In advance of Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett's announcement for governor today, Kim Reynolds' campaign looked to flex their organizational muscle by releasing a list of 1,050 county chairs. Yes, 1,050 for a state with 99 counties. I've seen a lot of county leader...
State Representative Abby Finkenauer got a big boost in her quest to take on Republican Rod Blum in Iowa's 1st Congressional District today. EMILY's List, the major political advocacy group that helps elect pro-choice women, endorsed Finknauer today. “Abby’s record...
What will general election voters be looking for in 2018? And will Democratic primary voters consider that? If you look at the political situation in Iowa and nationally right now and are positive that you have the answer, you're probably fooling yourself. A week...
While raising her two young sons in West Des Moines, Cindy Axne found a problem: the school district claimed there was only enough space for half of local children to attend full-day kindergarten. A lottery system was used to decide who got to get in, which her...
“Something Different.” That could easily be the slogan for Cathy Glasson’s campaign for governor in 2018, as she said at one point in an interview with Starting Line that “Iowans want to see something different.” She believes Iowans will find just that in her...
Polk County Conservation Director Rich Leopold announced this morning that he was ending his campaign for Iowa Governor. Leopold, the state's former DNR director, was the first candidate to announce back in January. He cited the difficulty of running an...
Kim Weaver's candidacy has ended, and a follow-up story from the Des Moines Register raised serious questions about her reasoning for doing so. But whatever, it's time to move on. Hopefully, part of moving on for Iowa Democratic activists will be a renewed focus on...
It's been a banner two weeks for Iowa Republicans. Last Wednesday they saw Terry Branstad step down for his Chinese ambassador role, swore in Kim Reynolds as governor, celebrated it this Friday night and hosted Vice President Mike Pence at Joni Ernst's Roast And...
Just a couple months ago, Iowa Democrats were wondering if we'd have more than one or two candidates in the race for governor in 2018. Now, about one year out from the primary, we're up to nine contenders who have either officially declared or have set up an...
Democrats have another contender for the 2018 gubernatorial nomination: Cathy Glasson. She kicked off an exploratory committee today with a video outlining what she calls a "bold, progressive" agenda for Iowa. An ICU nurse at the University of Iowa Hospitals for...
