Progressives Get Look At Future Leaders, Medicare-For-All Pitch At Corn Feed

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Under a hot September sun, progressive activists, Democrats and issue advocates gathered this weekend for the third annual Progress Iowa Corn Feed. Three prominent out-of-state leaders keynoted the event: Center For American Progress president Neera Tanden, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley. Merkley and Buttigieg’s profiles have been on the rise in Democratic politics recently. Merkley has been a leader on a new Medicare-for-all plan in the Senate, and is rumored to be considering a presidential run. Buttigieg, a 35-year-old mayor, unsuccessfully ran for DNC chair and has traveled the country recently to promote his new […]

They’re Back: Chances To See Potential 2020ers This Week

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What does the future leaders of the Democratic Party and issue advocacy look like? Iowans will get several chances in the coming weeks to get a glimpse of a few possibilities. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigeg will headline Progress Iowa’s annual Corn Feed fundraiser this Saturday, along with Center For American Progress President Neera Tanden. Merkley and Buttigeg have both been mentioned as potential 2020 presidential candidates in the wide-open Democratic primary. Merkley’s stock in some progressive circles has been on the rise after he was the only senator to endorse Bernie Sanders […]

John Delaney Plans Early Investment In Iowa To Help Down-Ballot Democrats

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John Delaney isn’t exactly a household name among Iowa Democratic activists. Not yet, anyway. The Maryland congressman who became the first official 2020 presidential candidate last month is planning on making a significant early investment in the lead-off caucus state. That begins with placing staffers as soon as next month, with the hope of having an office up and running in Iowa by the end of September. Delaney himself plans on traveling to Iowa once or twice a month between now and January of 2019, at which point he’ll do a large kick-off after the midterms. Rather than forming an […]

Senate Vote On E15 Could Be Early Test For 2020 Democrats In Iowa

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An upcoming vote on a little-known EPA rule on E15 ethanol could pose an early first test for potential presidential candidates looking to come through Iowa. The U.S. Senate’s Environmental and Public Works committee will soon consider the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, which allows E15 fuel to be sold during the summer months. Renewable fuel advocates see it as a key priority for expanding ethanol usage. Currently, you can only sell E15 for eight and a half months out of the year. The issue has to do with Reid vapor pressure restrictions, which sees fuel evaporation rates climb […]

Bernie Sanders’ Progressive Movement Lives On, Grows In Iowa

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You could have mistaken the packed hall of Citizens for Community Improvement’s annual gathering yesterday for one of the larger Bernie Sanders rallies during the 2016 Iowa Caucus. Or you might have thought it was the Democratic Party’s state convention (it was held in the same room) – except this might have had more people. Well over 1,000 progressive activists filled the chairs for Bernie Sanders’ afternoon keynote address, but it was nearly just as crowded for the early morning issue advocacy training sessions. Saturday’s event highlighted the exponential growth that progressive advocacy groups like CCI have seen since the […]

In Iowa, Amy Klobuchar (Politely) Critiques Democrats’ Past Strategy

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Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar’s appearance last night at the Polk County Democrats’ Spring Dinner had all the hallmarks of a pre-Iowa Caucus event. She offered up many Iowa anecdotes and connections she has to the lead-off state, laid out a national vision for the party and explained a four-point policy approach in a nearly 40 minute speech. But even if she wasn’t rumored to have presidential aspirations, and even if this wasn’t Iowa, Klobuchar still gave a helpful addition to the Democratic Party’s continuing conversation on how to rebuild after the 2016 disaster. After a few hits on Donald Trump’s administration, she steered her […]

It Begins: Klobuchar, Sanders Schedule Iowa Events

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In the state where presidential politics never ends, two potential 2020 Democratic contenders have scheduled Iowa visits in the coming months. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar will speak at the Polk County Democrats Spring Dinner on May 7 in Des Moines. Senator Bernie Sanders plans on keynoting Citizens for Community Improvement’s annual convention on July 15, also in Des Moines. Neither are sure bets to run for president in 2020, but what they say during their visits could shed some light into how seriously they’re considering it. Klobuchar has often made road trips down to Iowa in past years, in particular to […]

Martin O’Malley Leads (Very) Early Poll For 2020 Iowa Caucus

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Martin O’Malley’s frequent trips back to Iowa since the 2016 Iowa Caucus seem to be keeping him in the minds of Iowa activists and likely caucus-goers. A new PPP Poll today showed that O’Malley garners the largest share of a host of potential 2020 presidential candidates. The poll was conducted for O’Malley’s O’Say Can You See PAC, and while it shows good news for the former Maryland governor, it also didn’t include two big possible names: Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Still, who runs in 2020 is a very open question, and Sanders and Warren’s support might not naturally flow to any of the […]

Martin O’Malley To Campaign With Monica Kurth In House Special

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Democratic Iowa House candidate Monica Kurth will get some GOTV assistance next weekend from former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley on January 28. The past Iowa Caucus contender plans on rallying local activists for the final stretch of Kurth’s special election, and he will also host another Eastern Iowa event still being set up. This is O’Malley’s second visit to Davenport for a special election in just over a month. He flew out in December to assist now-Senator Jim Lykam in his special election to replace Joe Seng, who passed away last September. When Lykam won that seat, his House seat […]

Martin O’Malley To Return To Iowa For Lykam Special Election Help

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A familiar face for Iowans will make one last appearance in the state before 2016 ends. Martin O’Malley plans on making a trip to Davenport on December 18 to lend a hand to Democrat Jim Lykam in the special election for the vacant state senate seat. This will be O’Malley’s seventh trip to Iowa since the Iowa Caucus. O’Malley traveled the country extensively in support of Hillary Clinton after it was clear she would be the nominee in mid-summer. He headlined many fundraisers and volunteer events for the Clinton campaign and legislative Democrats in Iowa during the summer and fall, including […]