January 2018
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Matt McCoy Running For Supervisor; Who Will Seek His Senate Seat?
Senator Matt McCoy set off a Polk County political earthquake today, one whose aftershocks will impact other major races up and down the ballot. McCoy made official this afternoon what many had speculated for most of the past year: he’s challenging incumbent Johnny Mauro for a Polk County supervisor seat. The Des Moines legislator made…
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Iowa’s Tax Dollars Being Frittered Away
It’s nothing short of a miracle that the people of Iowa have not taken up pitchforks and marched on Des Moines demanding the attention of government officials. As things now stand, don’t be surprised if the folks in charge simply wait for the dust to settle and then get back to business. But Iowans should…
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Rep. Skyler Wheeler Pushes Bible Electives In Schools, But Not Koran Ones
Should Iowa public school students have social study elective courses for Bible literacy? Northwest Iowa Representative Skyler Wheeler hopes so, and his bill to require local school boards to consider offering it passed a subcommittee today of the Iowa House. House File 2031 would direct the State Board of Education to create course standards for…
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Ep7: Legislative Round-Up & Interview With Leann Jacobsen
Representatives Amy Nielsen of North Liberty and Todd Prichard of Charles City join host Pat Rynard for Iowa Starting Line Podcast episode #7, followed by an interview with Leann Jacobsen of Spencer, a Democratic candidate for the 4th District.
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Budget Woes Underlie Reynolds’ Education Executive Order
For the first time since taking the state’s highest office last May, Governor Kim Reynolds has issued an executive order. Executive Order No. 1 establishes the Iowa Clearinghouse for Work-Based Learning, an attempt to connect Iowa schools and students with real-world business opportunities, experience and networking. By incorporating internships, job shadows and professional speakers in…
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Trump’s “America First” Will Actually Put America Last On World Stage
Throughout American history, the President of the United States has been recognized as the leader of the free world. Amazingly, in less than a year, President Trump’s “America first” policy has destroyed America’s leadership position among the nations of the world. A recent Gallup survey of 134 nations showed an approval of America’s role in…
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Paul Pate Hides Weakness With Loan Trickery; Tom Miller In Good Spot
Secretary of State Paul Pate has been using a shell game to hide how little money he’s raised for his reelection, and it’s not clear if he’ll even use the money he has in the bank. Pate reported that his 2017 fundraising numbers ended with $238,791 cash-on-hand. But he also had $283,500 in outstanding loans. He raised…
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Is Marsy’s Law Coming To Iowa?
Unable to run on their record of breaking Iowa’s budget, cutting working families’ paychecks or hiking college students’ tuition, legislative Republicans may have a new messaging tactic for 2018 – pulling voters’ heartstrings over a pretty, blonde white woman killed in the 1980s. At least that appears to be what’s in store for Iowa politics…
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Legislative Democrats Roll Out Main Themes For 2018 Agenda
Iowa Democrats rolled out a four-part plan this week called “Putting Iowans First,” outlining what they want for the future of the state. Democrats hope to focus on what Iowans have said are their biggest concerns. The plan to improve “lives for everyday Iowans” includes bringing higher-paying jobs to the state, rejuvenating rural towns across…
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Who Raised The Most Money In The Iowa Legislature
The 2018 elections could see Democrats retake a chamber in the Iowa Legislature. But which candidates are best prepared financially to defend their seats? Starting Line compiled the fundraising totals of every incumbent and legislative candidate to find out. You can download the spreadsheet I made here if you want to play around with the…
