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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Texts show Lahn’s campaign was warned about Derek Wulf’s debts on day one
What did Zach Lahn’s campaign know about Derek Wulf’s money problems, and when? Texts obtained by Iowa Starting Line show a Lahn field director was warned about Wulf’s lawsuits the day he was picked. Three days later, a conservative lobbyist asked whether Bobby Kaufmann was ‘a possibility’ for lieutenant governor. The staffer replied, ‘Yes he…
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Rob Sand vows to keep taking summer EBT as Iowa pantry need grows
Asked at a Coralville pantry roundtable whether Iowa would stay in the federal summer EBT program, the Democratic nominee for governor said, “We’ll keep taking it.”
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Bohannan wants Iowa towns to have the final say on data centers
Christina Bohannan says no data center should come to an Iowa town over local opposition. Her platform also targets utility monopolies and expands clean energy to lower bills.
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Christina Bohannan on jobs: More childcare and housing, fewer tariffs
Bohannan—who’s challenging Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District—says the Lee County steel deal was rushed. Her own plan for creating jobs leans on childcare, housing, and ending tariffs.
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Sand and Lahn split on residency, wages, and school funding in first debate
At a KWQC debate, Rob Sand and Zach Lahn gave sharply different answers on the minimum wage, school funding and how to pay for tax cuts.
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Iowa governor signs bill allowing the state to offer the largest corporate tax incentive in history
The House voted 75-17 and the Senate 28-19 to approve a 10% transferable tax credit worth up to $1.36 billion. Mesabi Metallics still needs IEDA board approval and a contract.
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Iowa House panel deadlocks on Lundgren complaint, tosses second one
A House Ethics Committee vote split along party lines Friday, leaving a complaint against Rep. Shannon Lundgren unresolved. A second complaint over the same issue was dismissed unanimously. A separate complaint against Rep. Jennifer Smith remains unaddressed.
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Reynolds calls special session on steel plant tax incentives
Gov. Kim Reynolds is calling lawmakers back to the Capitol on Friday to change the state’s MEGA incentive program after Iowa and Mesabi Metallics signed a memorandum of understanding.
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What Ashley Hinson’s financial disclosures show about her family’s net worth
Five of US Rep. Ashley Hinson’s House financial disclosures show a 2021 insurance deal, a stake in a private equity-backed brokerage, and as much as $1 million in dividends in 2025.
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No meeting set on Lundgren, Smith ethics complaints as election nears
A House panel’s ranking Democrat says the complaint against Iowa Rep. Shannon Lundgren is waiting on the Republican chair to call a meeting. The chair and House staff have refused to comment on the status of a complaint against state Rep. Jennifer Smith.
