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
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MAGA activists call for Kari Lake to primary Joni Ernst over Hegseth nomination
MAGA activists threaten to primary US Sen. Joni Ernst over her hesitation in backing controversial Trump pick Pete Hegseth. And they’re looking at the Iowa roots of a certain Arizona politician to make it happen. Back in 2020, Republican US Sen. Joni Ernst celebrated a seven percentage point victory to the chant of “six more…
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‘Pete or else!’: Ernst takes MAGA heat over Trump’s Hegseth nomination
The Republican base is targeting US Sen. Joni Ernst over her continued reticence to back Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial nominee to run the Pentagon. Pete Hegseth has had a rough ride ever since President-elect Donald Trump put him on the road to be his defense secretary. Since the Fox News host was chosen,…
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Wolf Carbon Solutions withdrawals bid for eastern Iowa CO2 pipeline
A proposed 95-mile carbon capture pipeline project has grinded to a stop. Wolf Carbon Solutions—at least for now—has ended its bid for regulatory approval. Wolf Carbon Solutions told Iowa regulators that it is pulling its application for a pipeline project in eastern Iowa. The project would transport as much as 12 million tons of carbon…
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AP: Miller-Meeks reelected to Congress
22 days after Election Day, The Associated Press declared US Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks the winner. She will represent Iowa’s 1st Congressional District. Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks will serve Iowa’s 1st Congressional District in Congress. The Associated Press called the race for the incumbent one day before Thanksgiving. The AP put Miller-Meeks’ final winning margin at 798…
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Recount confirms Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott keeps seat
A recount confirmed Democratic state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott’s victory over Republican challenger Mark Hanson. The votes are tallied, and incumbent state Sen. Garriott of West Des Moines is safe. Hanson, of Waukee, challenged her 24-ballot lead to a recount following election night. But the recount boards found the original results hold up. Trone Garriott…
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Sen. Nate Boulton concedes to Mike Pike following recount
A recount confirmed Republican Mike Pike’s victory over Democratic incumbent state Sen. Nate Boulton. The votes were counted and recounted. And Mike Pike flipped Senate District 20 red. The Republican will represent an area that includes Des Moines, Altoona, Pleasant Hill and southwest Ankeny. At the end of election night, Pike was ahead by 44…
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House Republicans plan ‘comprehensive review’ of Iowa higher ed
After banning DEI programming in higher ed last year, the Iowa Legislature prepares to take more swipes at regulating the state’s regent universities which add an estimated $15 billion to Iowa’s gross state product, supporting one out of every ten jobs. House Republicans plan to continue their regulation focus on higher education in the state.…
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Recounts begins: Four Iowa races head for a recount
County recount boards are recounting ballots for one seat in Congress and three in the state legislature. While recounts are unlikely to change the outcomes in most races, they have before. When races are close, Iowa Code gives candidates the ability to call for recounts, checking the math on their outcomes. As of this week,…
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Christina Bohannan calls for recount of ‘razor-thin’ Iowa congressional race
Democrat Christina Bohannan is calling for a recount of all 20 counties in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District. There is an 800-vote margin that separates Republican US Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa and Democrat Christina Bohannan of Iowa City. Over 414,000 people voted in the election. And a 0.2 percentage point margin sets the two apart. …
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Trump picks Fox News host over Joni Ernst for Defense Secretary job
President-elect Donald Trump chose a Fox News host as his secretary of defense over US Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa. National security leaders reportedly told Ernst that she was a good fit for US Secretary of Defense, a top appointed position in Trump’s future cabinet. In addition to her military service, Ernst has deep experience…
