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Despite a deluge of phone calls, emails and in-person meetings from concerned Iowans, Iowa Republican Congressmen Rod Blum, David Young and Steve King all voted in favor of the AHCA healthcare bill. The legislation that repealed many provisions of the ACA passed by...
It's official: State Senator Nate Boulton is running for Iowa Governor. Like, literally running. In an up-beat video that resembled a sports pep rally more than a typical campaign ad, Boulton showed off his marathon-running skills as he declared his candidacy. Asking...
Drawing heavily on her life experiences growing up in a working-class family, Dubuque State Representative Abby Finkenauer officially entered the 1st Congressional District race today. She's currently in her second term in the Iowa House, and at age 28, would become...
Time is running out in order to slow and reverse the warming of the earth. The catastrophic consequences associated with climate change are rapidly becoming more evident. It’s not too late but the world must act soon in order to prevent the worst of these...
Iowa Teamsters Local 238 has created an exciting new organizing group and are quickly reaching out statewide to partner with other progressive groups. In March they launched a Teamsters Community Action Network (TeamCAN), a 501(c)3 nonprofit which is separate from...
Recently, I have been in a public discussion with members of the Eastern Iowa press corps. Columnist Todd Dorman of the Cedar Rapids Gazette believes a Des Moines candidate for Governor is the wrong voice for Democrats. He defends his position by acknowledging...
Iowa’s Congressional delegation are on their Easter recess until April 21. This is an opportunity for you to demand answers on the Trump agenda. We know the activists that attended the first set of Town Halls were very effective. These activists changed public...
The Cook Political Report unveiled its new Partisan Voting Index scores for the nation's congressional seats, and it's all bad news for Iowa Democrats. Typically, Cook's ratings change little year-to-year, but the shifting voter loyalties resulting from Donald Trump's...
As Democrats look to their developing gubernatorial primary field, one new name would bring an experience as close as you can get to being a former governor: John Norris. Tom Vilsack's chief of staff for two years, few other Iowans have as long a resume in Iowa...
Iowans can be forgiven for not recognizing the dramatic change occurring in how our state operates. After all, no one stood up and announced officials were embarking on this change. But it is time for the people of Iowa speak up and make their views known about the...
I've watched as Donald Trump buzzed his helicopter directly over Hillary Clinton at the Iowa State Fair, then come back for a second pass. I've attended a Ben Carson event that turned a downtown bridge into a lavishly expensive family fun concert complete with Disney...
For a party that hasn't seen a major, non-presidential statewide victory in over a decade, Iowa Democrats are looking for a special kind of candidate in 2018: one that can win. Friends of State Representative Todd Prichard believe he could fill that role, and Prichard...
Martin O'Malley was in Iowa this weekend as the full effects of President Donald Trump's ban on travelers from Muslim countries rippled across the nation. He added a stop between his two campaign events for Iowa House Democrats to address the ban, standing outside the...
State Senator Liz Mathis has decided against running for governor, she announced at a meeting of the Northwest Des Moines Democrats tonight. Her decision ends months of speculation of whether the popular Eastern Iowa legislator would look to lead Democrats at the top...
The first early signs of an electoral backlash against Republicans' plans for 2017 started to show in Iowa and elsewhere today at rallies in support of the Affordable Care Act. Iowans worried about the future of their and their family's healthcare and lives turned out...
The Iowa Legislature convened this week for the 2017 session. Republicans now control both chambers in the Statehouse and the Governor's mansion, but Democrats aren't backing down from the fight. Senate Democratic Leader Rob Hogg gave the following speech on opening...
The Iowa Starting Line post of December 23 – “Many Important Topics Missing From IDP Chair Discussion” – prompted the following thoughts from this Chair candidate. Paragraphs from the original blog appear in italics, with my responses posted below. I don’t believe I...
Some people fear a vacuum of power post-election, but the wide-open race for IDP chair has generated some much-needed discussion over what has gone wrong with our party, and what we need to do differently. Rather than having a hand-picked chair, the uncertain coming...
I have reached the age where I don’t particularly enjoy being reminded I’m getting old. Another reminder came last week and hit close to home --- close to my childhood home. John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, died Thursday at age 95. He was the last...
In a radio interview this morning with Simon Conway on WMT Radio, Republican Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett announced he will not seek reelection for mayor. Instead he is taking a very serious look at challenging Kim Reynolds for Iowa Governor in 2018. Secretary of...
Guest Post from Christian Ucles I write this post in hopes that whoever plans to run for position as Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party heeds the call to not ignore one of the most loyal set of voters of the Democratic Party. People of Color (POC) stand to lose their...
A guest post from Kent Kroeger, who managed his brother Gary Kroeger's State House race in Cedar Falls/Waterloo “Winning campaigns is a thrilling experience, but losing campaigns crush your soul,” veteran Republican communications strategist, Michael McKinnon,...
The wide open race to serve as the next Iowa Democratic Party chair will be a crowded one, with six contenders officially in the race as of yesterday. Julie Stauch announced in a post on Facebook yesterday afternoon that she would seek the position, while Kurt Meyer...
For Democrats looking to rebuild in Iowa following our 2016 losses, two dates in 2017 loom large: September 12 and November 7. That's when Iowa's elections for school boards and municipal elected positions are to be held, respectively (there's also a October 10...
I know we just suffered a humbling defeat. However, as Democrats digest the ugly election results they should be celebrating the popular vote total. Even though Hillary Clinton lost the election based on the electoral college, she won the national popular vote total....
The final Iowa legislative finance reports came out Friday evening, and the spending indicates a shifting battlefield in the fight for control of the Iowa Senate and House. Both parties appear to have given up on several races that were previously considered...
Iowans take pride in our state’s reputation as an agricultural powerhouse that feeds hundreds of millions of people every year at home and around the globe. This time of the year, we marvel at the scenes of combines crisscrossing fields day and night bringing in...
The Republican Party of Iowa is playing a tricky game this year in how it promotes their candidates and how they criticize Democrats. Inside Polk County, Republican campaigns like Chris Hagenow's are promoting their support of balanced budgets and assistance to small...
Trump and Republicans are fanning Obamacare fears over rising health insurance rates of 25%. According to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, "thanks to financial assistance, most marketplace consumers this year will find plan options with premiums...
Advocates of addressing climate change may finally be reaching the political threshold that will force worldwide action. This year has seen the implementation of a number of critical actions, agreements and commitments that suggest we have passed a tipping point for...
