Elections
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Haley: ‘Don’t complain’ about general election if you don’t pick me
Nikki Haley tried a last-ditch appeal to Republican caucus voters during a campaign appearance in Cedar Rapids Thursday just before a blizzard warning went into effect across Iowa. The Republican candidate for President recently polled at around 20% of likely GOP caucusgoers in Iowa—a distant second place behind former President Donald Trump’s 54%, but ahead…
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Evangelical leaders predict huge caucus turnout, downplay endorsements
Iowa caucus candidates have racked up big-name endorsements—including a notable last-minute flip flop—but one evangelical leader said none of that will matter come Monday. “We think endorsements are overrated generally, but they’re particularly overrated in Iowa,” said Ralph Reed, the founder and chairman of the national Faith & Freedom Coalition and a senior advisor on…
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Surprise: Trump lies about gas prices while in Iowa
While unleashing a tirade of lies alongside threats to his political enemies during a nearly 90-minute speech in Coralville on Wednesday, former president Donald Trump told a particularly notable whopper about American gas prices. “Gasoline prices are now $5, $6, $7, and even 8 dollars a gallon,” Trump said. “By contrast, under the Trump leadership—my…
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Amid Trump/Reynolds feud, DeSantis says GOP doesn’t have to kiss Trump’s ring
During a Friday taping of “Iowa Press,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came to the defense of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds following another barrage of attacks against her by former president Donald Trump. Trump has been on the warpath against Reynolds since the summer and ramped up the hostilities after the Iowa governor formally endorsed DeSantis…
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Iowa Republican activist found guilty of voter fraud
A Sioux City Republican activist was found guilty of 52 charges of voter fraud by a 12-person federal jury on Tuesday. According to federal court documents, Kim Phuong Taylor, 49, of Sioux City concocted various election schemes in 2020 to get her husband, Jeremy Taylor, elected, including voting on ballots herself for members of Sioux…
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Iowa campaign board receives multiple threats related to city, school elections
Staff members for the nonpartisan Iowa board that oversees the integrity of political campaigns received numerous threats related to the city and school elections that took place earlier this month. During Thursday’s Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board meeting, executive director and legal counsel Zach Goodrich noted the uptick in anger at him and staff…
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Moms for Liberty’s far-right agenda rejected by voters
The “extremist” group Moms for Liberty backed more than 130 candidates during this election cycle, but an overwhelming majority lost their races as parents pushed back on the organization’s far-right agenda for public education.
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Iowans welcome news of Moms for Liberty school board defeats
Candidates backed by Moms for Liberty, an organization that has supported private school vouchers, anti-LGBTQ legislation, and book bans in Iowa, lost in school board races across the state Tuesday. Since its inception, Moms for Liberty has helped fuel national right-wing culture war attacks on public schools, teachers, and students in Iowa and elsewhere. The…
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Johnston School Board gains progressive edge as Moms For Liberty candidates flop
In a room packed with supporters, candidates, Johnston residents and plants, cheers rose up as Jason Arnold and Lya Williams won two of the four open seats on the Johnston School Board while incumbents Soneeta Mangra-Dutcher and Jennifer Chamberland retained their seats. The foursome, who worked together on the campaign trail, held a watch party…
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Cedar Rapids $220M school bond fails, 3 school board members hold on
Though the largest school bond in state history failed, three out of four sitting Cedar Rapids school board members kept their seats, with only the District 4 seat changing hands. Seven board members serve staggered four-year terms. Four of those (two at-large as well as the District 1 and District 4 seats) were open this…
