Author: Pat Rynard

Bernie Sanders is bringing on Jessica Vanden Berg, a well-known veteran of Iowa and national campaigns, to his caucus team. She will serve as a senior advisor for their Iowa operation. As the AP reported last month, Vanden Berg was approached by Joe Biden’s team for a top role in his eventual campaign in Iowa. Biden is expected to announce his presidential bid this week or next. There is a quickly-shrinking pool of experienced Iowa talent that could steer a major caucus campaign. Vanden Berg ran Christie Vilsack’s 2012 congressional campaign, worked for former Congressman Leonard Boswell, and served as […]

The second public legislative endorsement of the Iowa Caucus goes to the same candidate who received the first: Senator Cory Booker. State Representative Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights made her choice of Booker known today in a short video message. “Cory is exactly what our country needs right now,” Konfrst said. “He has the perfect mix of heart and fight, and he has policy positions that will lift our country up and unite us as a nation.” I’m thrilled to endorse @CoryBooker for President of the United States because he has the heart, fight, and plans to unite our country and […]

Iowa is heaven on earth for political junkies, especially so for the Democratic activists who are closely following this year’s historically large field of candidates. But if you live outside our great state, do you ever watch the TV clips of presidential contenders stumping in coffee shops and diners across Iowa with just a little bit of envy, wishing you too could experience this all up close? Well, Iowa does typically get its fair share of political tourists. The problem is that so many of them wait right up until the media hype around Iowa hits its peak, making an […]

Places like Iowa Falls feel a long way away from the national discussion on the Democratic primary. An Iowa town of 5,000 people, it’s a long drive away from any county that even used to vote regularly for Democrats, and the kind of place where Fox News is the default channel running on the TV in every local small business. Situated in the middle of Central Iowa’s farm country, Iowa Falls’ Hardin County was one of many rural counties to vote lopsidedly for Donald Trump in 2016. Hillary Clinton received only 33% of the vote here. That’s where presidential candidate […]

As presidential candidates fan out across Iowa to woo caucus-goers, their campaigns are staffing up to build the organizing infrastructure to bring home a win on caucus night. Here’s a quick roundup of some of the most recent top staff hires for the Iowa campaigns. You can see Starting Line’s full tracking list of all the campaign organizations here. John Hickenlooper The former Colorado governor has brought on Des Moines activist Kimberley Strope-Boggus as their state political director. She’s been heavily involved in nearly every major Democratic event and campaign in the Polk County area for several cycles now. Strope-Boggus […]