2016

As Donald Trump continues to alienate voters and tank in the polls, Republican legislators in swing districts who still stand with Trump risk their own reelection efforts. Nowhere else could this be as evident as in the Polk County legislative races. Peter Cownie, who regularly wins reelection by wide margins in the past, has suddenly…

The state associate of an anti-LGBT hate group is donating thousands of dollars in state legislative races, according to finance reports filed with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board (IECDB). The Family Leader PAC has donated more than $5,000 to eight candidates since 2015. The Family Leader describes themselves as being “in association with…

Trump and Republicans are fanning Obamacare fears over rising health insurance rates of 25%.  According to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, “thanks to financial assistance, most marketplace consumers this year will find plan options with premiums between $50 and $100 per month.”  What Trump and Republicans aren’t telling you is that with subsidies,…

The headlines for Iowa’s mental health care system the past few years have been rough: Iowa Ranks Last For State Psychiatric Beds Iowa Among Worst States For Mental Health Care Iowa Is Second Worse State In Recent Mental Health Report But headlines obviously pale in comparison to the daily struggle those facing mental health issues live with…

Policy issues have not always enjoyed center stage in 2016’s divisive and wild election, and one major area that’s particularly been left out is K-12 public education. While much of school funding gets determined at the state level, President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act had a massive impact on public education from the federal…

Advocates of addressing climate change may finally be reaching the political threshold that will force worldwide action. This year has seen the implementation of a number of critical actions, agreements and commitments that suggest we have passed a tipping point for action. The Paris Climate Agreement surpassed the necessary number of ratifying nations last month…

The consequences of the outcomes in Iowa’s many competitive state legislative races grew ever greater today, following Governor Terry Branstad’s remarks at his morning press conference. Branstad said he didn’t like the developing “hodge podge” of separate minimum wage laws, and suggested the Iowa Legislature take up the issue in 2017. With that it appears activists and…

Why are so many Iowa Republicans refusing to condemn Trump’s unfounded accusations that this election is corrupt and a rigged system?  If Trump attacks the validity of the election, couldn’t these Republicans’ reelection be questioned as well? There’s nothing more sacred to America’s democratic traditions than free and fair elections. Anyone who values our democratic electoral…

It’s crunch time for Democrats’ and Republicans’ early vote efforts in Iowa. With just two and a half weeks left until Election Day, campaigns are scrambling to pick up absentee ballots and turn voters out to early voting locations. There’s plenty of numbers to pore over, so let’s get right into it. First off, a check…