Category: IA Gov

State Representative Todd Prichard withdrew from the Democratic primary for Iowa Governor today, his campaign announced. Prichard was one of the first candidates to form an exploratory committee back in March. He will instead run for reelection to his Charles City-based house seat in 2018. “It has been an honor to participate in the Democratic Party’s primary for governor over the last few months,” Prichard said in a press release. “I am humbled by the support I have received across the state. However, my responsibilities to my family, the Army, my constituents, as well as my small business must take […]

For a brief moment this year, everything looked like it was falling perfectly into place for Kim Reynolds. Terry Branstad, her mentor, had ridden off into the sunset to a legacy-securing ambassador post in China. Reynolds’ inauguration went off without a hitch, making history as Iowa’s first female governor. Her campaign team started off strong with endorsements from nearly the entire Republican establishment. The party was united and excited for her governorship, while Democrats nationwide and in Iowa continued to look weak and fractured. And then Reynolds got to the governing part. Things began to quickly fall apart right off the […]

State Senator Nate Boulton landed his biggest endorsement yet this weekend at the AFSCME Council 61 state convention. The union that represents over 40,000 state workers voted to endorse Boulton, who rose to prominence early on this past legislative session by taking the lead on the collective bargaining fight. This adds to Boulton’s long list of labor unions that have decided to back him early on in the Democrats’ gubernatorial primary. A labor rights attorney whose father is a longtime Steelworker union official, Boulton now has the backing of 20 unions representing over 70,000 Iowa workers, including many large and […]

Des Moines businessman Fred Hubbell is already off to a fast start in the fundraising game for Iowa Democrats’ gubernatorial primary. Today his campaign announced that they have already raised a record-breaking $1 million in donations from individual Iowans. “I am truly humbled to have the support of Iowans in every corner of the state,” Hubbell said in a press release. “As we toured Iowa, we spoke with countless Iowans who believe politicians have put our state on the wrong track. Iowans are hungry for a leader who is not beholden to special interests. I’ve never run for political office, […]

Two weeks ago John Norris set off on a six-day, 20-stop tour around Iowa to kick off his gubernatorial run, pulling in good crowds in particular at his Des Moines-area and Red Oak events. Today his campaign released a video with highlights from the tour, focusing in on scenes and excerpts that highlighted his rural background and appeal. Norris hit up a number of smaller towns on his announcement tour and during his exploratory phase, and is leaning hard on that message to show Democratic voters he can win back areas they’ve lost in recent elections. The video has many […]

Des Moines businessman and philanthropist Fred Hubbell made it official today: he’s running for governor. He had started up an exploratory committee back in late May, and has been mostly been working behind the scenes the past two months with his campaign team to prepare a launch and flesh out their operation. He’s slowly introduced himself to activists at a handful of Democratic events, but hasn’t participated in any forums yet or embarked on a statewide trip. Hubbell marked his announcement with a kick-off video, which shows him discussing Iowa’s economic opportunities with small business owners and workers, often with […]