April 2017
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Will Any Endorsement Be Worth A Damn In Governor’s Race?
Democrats’ gubernatorial nominee for 2018 will not simply be the most important name on the ballot. He or she will also be the defacto leader of the party in a state that hasn’t really had one since Tom Harkin’s retirement in 2014. They have a very big task ahead of them. To say the Democratic Party…
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Vote Smart Opens Fact HQ At Drake University
If you love and value facts, you should be excited about this announcement. Vote Smart, one of the nation’s premier non-partisan political research organizations, opened their new headquarters at Drake University on Monday. Vote Smart President Richard Kimball said they had looked at 17 schools before selecting Drake University as their new national headquarters. This…
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Round 2: Konfrst To Hold Hagenow Accountable For Broken Promises
House Republican Majority Leader Chris Hagenow campaigned for reelection last year on a platform that bore no resemblance to his voting record in the Legislature just a few months after. So Jennifer Konfrst has decided to give Hagenow a rematch in 2018, announcing today she’d run for House District 43 again. “I love this community, and…
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Focus On Issues In Governor’s Race, Not Fake Des Moines “Curse”
Recently, I have been in a public discussion with members of the Eastern Iowa press corps. Columnist Todd Dorman of the Cedar Rapids Gazette believes a Des Moines candidate for Governor is the wrong voice for Democrats. He defends his position by acknowledging Governor Chet Culver’s loss and my loss to Governor Terry Branstad in…
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The Three Months That Changed Iowa
When Iowa became the third state in the nation to legalize gay marriage eight years ago, I was working in Washington, D.C. My coworkers were taken aback by what they thought was a conservative, red, rural Midwestern state taking such an important leap forward in equal rights. They were even more surprised when I informed them…
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Demand Answers At Upcoming Forums, Tax Day Rallies
Iowa’s Congressional delegation are on their Easter recess until April 21. This is an opportunity for you to demand answers on the Trump agenda. We know the activists that attended the first set of Town Halls were very effective. These activists changed public opinion on Obamacare and stopped Republicans from passing their Trumpcare alternative. However,…
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After McGuire Launch, Prichard Unveils Endorsements From McGuire’s County
It didn’t take long today for two of the major Democratic gubernatorial candidates to engage in a bit of fun shadow-boxing on endorsements. This morning in Andy McGuire’s announcement, she laid out ten big-name endorsers, including some past candidates and major donors. This afternoon – certainly be mere coincidence – Todd Prichard rolled out a list of…
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Democrats’ Gubernatorial Hopefuls Make Their Pitch In Rural Iowa
The Democrats’ quest to retake Terrace Hill kicked off in Quasqueton this weekend, a tiny, picturesque town in Buchanan County. Local Democrats held a county party fundraiser that five gubernatorial hopefuls attended. The contenders chatted with Northeast Iowa activists over a barbecue dinner before delivering their pitches in front of the room. With a loaded…
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Insurance And Government Are Like Pickled Beets
The Republican health care plan was unraveling in front of our eyes when an Illinois congressman opened his mouth without first putting his brain in gear. Rep. John Shimkus objected to men having to pay for prenatal care in their health insurance policies. The reaction rained down like a spring thunderstorm. Shimkus was criticized for…
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Andy McGuire Kicks Off Gubernatorial Bid – Here’s Who Backs Her
Andy McGuire made official today what most Iowa Democrats have known for three years: she’s running for governor. Launching her candidacy with a well-produced announcement video and a slate of early endorsers, McGuire enters the Democrats’ primary race by highlighting her large family, her medical profession and a promise to “fix it.” Her video begins with…
