2018
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GOP Legislator Calls Out Party’s Water Quality Bill For What It Is, Attacks Leaders’ Integrity
Republican legislators and Governor Kim Reynolds were ready to congratulate themselves today for quick passage of a water quality bill they brought to the House floor this morning. After about 45 minutes of debate, the bill passed 59-41, but not before Representative Chip Baltimore delivered a scathing critique of the legislation’s merits and the process…
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Ep5: The Women’s March & Gubernatorial Fundraising Reports
Iowa Starting Line Podcast episode #5 features Rep. Liz Bennett & Planned Parenthood’s Erin Davison-Rippey to discuss the Women’s March with host Pat Rynard.
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Auditor Mary Mosiman Already In Trouble In Her Reelection Effort
Republican State Auditor Mary Mosiman is not off to a great start in her reelection effort in 2018. Campaign finance reports released last week showed the incumbent having only raised $28,392 through all of last year, and she’s currently sitting on $62,458 cash on hand. Her Democratic opponent, Rob Sand, posted a record-breaking $200,854 haul, which he raised…
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Be Angry Over Shutdown – GOP Played Games With Kids And Immigrants
This guest piece from Robert Lyons posted literally just as the deal to keep the government became known. The sentiments still stand for how we got into the shutdown and for any future one in the next few weeks. There is no choice to be made between Children and Dreamers. There is no choice to…
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Democrats Have Strong Candidate Against OWI Republican Legislator
State Representative Chip Baltimore was removed from the chairmanship of the House Judiciary Committee this morning following his arrest last week for an OWI and weapons charge. Speaker Linda Upmeyer announced that Representative Zach Nunn will be taking over in his place. Baltimore, a Republican legislator from Boone County, was pulled over on Highway 30…
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Iowa Women Defiant At Women’s March: The Speeches, Sights And Signs
On a bright and sunny Saturday afternoon, one year to the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration, close to 10,000 people gathered outside the Iowa State Capitol building for this year’s Women’s March. Thousands of activists, voters and concerned citizens came out sporting pink clothing and hats, homemade signs and a passion for fighting back in…
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Quick Reaction: Iowa’s Gubernatorial Fundraising Numbers Are In
Today at 4:30 was the deadline for Iowa statewide and legislative candidates to file their fundraising reports for everything they raised and spent in 2017. Starting Line will have a lot of in-depth coverage on the gubernatorial, other statewide candidates and legislative contenders’ filings throughout the next week. For now, let’s take a look at…
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An Important History Lesson From Iowa’s Chief Justice
One of Iowa’s talented historians delivered an important lesson last week. But instead of standing in front of a school classroom, he was in the chamber of the Iowa House of Representatives. The teacher was Mark Cady. The subject of his lesson was a proud chapter in Iowa history and how events today are threatening…
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Kristin Sunde Launches Campaign For Key West Des Moines House Seat
When Kristin Sunde and her husband Matt took care of two foster children in their West Des Moines home, they started to become concerned with what they saw in the complicated and sometimes-frustrating Department of Human Services system. The state’s Medicaid process presented problems, too – at one point the Sundes were on the hook…
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Ep4: Former Jack Hatch Campaign Manager Grant Woodard, 3rd Congressional District Democratic Primary Candidate Eddie Mauro
For Iowa Starting Line Podcast episode #4, Grant Woodard, the former campaign manager for 2014 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jack Hatch, joins host Pat Rynard to discuss the upcoming gubernatorial primary & the all-important fundraising deadline, followed then by an interview with small business owner & coach Eddie Mauro about the DACA debate & his campaign…
