Zachary Oren Smith is your friendly neighborhood reporter. He leads Starting Line’s political coverage where he investigates corruption, housing affordability and the future of work. For nearly a decade, he’s written award-winning stories for Iowa Public Radio, The Des Moines Register and Iowa City Press-Citizen. Send your tips on hard news and good food to zach@iowastartingline.com.
Zachary Oren Smith
Latest from Zachary Oren Smith
-
Rob Sand picks western Iowa farmer as his lieutenant governor running mate
Democratic governor nominee Rob Sand has chosen Crawford County Supervisor Dave Muhlbauer, a fifth-generation farmer and cattleman from western Iowa, as his running mate. A pick to bridge the rural divide.
-
Meet Zach Lahn: a Koch-connected political operative running for Iowa governor
Iowa’s new Republican nominee for governor Zach Lahn campaigned as an outsider farmer fighting the political establishment. But before he was “Iowa First,” he was a Koch-connected political operative who blocked Medicaid expansion in Montana, co-founded a Koch-funded private school in Kansas, and barely met Iowa’s residency requirement to run. A look at his resume.
-
Zach Lahn just beat Trump’s pick for Iowa governor
Iowa set its November battleground Tuesday night, with voters delivering primary results in races for governor, U.S. Senate, and all four congressional seats—a ballot shaped largely by two retirements that opened the door to the most competitive statewide elections Iowa has seen in years. For the first time since 2006, Iowa’s governor’s race has no…
-
Turek to take on Hinson for Iowa’s open US Senate seat
US Rep. Ashley Hinson will face Democratic challenger Josh Turek this November. 42 minutes after polls closed, The Associated Press called the race for Turek. “Iowa sure does love an underdog, and we have done it tonight,” Turek told a crowd at the Iowa Democratic Party’s watch party in Des Moines. “… Whether you are…
-
Trump endorses Feenstra for Iowa governor, despite GOP discontent
Just days before the primary, US Rep. Randy Feenstra got a coveted endorsement from President Donald Trump. A leg-up for a campaign that has struggled to maintain its lead. President Donald Trump endorsed US Rep. Randy Feenstra for governor of Iowa on Thursday, just days before the June 2 Republican primary. “Randy is MAGA all…
-
Hinson tells Republicans in Lake View DOGE isn’t done
At a closed-door Republican event, Rep. Ashley Hinson assured GOP activists that DOGE is still alive. Iowa farmers have been living that reality for over a year. US Rep. Ashley Hinson told a closed-door Republican gathering in Lake View this month that the work of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is still very much…
-
Appanoose County supervisor says he had no warning before Centerville clinic closure, no contingency plan for replacing it
An Appanoose County supervisor said he found out about the Centerville clinic closure the same way everyone else did: by reading the news. He said there is no backup plan.
-
Centerville clinic to close in July amid growing rural healthcare concerns
MercyOne Ottumwa closed in February. MercyOne South Des Moines will close in June. Now a federally qualified health center in Centerville is closing this July citing the declining sustainability of rural health services.
-
Reynolds-connected lobbyist recruited paid attendees for JD Vance’s Iowa rally on behalf of ‘an ethanol company’
An Iowa lobbyist was caught offering $100 cash payments—plus referral bonuses—to pack JD Vance’s Des Moines rally this week.
-
EXCLUSIVE: Zach Wahls’ healthcare plan takes aim at Medicaid cuts, Iowa’s cancer crisis
The Iowa Senate Democrat is making healthcare the centerpiece of his Senate campaign, pinning rising premiums and rural hospital closures directly on Republican Ashley Hinson.
