May 2018


  • News

    Ep36: Governor’s Race & Courtney Rowe Interview

     Iowa Starting Line Podcast host Pat Rynard talks about the final governor’s debate and where the race stands, followed by an interview with Courtney Rowe about her 1st District campaign.


  • Politics

    Five Takeaways From Democrats’ Final Gubernatorial Debate

    The Democratic candidates for governor gathered in Des Moines last night for their final debate, though this time there were only five people present following Nate Boulton’s withdrawal. It was not the most exciting debate we’ve seen in Iowa politics, nor did it drastically change the dynamics of the race, but there was still some…


  • News

    Winning Back The Trump Triers

    One of the Democrats’ greatest challenges is winning back the so called “Trump triers.” These are the Democrats, Independents and some Republicans that voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012, but then switched to vote for Trump in 2016. Extensive interviews conducted by the Washington Post suggest that many of these Trump triers may be…


  • Politics

    On The Road With J.D. Scholten’s Campaign To Defeat Steve King

    There’s few summer activities more quinesstential than a father/son road trip in an RV. Stopping at small town restaurants. Sleeping in a pull-down bed. Navigating through country roads. But one extra feature of J.D. Scholten and his father Jim’s tour around Iowa in their new RV is that J.D. is also running for Congress. As…


  • Politics

    More Legislators Flip To Fred Hubbell As Primary Nears

    As the Democratic gubernatorial field continues to settle following Nate Boulton’s withdrawal, several former top Boulton supporters are backing Fred Hubbell this morning. Senators Bill Dotzler, Tony Bisignano, Representative Jerry Kearns and former Senator Tom Courtney – all previously with Boulton – announced they’re endorsing Hubbell today. And Senator Jim Lykam, Representatives Wes Breckenridge and…


  • News

    How Will History Judge Us On Immigrant Children?

    I am surely not the only person who has wondered what it was like to live through various big events from history, events that occurred long before I entered this world in 1950. This curiosity has led me to contemplate events like the Civil War, the growing tensions in Europe and America before World War…


  • News

    Ep35: Eastern Iowa Views & George Ramsey Interview

     Iowa Starting Line Podcast host Pat Rynard speaks with Cedar Rapids City Councilwoman Ashley Vanorny about what’s happening in Eastern Iowa, followed by an interview with George Ramsey about his 1st District campaign.


  • News

    Democrats Post Strong Fundraising Reports, Out-Raise GOP In Many Races

    With all the Iowa political news that happened last week, it may have been easy to overlook some of the state legislative fundraising numbers that came out in the latest finance report. But there was a lot of interesting details in there, as well as plenty of great signs for Iowa Democrats. House Democrats were…


  • News

    Community Leaders Back Connie Ryan By Wide Margin In Senate Primary

    Connie Ryan has spent many long hours up at the Statehouse fighting for progressive causes, and a lot of local and statewide community leaders have liked what they’ve seen. A very long list of elected officials, activists, faith leaders, business owners, labor unions and liberal organizations have lined up behind Ryan in the high-profile primary…


  • Politics

    Weekly Round-Up: New Gov Race Opportunities, Fundraising And Endorsements

    So, there was a bit of news that happened in Iowa politics this week. The Des Moines Register story on Nate Boulton and his subsequent withdrawal from the race dominated headlines for most of the week. It shook up a still-fluid primary with less than two weeks to go until the election. And it also…