Author: Elizabeth Meyer

Newman Abuissa has never run for a political position before, other than lobbying fellow Democrats to serve as a convention delegate during the 2004 presidential election. But a lack of political chops is part of the appeal of his unconventional candidacy to represent Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, Abuissa said. “I am a grassroots candidate,” Abuissa, 58, told Starting Line. “I think there’s a need for dialogue and debate, and I think it’s important that we do that in a democratic country and try to be a model for the rest of the globe.” He was undeterred by the fact Rita […]

In the midst of caucus politics and the president’s active Twitter feed, Congresswoman Cindy Axne and her fellow House Democrats continue to push for a more equitable health care system in the United States. Since 64 new Democratic representatives took office in January, health care legislation has been some of the most prolific introduced in the House. “The last couple of years, [health care] was in every poll and also anecdotally in almost every conversation that you’d have with people about what they wanted the next Congress to do and how policies can impact our lives,” said Matt Sinovic, executive […]

Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer has taken a concern about Iowa workers’ safety directly to Gov. Kim Reynolds with a letter outlining recent assaults at state facilities and Reynolds’ administration’s effort to reduce the number of public sector jobs. Finkenauer said in a June 7 letter to the governor, “The gutting of collective bargaining rights — most notably with the passage of House File 291 in 2017 — and significant reductions to staffing have undermined protections for our state employees to the point where their physical safety is now at risk.” The congresswoman’s letter, which requests information on the state’s “protocols and […]

Congressman Steve King’s legislative profile has now diminished to the point of needing to be defended by online celebrities at his own Capitol press conference. Outside the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday afternoon in Washington, D.C., the Iowa Republican was joined by Lynnette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson, known by their online platform “Diamond and Silk,” to introduce the “Diamond and Silk Act.” Also known as the “End Sanctuaries and Help Our American Homeless and Veterans Act,” the bill redirects federal funding from “sanctuary cities” and “sanctuary states” to programs providing assistance for America’s homeless and veterans, according to a press […]