2016

One week to go, finally. We’re at the point of the campaign cycle in Iowa where campaigns cease signing up new people for absentee ballots and go solely into ballot chase and GOTV mode. The increases in requested ballots in the daily totals from here on out will be mostly from people who voted in-person…

The Iowa Daily Democrat asked former Senator Tom Harkin to share his thoughts on several political issues. With the election just a few days away, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are fighting for millennial voters. Some millennials still have questions about how progressive she is perceived to be compared to Bernie Sanders. Is Hillary progressive…

Guest post from Jack Hatch on his upcoming book Iowans have always loved their relationship with the outdoors. But when it comes to protecting our land and water, we can’t hesitate to conclude Iowa needs a fresh start. A start propelled by an urgency to reclaim our land and water from decades of complacency. More…

The final days of the 2016 campaign are closing out ugly in Iowa, and not just in how candidates attack each other. An act of homophobic vandalism against a gay candidate in Waterloo and racist fliers on the campuses of Iowa State University and the University of Iowa were reminders that Iowa politics isn’t quite what it used…

After weeks of national controversy led by Donald Trump over supposed vote rigging and voter fraud, an actual case of voter fraud occurred in Iowa. It was committed by a Trump supporter. Terri Rote was one of three people in Polk County reported to the police by the Polk County Auditor’s office for voting twice in…

Iowans take pride in our state’s reputation as an agricultural powerhouse that feeds hundreds of millions of people every year at home and around the globe. This time of the year, we marvel at the scenes of combines crisscrossing fields day and night bringing in another year’s crops. Those harvest pictures are something of a…

Finally, someone has polled Iowa again. It had been 21 days since a highly credible poll had surveyed the state, but a new Quinnipiac Poll released this afternoon confirmed what many on the ground have thought: it’s all tied up. Literally, exactly tied. Both Clinton and Trump stand at 44% in the new poll, with…

The Republican Party of Iowa is playing a tricky game this year in how it promotes their candidates and how they criticize Democrats. Inside Polk County, Republican campaigns like Chris Hagenow’s are promoting their support of balanced budgets and assistance to small business, while hitting Democrats on spending plans and some personal issues. Outside Polk County?…

Claire Celsi loves serving her community. It comes as naturally to her as breathing. Throughout the course of her career, Celsi has served on over a dozen local governing bodies from school and advisory boards to committees and commissions. When asked why she finally decided to run, it was a matter of continuing that trend…