2019
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Despite Voter Suppression Efforts, Young Voters Turned Out In Iowa
A guest post from Brit Bender, state director for NextGen Iowa, which ran an extensive youth voter turnout project in 2018. The Iowa GOP has a history of student voter suppression. In 2017, then-Governor Terry Branstad signed a law that prohibited student IDs from being used as voter IDs. This legislative session, Republicans tried to…
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Steve King Compares Himself To Jesus Christ
Congressman Steve King is going through a trying time in the U.S. House right now, but he said today it’s given him special insight into someone who he feels faced a similar trial. That person is Jesus Christ. As the Sioux City Journal reported, while at one of his town hall forums in Cherokee County…
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Party Switch: State Rep. Andy McKean Flips From R To D
State Representative Andy McKean is switching sides. The Republican legislator from Jones County has decided to leave his party and join Democrats in the Iowa House. He will re-register as a Democrat later this week back at home, and currently plans on running for reelection as a Democrat. “I found myself increasingly uncomfortable with the…
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Ep97: Tom Vilsack On 2020 Dems’ Rural Iowa Message
The Iowa Starting Line Podcast host Pat Rynard interviews former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on how 2020 Democrats are talking about rural America, how the Trump Administration is undermining the renewable fuels industry, and why he decided to take a pass on a U.S. Senate run.
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Bernie Sanders Adds Top Iowa Operative To Team
Bernie Sanders is bringing on Jessica Vanden Berg, a well-known veteran of Iowa and national campaigns, to his caucus team. She will serve as a senior advisor for their Iowa operation. As the AP reported last month, Vanden Berg was approached by Joe Biden’s team for a top role in his eventual campaign in Iowa.…
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Cory Booker Lands Second Iowa Legislative Endorsement
The second public legislative endorsement of the Iowa Caucus goes to the same candidate who received the first: Senator Cory Booker. State Representative Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights made her choice of Booker known today in a short video message. “Cory is exactly what our country needs right now,” Konfrst said. “He has the perfect mix…
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Want To Do An Iowa Caucus Sight-Seeing Trip? Plan It Now.
Iowa is heaven on earth for political junkies, especially so for the Democratic activists who are closely following this year’s historically large field of candidates. But if you live outside our great state, do you ever watch the TV clips of presidential contenders stumping in coffee shops and diners across Iowa with just a little…
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In Rural Iowa, “Socialism” Skepticism May Boost John Delaney
Places like Iowa Falls feel a long way away from the national discussion on the Democratic primary. An Iowa town of 5,000 people, it’s a long drive away from any county that even used to vote regularly for Democrats, and the kind of place where Fox News is the default channel running on the TV…
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Ep96: IA-02 Opening, Buttigieg Visit, NARAL Interview
The Iowa Starting Line Podcast host Pat Rynard talks with State Representative Jennifer Konfrst about Dave Loebsack’s retirement plans and the 2nd District race, Pete Buttigieg’s momentum, and the Noah Wasserman’s arrest. And we talk with two leaders for NARAL, the pro-choice organization, about what they’re seeing candidates talk about on the caucus campaign trail.
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Broken Promises: GOP Attempts End Run On IPERS
Do you recall all the Republican promises about protecting Iowa Public Employee Retirement System (IPERS) during the Hubbell/Reynolds campaign in 2018? Democrats warned repeatedly that Reynolds and the Republican legislators couldn’t be trusted. Nevertheless, Reynolds and her Republican legislative buddies vowed over and over during that campaign that they would never touch IPERS or the…
