2019
-
On The Trail: Key Moments From A Busy Iowa Caucus Week
In what was one of the busiest caucus weeks yet, five presidential candidates fanned out over Iowa recently, mostly in the eastern half of the state, to woo potential caucus-goers. Starting Line was on the road for seven days straight, covering the visits of Beto O’Rourke, Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, and Cory Booker. Whenever there’s…
-
Ep91: Media Mania For Beto & Biden, Special Election Win
The Iowa Starting Line Podcast host Pat Rynard is joined by State Representative Jennifer Konfrst to talk about the media hype around Beto O’Rourke and Joe Biden. We also discuss how candidates like Kirsten Gillibrand are impressing people on the ground, and we talk the special election results in the SD 30 race.
-
Booker, Gillibrand Talk Trans Rights In Iowa
Democratic candidates running for president are increasingly talking about the rights of transgender Americans while out on the campaign trail. Two contenders who traveled through Iowa this past week – Senators Cory Booker and Kirsten Gillibrand – both had extended discussions at events in Davenport about their past support for the LGBTQ community and future…
-
Bernie Sanders Expands His Iowa Caucus Operation
Senator Bernie Sanders continues to build out his Iowa Caucus team, one that will likely end up as one of the largest of the 2020 field. The campaign tells Starting Line that they have hired Michael Fasullo to serve as their Iowa field director and Tony Anthony as the deputy caucus director. It’s a second…
-
New 2020 Poll Shows Iowa Leaders, Super PAC Skepticism
A Public Policy Polling survey shows former Vice President Joe Biden with a nearly two-to-one lead over his nearest competitor, Senator Bernie Sanders, in a new poll of likely Iowa Caucus-goers. Biden, who is expected to soon enter the presidential race, starts with 29% support in the poll, compared to Sanders’ 15%, Senator Elizabeth Warren’s…
-
Bloom Where You’re Planted: Thoughts On A College Admissions Scandal
The altar at the First United Methodist Church in Cedar Falls was decorated with bouquets of beautiful flowers last week. Dozens of people gathered there to celebrate the life of a wonderful woman at the conclusion of her 84 years on this Earth. Those blossoms offered especially poignant symbolism. Ruth was a true treasure —…
-
Ep90: Running A Presidential Campaign, Joe Sanberg Interview
The Iowa Starting Line Podcast host Pat Rynard is joined by Cory Booker’s national campaign manager Addisu Demissie to talk about managing presidential candidates, how campaigns fill out their schedules, and what organizing tactics they’re focused on this year. And we interview entrepreneur Joe Sanberg, a possible 2020 candidate who has hired J.D. Scholten to push…
-
Amy Klobuchar Knocks EPA’s Secret Waivers That Boost Big Oil
Senator Amy Klobuchar blasted the Trump Administration’s continued use of blending waivers for renewable fuels usage while in Iowa this weekend. Using it as an example of how Donald Trump’s presidency has hurt rural America, she linked the EPA’s decisions to the first decline in ethanol prices in many years. “For the first time, we’ve…
-
Okay, The Beto Hype Makes Sense Now
Who the hell is Beto O’Rourke? That’s what many Iowans – myself included – wondered as they squeezed their way into packed coffee shops last week to catch a glimpse of the newly-announced presidential contender. Was O’Rourke the breakout, generational star he was hyped up to be, or a flash-in-the-pan media sensation who benefited merely…
-
2020 Dems’ First Big Iowa Cattle Call Is All About Rural America
Busloads of farmers and other rural advocates from across the Midwest are rallying in Iowa to put their concerns at the front and center of the 2020 presidential race. The Heartland Forum is happening March 30 at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, and it’s going to be epic. In the first and likely only…
