2018
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Rick Bertrand Changes Mind, Runs For Reelection In Sioux City Seat
State Senator Rick Bertrand kicks off his third campaign for the Sioux City Iowa Senate seat by breaking a promise from his first: to not seek a third term. That old pledge went out the window today as Bertrand reversed course from earlier in the year and was confirmed as the party’s nominee at a…
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What Unions’ Win In Missouri Means For Iowa Campaigns
The defeat of Missouri’s anti-union “right-to-work” law is likely to carry national repercussions. These unions’ huge success in a largely red state that Trump won with 54% suggests that voters support and believe in the value of unions. The right-to-work law was repealed by an overwhelming 67% to 33% margin. Since only 7.5% of Missourians…
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Democratic Veterans Group Booted From State Fair Veterans Parade
The Iowa Democratic Veterans Caucus says they’ve been marching in the State Fair Veterans Parade for the past ten years, yet were denied participation at the last minute this year from an official in Kim Reynolds’ administration. The group says they were already approved this year to join the parade, but were called on Friday…
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Abby Finkenauer’s First TV Ad Recalls Days When Politics Didn’t Divide
Abby Finkenauer will launch the first TV ads of the general election in Iowa’s nationally-watched 1st Congressional District race this Tuesday. Her first spot on the airwaves is called “Dinner Table” and focuses on a spirit of bipartisanship and cooperation. The ad begins with Finkenauer describing a typical Saturday night with her family while growing…
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Kim Reynolds Sold Iowans A Sham Health Plan
How valuable is a health benefit plan that can’t be called an insurance policy? The law that Republican legislators passed and Reynolds signed allows Iowa Farm Bureau, in collaboration with Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield, to sell Iowans “health benefit plans.” The law states that the health plan, “sponsored by a nonprofit agricultural organization…
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Ep49: Reynolds Avoids Press, Election Results & Yard Signs
Iowa Starting Line Podcast host Pat Rynard talks with producer Chance Dorland about Kim Reynolds’ decision to avoid press conferences, what the election results in Tuesday’s Ohio special election and Democratic primaries in Michigan and Kansas mean for Iowa, and we dig into everyone’s favorite subject: yard signs.
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Zach Nunn Enters SD 15 Race, Shakes Up Both House And Senate Map
State Representative Zach Nunn announced this morning he would leave his seat in the Iowa House to run for Senate District 15, recently vacated by Senator Chaz Allen. It turns a seat that was a safe Democratic hold just a few weeks ago into one where Republicans will likely have the upper hand. But it…
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Fred Hubbell Has The Experience And Passion To Fix Mental Health Problems
This week candidates Fred Hubbell and running mate Rita Hart conducted a mental health tour across Iowa. Their first stop this week was at Broadlawns Medical Center for a roundtable on mental health needs. Broadlawns proved the perfect kickoff for their tour as this public hospital has become a model for the state in treating…
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Former GOP Senator David Johnson Endorses Fred Hubbell
Republican-turned-independent Senator David Johnson is endorsing Fred Hubbell for governor over Kim Reynolds today, the Hubbell campaign informed Starting Line this afternoon. Johnson left the Republican Party in June of 2016 over his disgust of Donald Trump’s nomination. His backing of Hubbell over Governor Reynolds adds a new talking point for Hubbell in his attempt…
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It’s Not Anti-Cop To Ask Questions In Death
There was snow and ice on the ground in Burlington on the morning of Jan. 6, 2015. About 10:30 a.m., police were summoned to 104 S. Garfield Ave., where Autumn and Gabriel Steele were arguing outside their house. Less than a minute after Officer Jesse Hill arrived to investigate, Autumn Steele, 34, was on the ground.…
