Author: Guest Post

Guest post from Kylä Paterson, Iowa Democratic Party Stonewall Caucus chair. The 2020 election is far and away the most important election of our lifetime, and I cannot, in good conscience, sit on the sidelines. Our planet, our rights and dignity, and the values of our Democracy are at stake. We need a leader who will pull this country together to defeat Donald Trump and repair the damage his hatred has inflicted. I believe that the antidote to Trump is a leader with incredible empathy. Someone who looks out for those who have been disenfranchised, forgotten, and left behind – […]

Guest piece from Christina Blackcloud, vice chair of the Iowa Democratic Party’s Native American caucus. Living in the first in the nation state comes with a kind of responsibility Iowans carry with pride. We hear from each presidential candidate, and we understand how their goals for this country will impact our families and our neighbors. No town hall goes by without community leaders and activists asking hard questions, and we all work to nominate someone who has the compassion, vision, and ability to deal with the challenges that accompany moving America forward. Secretary Julián Castro has a vision to move […]

Letter to the editor from Eliseo Flores of Des Moines, a recent graduate from Grandview University and summer intern for Julián Castro. Photo of Flores and his grandmother. “There is no substitute for hard work.” I remember these words ringing in my head throughout my childhood. As I grew up seeing these words in action, I was spurred to become the activist and leader I am today. My grandmother, a Chicana activist who would later become a farmer’s rights lawyer, lived by these words her entire life. I vividly remember asking my grandmother why she decided to become a lawyer, […]

A letter to the editor from Susan Wulf Osvald of Exira, Iowa. No other person running for president has spent as much time in Iowa as John Delaney. He made his second visit to Audubon County, one of Iowa’s smallest in population, when he came to Exira, my hometown, for a picnic and policy discussion on a sweltering August evening. Since September of 2017, I’ve attended four Delaney campaign events in small west-central Iowa communities – each time I’ve learned something and been impressed with Delaney’s policy proposals and his answers to questions from people who care deeply about our […]

A guest piece from Claire Carstens, former chair of the Youth Polk County Democrats. Politics is a part of my family. For years growing up, my mom, Shanda, and grandpa, Paul, were politically active and would include me in conversations about politics. They taught me how important it is to be involved in your community. It was this support and guidance that pushed me to get involved in Karin Derry’s Iowa House District 39 campaign in 2018. After volunteering for the campaign, I wanted to work to engage youth voters in politics more broadly, which led me to start the […]

A guest piece from I-35 School Board Member Josh Hughes. When Elizabeth Warren announced her candidacy, I was initially dismissive. I was open minded about the field but not actively considering her. I met with a Warren organizer named Morgan mid-spring out of courtesy and came away impressed by the scale of the campaign’s efforts in Iowa. I still wasn’t actively considering Warren, but I took notice of her passion and grit, as well as the early enthusiasm I was seeing from her campaign staffers and growing crew of volunteers. She moved into my top five. Around this time, Elizabeth […]

Guest post from State Representative Heather Matson of Ankeny. As a state legislator, and as an Iowa caucus-goer, I have been privileged to meet and get to know several of our Democratic presidential candidates. I first met Cory Booker last fall while he campaigned for Democratic candidates here in Iowa. During his events, as well as the multiple conversations we’ve had over the last several months, I have been struck by his thoughtfulness and attention to detail. I have noticed how often he asks Iowans for their opinions and how intently he listens to our ideas. I’ve realized that Cory […]

A guest post in support of Kamala Harris from Vanessa Phelan and Victor Dutchuk, two neighborhood Democratic leaders in Polk County. As the chairs of the Northwest Des Moines Democrats and the West Des Moines Democrats, we spend our free time on grassroots activism. We’re the volunteers you might spot holding a picnic with presidential candidates or registering voters at a neighborhood festival. In 2018, we turned out the vote in key communities, helping to elect a slate of exciting, progressive Democrats – many of whom are women. As people who do the work of getting Iowans involved in our […]

A guest piece from Emma Harris, regional organizing director for Beto O’Rourke in Polk County. When someone asks me why I work for Beto O’Rourke, I end up talking about my dad. He was an officer in the Navy for over twenty years and was a lifelong, “common sense” Republican. We have never agreed on politics —I remember one particularly brutal eight-hour drive in 2013 that turned into a heated debate about President Obama. He started losing his allegiance to the Republican Party during the 2015 primary. I could see his dissatisfaction in a party that was dominated by petty […]