Rushing: I’ve reached the finish line at Starting Line

Chief Political Correspondent Ty Rushing bids farewell to Iowa Starting Line.

After 11 years—minus a six-month stint in corporate communications—my grind as a daily news reporter will come to an end Friday on what will be my last day as a full-time member of the Iowa Starting Line team.

I’ve been at Starting Line for three years, which only trails my second stint at Iowa Information/The N’West Iowa REVIEW for the longest place I’ve worked in news, and good Lord, it has been quite an adventure here.

After joining Starting Line, one of my first big stories was a recap of the hilariously bad 2021 Des Moines Taco Festival held on the Court Avenue bridge in downtown Des Moines. This thing was an absolute disaster and was compared to the infamous “Fyre Fest” by one attendee.

I love writing about low-stakes events that are also incredibly messy on several fronts—shout out to Sioux City’s #Fudgegate controversy, Flav’s Fried Chicken, or the Dubuque archbishop who hated swing dancing.  

The only thing I enjoyed writing about more was local government drama. With the ability to tell stories from anywhere in Iowa, I was given plenty of fuel for that fire.  

However, as much as I have enjoyed these journalism side quests, I was brought to Starting Line to help debunk politics and create a more informed electorate here in Iowa. I can proudly say I did my part in that.

Covering the Iowa Legislature has been one of the most challenging duties of my career. The days are long, sporadic, and sometimes chaotic. I always told people the Capitol operates on vibes (I didn’t specify what kind of vibes). 

There are multiple days you bust your butt to get to a room to cover a subcommittee only to discover that it was moved to another room on a different floor or it was delayed by an indefinite amount of time only to start up when you start to work on a story or a video from a different subcommittee or committee you covered earlier that day.

The hustle and bustle are compounded by what you see there, and what I saw over the last few years wasn’t pretty. I saw women lose reproductive rights. I saw various attacks on minority groups, the dissolution of countless boards and committees, and the consolidation of power and erosion of checks and balances.

I stayed overnight in the Iowa Senate during the contentious child labor law rollback debate in which Senate Republicans flat out refused to answer questions about legislation they were approving and that, a year later, has Iowa small business owners in the crosshairs of the US Department of Labor.

I saw powerless gay, non-binary, and trans kids beg some of the most powerful people in Iowa to leave them alone. Day after day, I watched them ask Republican elected officials, “Why do you hate us,” only for those lawmakers to gaslight them and tell the kids they don’t hate them as they continued to advance legislation that specifically targeted them.

Even when you clock out, it’s hard to get those images out of your head.

While much of what I covered at the Capitol was not great to witness, there were bright moments.

Reporting alongside the Iowa’s Capitol press corps was always a joy. They are some of the most intrepid and dedicated reporters in a state full of them, and it was truly an honor to work with them. To have a group of peers who truly understand the toll it takes to cover the legislature makes you feel less alone on one of the most grueling beats in Iowa.

I also loved the staff at the Capitol; from the tour guides to the security guards to the cafeteria cashiers, there are truly some great people who work in that institution. It was always a pleasure to see them and crack a couple of jokes before heading into the belly of the beat.

Additionally, I got to see friends old and new from all over Iowa, whom I’ve met at various stops at the Capitol. You also build relationships with some of the activists, lobbyists, staffers, and lawmakers (I have so many sneaker photos of me and Rep. Amy Nielsen showing off our kicks), and those sidebar conversations always brought a smile.

Another perk was witnessing some ridiculous things, which, as noted above, I enjoy a lot. I remember the lady wearing a homemade “Raw Milk” T-shirt during the Senate’s raw milk debate. I loved it whenever the Iowa House of Representatives would get into random pun-offs while debating lower-stakes bills. Sen. Bill Dotzler’s raccoon takedown was one of the most hilarious off-the-cuff remarks I’ve seen in politics.

But what really made the legislative grind worthwhile were conversations with people who thanked me for my coverage or for being there. That truly meant so much to me, and knowing that your work is reaching people is something everyone in this line of work desires and hopes to do.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t shoutout my Starting Line colleagues who were pivotal on this journey:

• Pat, thanks for believing in and trusting me with your first baby. Also, GO CHIEFS!!!!!!
• Nikoel, thanks for being our most tenured staffer and being a mini-Nick Hytrek. It’s still surreal to me that I got to edit the work and help coach the daughter of one of the best journalists I’ve ever worked with, and the fact that you are incredibly talented on your own was a bonus.
• Amie, we had long been fans of each other’s work from afar, so it was nice to finally link at the same organization. Also, your transformation into a “worker bro,” ISL TikTok Queen, snarker-in-chief, has been a pleasure to witness.
• Avery, you fit right into our team from the get-go, and it’s hard to believe you’ve only been here for about a year. I’ll miss tag-teaming big assignments at the Capitol with you.
• Ellie, you were crucial in helping us develop our voice on Instagram and TikTok. I also appreciate all those evenings you worked late with me to cover major debates in the legislature.

Of course, I also want to show some love to my Courier family. It’s been so cool to make friends with and work with so many talented people in newsrooms across the country. That’s something I never imagined would take place in my career, primarily as a community journalist. 

P.S. To Keya, feel free to send me at least one of your therapy bills after making you edit so many depressing Iowa Legislature stories. 

As for me, my next stop is going to be at the University of Iowa, where I will be an assistant professor of practice in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. I would not have left Starting Line for just any job—and not to brag, but folks have reached out over the years—but this opportunity encompasses many things I love about journalism.

It’s a chance to teach the next generation about the value of quality community journalism. I want to show there are opportunities for them outside of the big markets, something I had no clue about when I was in school but learned throughout my Jackie Robinson-esque quest across Iowa local news. 

To the delight of some and the chagrin of others, this means my wife and I will be staying in Iowa for the foreseeable future, and we are delighted about this. Iowa can be a challenging place to live, but I have more positive experiences and memories here than negative ones.

The Hawkeye State has given me so much, and I’ve been able to experience things I never would have thought possible when I moved here from Kansas City in 2013. How many people can say they’ve emceed the Jasper County Fair Queen Pageant and made an Emmy-nominated documentary for Iowa PBS?

 Please don’t be a stranger even as I make this transition. You can still find me on most social media platforms at @RushTheWriter, and I’m launching a Substack newsletter in August as part of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. 

And for those who like to see me suffer, there have also been preliminary talks about keeping #TyTries alive on the Starting Line platforms, so, as always, stay tuned to Iowa Starting Line for all your Iowa news.