A major piece of legislation remains unresolved as U.S. lawmakers prepare for the second session of the 116th Congress, in large part due to Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst. The Violence Against Women Act has lapsed and must be re-authorized in order to keep funds flowing to...
The clock is ticking down on the end of 2019, though here in the Starting Line office, we're mostly just concerned with who's covering what candidate this weekend. I thought it would be nice to take a moment to look back at the very exciting, transformative year...
Bob Thomas, the former chair of the Appanoose County Democrats, needed the clarity of a long winter's drive to finally commit to a presidential candidate. "Over Christmas, I drove down to Dallas, Interstate 35 the whole way, all by myself, and I made the decision...
Pete Buttigieg is barreling toward an Iowa Caucus victory, and there's not a damn thing anyone's tweets can do about it. The month of December has given the South Bend Mayor his biggest challenges yet, including intense media questions over his work at McKinsey,...
Guest op-ed by Prakash Kopparapu, chair of the Asian and Latino Coalition From Russia to North Korea and the threat of ebola to ISIS, international engagement and foreign policy are among the most pressing issues for our country. Yet we haven’t heard a ton from the...
They're filling the gas tank back up in John Delaney's big blue RV for a final blitz across Iowa in the last month leading up to the caucus. Delaney and his team will embark upon a 40-stop tour in January, focusing their time in many tiny towns in rural counties as...
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar has now visited all of Iowa's 99 counties. She wrapped up her tour of the state in Humboldt on Friday afternoon. "We are really excited about this as you know," Klobuchar said. "For me, it's really a part of my way of being, to go out...
The U.S. House of Representatives passed about 350 bills in 2019 under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi, with help from longtime members and freshmen lawmakers who were critical to turning the tide for Democrats. Two of the new Democrats elected in 2018 were from...
The 99-county tour. It's been an ambitious goal for anyone looking to win over Iowa voters in every corner of the state. Candidates have completed it and love to talk about it, and it's become somewhat of a unicorn to chase while campaigning in the state. It's a...
On Pete Buttigieg's first trip to Iowa as a presidential candidate, during a bitterly cold day in February, he made a stop at Iowa State University in Ames to speak with a group of college students. Over forty young voters showed up, a good turnout for a...
