2019
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2020 Campaigns Build Out Their Iowa Teams
As presidential candidates fan out across Iowa to woo caucus-goers, their campaigns are staffing up to build the organizing infrastructure to bring home a win on caucus night. Here’s a quick roundup of some of the most recent top staff hires for the Iowa campaigns. You can see Starting Line’s full tracking list of all…
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Terry Branstad Donates To Steve King Primary Opponent Randy Feenstra
Current Ambassador to China and former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad donated $1,000 to the campaign of Randy Feenstra, the Republican primary opponent of Steve King, newly-released fundraising numbers show this afternoon. It’s the latest sign that key Iowa Republican leaders have had enough with the behavior and controversies of King, hoping to see him ousted…
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What I’m Listening For On Child Care Policy From 2020 Candidates
Guest post from Tiffany Welch of the Save The Children Action Network organization. My husband and I moved to Iowa from the West Coast in April, 2007. Moving to Iowa was a wonderful decision for many reasons, and I have especially loved participating in Iowa presidential politics. I had my first taste of Iowa caucus…
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The Most Powerful Tech Innovation 2020 Campaigns Aren’t Yet Using
A guest post from Rose Clouston, the Director of Online Training at the National Democratic Training Committee. With a new Democrat announcing their presidential campaign every week, the primary election is shaping up to be a long, drawn-out process. To have any realistic hope of emerging as the nominee, you have to scale from a small team…
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Setting The Record Straight On Iowa’s Sex Education Classes
A guest post on the state’s sex education programs. My name is Natalie Harwood, and I am a health educator at Planned Parenthood. I work under a public grant called the Community Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention program (CAPP). Year after year, I see anti-abortion politicians in the Iowa legislature introduce legislation that would prevent Planned Parenthood…
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Dave Loebsack’s Retirement Plans Puts Iowa At Top Of 2020 House Map
Congressman Dave Loebsack will retire after his current term comes to an end, reported the Quad Cities Times this afternoon. He has served in Congress since his 2006 election when he won in a surprise upset, and was Democrats’ lone federally-elected member from Iowa for four years after 2014. An open seat in Iowa’s 2nd…
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Republican Statehouse Emboldened To Move Further Right
Iowa Democrats expected the Republicans in the Legislature would continue their far-right agenda in 2019. Following the experience from the 2017-18 session, Democrats anticipated more of the same this year. The Republicans didn’t disappoint. They didn’t moderate their radical, take-no-prisoners scheme to impose their one-party rule on Iowans. Having taken control of the Iowa Senate…
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Kamala Harris Lifts Up Other Women Looking To Run During Iowa Swing
Senator Kamala Harris is running for president, but an event of hers in Des Moines yesterday was focused on other candidates – women running or thinking of running for local offices. She spoke with a group of about 125 women at an Emerge Iowa house party, where she acknowledged the many barriers women run into…
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Ep95: Online Vs Offline Democrats, 2020 Fundraising Numbers
The Iowa Starting Line Podcast host Pat Rynard talks with State Representative Lindsay James about early fundraising numbers for the 2020 field, how “very online” Democrats differ from the rest of the party, how Democrats should handle the “socialism” label, and what’s left to watch up at the Statehouse this year.
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Ep94: Beto O’Rourke Interview & Ever-Expanding Dem Field
The Iowa Starting Line Podcast host Pat Rynard sits down with Beto O’Rourke during his recent Iowa trip to talk about his generational pitch, how he’s adjusted to the media onslaught, and what kind of “normal” he wants to bring to D.C. Plus, I talk about the ever-expanding Democratic presidential field and why everyone feels they…
