2018
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Kim Reynolds Took $50,000 From Top Public Pension Enemy
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds received $50,000 in a campaign contribution from Rex Sinquefield, a wealthy Missouri Republican who has waged an all-out war against that state’s public pension system. The Reynolds donation was the only contribution to an Iowa candidate Sinquefield has ever made, and only six individuals in total have given more than $50,000…
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Steve King Insults Our War Heroes With Confederate And Neo-Nazi Praise
I think I was in third grade in my rural Iowa classroom in 1962 or 1963 when my teacher Mrs. Schneckloth gave our class an assignment that probably changed my life forever. She asked us to find a magazine with a photo, or an image of an historical event, paste it to construction paper (remember…
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Let America Vote’s Iowa Team Surpasses 80,000 Doors Knocked
A guest post from Zack Davis, the state director for Let America Vote-Iowa. Photo: Let America Vote-Iowa Deputy Field Director Maddy Leahy with candidate Kenan Judge, whom she ran into as she was knocking doors for him in his district on Sunday. On June 9th, Let America Vote launched a boots-on-the-ground campaign in Iowa to elect…
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How A Leg Up From Society Can Help Feed The World
Each year in October, when the Iowa countryside transforms from gorgeous summer greens to harvest season hues of tan, some of the world’s top agricultural scientists and anti-hunger activists gather in Des Moines to compare notes. The occasion is the presentation of the annual World Food Prize. It’s three days of conversations about the progress,…
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Why Local Iowa Democratic Campaign Ads Look So Good This Year
When you’re a candidate running for the state legislature in Iowa, your campaign budget is always tight. There’s only so many places you can raise money from, the districts are relatively small and your official campaign team may mostly be volunteers. If you’re a “targeted” race, you get more help from the state party, but…
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Julian Garrett Confirms He’d Make 14-Year-Old Rape Victims Carry Pregnancy
State Senator Julian Garrett doubled down on the most extreme consequences of an abortion bill he voted for last year during a forum in Indianola on Monday night. Answering a question from his Democratic challenger Vicky Brenner, Garrett confirmed he supports a scenario in which a 14-year-old girl who was raped by a family member…
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Kamala Harris Helps Take Deidre DeJear To The Finish Line
California Senator Kamala Harris made her big Iowa debut this week, barnstorming Central and Eastern Iowa over two days to boost Democratic candidates up and down the ticket. Among those candidates getting some help were Cindy Axne, Amber Gustafson and Heather Matson, but one Iowa Democrat got a lot of extra attention: Deidre DeJear. Democrats’…
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Ep66: National Dem Visits & Gov. John Hickenlooper Interview
Iowa Starting Line Podcast host Pat Rynard discusses all the recent visits from Democrats’ top national stars in Iowa and what help it gives to local candidates. And we interview Governor John Hickenlooper about his policy success in Colorado, his 2020 considerations and what he thought of Iowa’s local beer scene.
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Memo Details Iowa Farm Bureau’s Plan To Buy Sec Of Ag Race
Starting Line has obtained a memo from the Iowa Farm Bureau that lays out their plan to use corporate donations from the agriculture industry to fund an independent expenditure group created solely to swing the Secretary of Agriculture race to Republican Mike Naig. In the memo from Don Petersen, the Farm Bureau’s Director of Government…
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Iowa Sees Largest Drop In Energy Rating After Gary Carlson’s Bill
Iowa’s national role as a leader in clean energy took a major hit thanks to a Republican-passed bill (SF 2311) in 2018. State Representative Gary Carlson spearheaded the effort, and Governor Reynolds signed it into law this past May. The bill cripples Iowa’s 28-year history of energy efficiency programs with massive cuts. It also allows…
