First District Congressman Rod Blum, elected in 2014, made the first vote of his career a protest vote by voting against the reelection of John Boehner as House Speaker. Blum was one of 25 rogue Tea Party-supported members to vote against Boehner. Boehner has since...
Few words of politics were uttered as Cedar Rapids prepared for and experienced the floods of 2016. But the makings of Iowa's next governor may have been forged in the tense week as the city battled back the second-highest ever crest of the Cedar River. Cedar...
Senator Chuck Grassley didn't want to encourage specifically young women in pursuing careers in science, the Iowa Daily Democrat discovered through an open records request of email correspondence between Kim Reynold’s office, Grassley’s office and the U.S. Under...
Senator Chuck Grassley celebrates another year of 99 county visits today, finishing his final event in Anamosa in Jones County. But just how meaningful or authentic is the so-called "Full Grassley" that Iowa's senior senator is so well-known for? This summer a...
"Let The People Decide." That's been Senator Chuck Grassley's campaign slogan recently, in reference to his refusal to hold a hearing for President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland. They've even printed signs and t-shirts with it. For months...
People love Joni Ernst. A lot happened at Ernst’s 2nd annual Roast and Ride this weekend, where Donald Trump headlined with an immigration-heavy speech. What stood out to me, however, was Ernst herself and how she gives off a sort of effortless charm at these...
The AFL-CIO officially gave an endorsement nod to U.S. Senate candidate Patty Judge this week at their state convention in Altoona. That followed AFSCME’s formal backing last week. It’s a notable change in labor’s disposition to the former Lt. Governor, and a sign...
The Iowa State Fair has come and gone, with another year of political candidate visits in the books. Starting Line attended nearly all the of the Soapbox speeches hosted by the Des Moines Register, but got a little distracted with fair food afterward and I didn't...
Patty Judge has been involved in statewide politics since 1992 when she was first elected to the State Senate, serving two terms. She was elected as Iowa Secretary of Agriculture in 1998 and served 8 years. She was elected as Lieutenant Governor in 2006. But do...
When voters go to the polls in the Northeast Iowa counties of Allamakee and Clayton this year, this is what they’ll see in the Democratic column of their ballot: President: Hillary Clinton U.S. Senate: Patty Judge Congress: Monica Vernon State Senate: Jan Heikes...
