstances, including for pipeline projects. The biggest project currently under consideration in Iowa is the Bakken oil pipeline, which Branstad said is up to the Iowa Utilities Board to decide upon. As he has often…

The Republican Party of Iowa’s Growth And Opportunity event on Saturday was meant as a sort of replacement for the Iowa Straw Poll, and judging from many of the candidates’ speeches you’d think they were still in that August mindset. Few of the White House hopefuls deviated from their typical stump speeches. Despite being a…

Iowa Republicans got into the full spirit of Halloween this weekend, with a number of activists donning some creative and creepy outfits at two recent events. Rand Paul held a Halloween costume party in the back room of Buzzard Billy’s in Des Moines on Friday night, which ended up being perhaps the strangest Iowa Caucus…

The Des Moines restaurant scene has seen an explosion in fine dining options, craft breweries and quirky specialty joints in recent years. Reporters and campaign staff traveling to Iowa’s capitol for the Iowa Caucus often come away pleasantly surprised. Sometimes, however, you can get into a rut of returning to your same favorite spots downtown…