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Senator Amy Klobuchar has a new collection of endorsements from the kind of Iowa Caucus activists that get things done. They come ahead of her weekend visit to the state, her tenth since announcing her campaign. The Klobuchar campaign announced six new notable Iowans...
A Cedar Rapids McDonald’s worker is featured in a new campaign ad for Bernie Sanders. In it, the senator encourages the fast food chain to set a $15/hour minimum wage and to negotiate with a union. “The fight at McDonald’s is a fight for millions of working-class...
Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer highlighted the stories of two Iowans this week who were scammed by a for-profit educational institution, in hopes of codifying legislation to relieve them of their student loan debt. Army veteran Jeff O'Brien of Cedar Rapids and Julie...
Marianne Williamson's loss is John Delaney's gain. Brent Roske, who was Williamson's state director until the beginning of last week, has joined Delaney's campaign as their new deputy Iowa state director, Delaney's campaign tells Starting Line. "I enjoyed my time with...
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock had most of Eastern Iowa to himself this Fourth of July as presidential candidates fanned out in cities around the state to meet Iowa voters. Bullock, one of 24 Democratic candidates running for president in 2020, began his day Thursday...
A guest post from Cedar Rapids City Councilmember Dale Todd These days, it seems like finger pointing has replaced solutions and results in Washington D.C. Democrats and Republicans are unable to agree on something as basic as the truth. We desperately need someone...
If you haven’t stopped thinking about Marianne Williamson’s debate promise to harness love to cast out Donald Trump, just know this: that moment was 100% pure, unadulterated Marianne, and yes, she is always in that mode. Iowans have gotten the full Marianne Williamson...
Listen and show up. For presidential candidates working to avoid a repeat of Democratic missteps in 2016, ensuring turnout rebounds among African-American voters is key. Listen and show up. Sounds easy, right? Even with three simple words, questions instantly come to...
Photo from Bernie Sanders in a march with striking McDonald's workers in Cedar Rapids three weeks ago. In a show of solidarity with labor, Bernie Sanders' Iowa campaign used their extensive email list to help rally union members in Southeast Iowa for a march this...
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is set to go up on the Iowa airwaves this week, according to a media buy schedule that Starting Line has seen. Her campaign is making a statewide ad buy worth around $42,000 from June 25 to June 30. Hers will be the second presidential...
Despite recent efforts to limit it, abortion is still legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks. However, the procedure isn’t easily accessible to all Iowans. Iowa has eight Planned Parenthood clinics, five of which provide abortion services. There are also a few other clinics...
Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer was back in her home district this Monday to introduce a new piece of legislation centered on helping health care providers cover the costs of serving Medicare recipients. At St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Finkenauer laid out the...
When it comes to reproductive rights and women’s health, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand from New York has staked out one of the strongest positions in the presidential field. Before she officially launched her candidacy in March, Gillibrand had already declared she was...
A guest post from Iowa State Representatives Jennifer Konfrst, Amy Nielsen, Mark Smith. For centuries, our nation has served as a beacon of hope to the rest of the world because of Americans rising above our differences and celebrating what we had in common — being...
In response to states across the country passing laws that restrict access to abortion, women's reproductive rights have become a key part of presidential candidates' platforms this year. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker recently released a comprehensive list of actions...
The Democratic field may still expand in the race to unseat Sen. Joni Ernst, but influential parts of national party leadership is quickly coalescing around one candidate. Theresa Greenfield, a small business owner from Des Moines, joined two other candidates in the...
Today's party gathering in Cedar Rapids was the largest crowd yet for an Iowa Caucus event, and 19 presidential candidates took the opportunity to impress the key activists who showed up. For many of the Iowans there, it was their first time hearing in-person from a...
Nineteen presidential candidates made their case to a ballroom packed full of the very Democratic activists who will help determine the next nominee of the party. Despite the lengthy program line-up, the day actually ran decently on-time, and most attendees stuck...
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders marched with a crowd of hundreds to the Iowa Hall of Fame event in Cedar Rapids Sunday afternoon with striking McDonald’s workers from Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. The workers were demanding the right to unionize so they can raise their...
Senator Amy Klobuchar landed her second Iowa endorsement just in time for her speech at the Iowa Hall of Fame Dinner in Cedar Rapids this Sunday afternoon. State Representative Marti Anderson announced her support for Klobuchar, citing the senator's experience in...
It's the most important weekend of the Iowa Caucus yet, with 19 candidates descending upon Cedar Rapids to speak at a major fundraiser that nearly every key Iowa Democratic activist is at. The Hall of Fame Celebration is officially about honoring party activists and...
John Delaney and John Hickenlooper both took an interesting approach to the California Democratic Convention last weekend, receiving boos from the room in response to their stances on Medicare for All and "socialism." Delaney and Hickenlooper are running on two of the...
Former Vice President Joe Biden is planning his second Iowa trip since announcing his candidacy for next week, touring blue-collar communities in Southeast and Eastern Iowa at the same time as President Donald Trump visits the state. The dueling Iowa appearances...
Senator Bernie Sanders is unveiling his first slate of key endorsements from Iowa progressive leaders today. Among them are some local elected officials and party leaders who were first mobilized to activism from Sanders' previous presidential run, including LULAC...
Photos clockwise from top-left: Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer (IA-01), former State Senator Rita Hart (IA-02), Congressman Steve King (IA-04), Congresswoman Cindy Axne (IA-03. Not only is Iowa ground zero for the dozens of Democratic presidential candidates competing...
Two weeks ago, Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer presided over the U.S. House chamber, sitting in the Speaker's chair as the chamber discussed and passed a major flood relief package. The bill was of particular importance to Iowa, which has seen crippling flooding in...
With a presidential field that now numbers 23, Democratic candidates need every tiny advantage they can find in Iowa to deliver them delegates on caucus night. For a lucky few contenders, they come to the state with a special connection in their pocket thanks to...
State Representative Ashley Hinson of Marion has filed official papers to make a run for Congress in Iowa's 1st District. The filing appeared online this morning, two days after Hinson posted about a four-day trip she recently made to Washington, D.C. A run by Hinson...
A nonstop parade of presidential candidates has visited the good people of Iowa nearly every day this year. Turn around any weekend in a major Iowa county and you're likely to bump into a White House hopeful. However, not every corner of the state has received the...
He's back. Embarking on his third attempt to win the presidency, former Vice President Joe Biden returned to Iowa this week for public events in Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Iowa City, and Des Moines. He enters the incredibly crowded 2020 Democratic primary as the clear...
