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It's different this time. That must have been the thought going through Hillary Clinton's mind as her campaign van crossed the border into Iowa days after her official announcement in April. It was a fun, impromptu-like start to her second presidential run, the idea...
Former Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack has thrown her support behind Monica Vernon for the 1st District Democratic primary today, as have two new labor unions in the last week. It's a few more additions to the long list of public endorsements Vernon has received, who...
If you're looking for a prescription to combat the ills of climate change, climb on up to the top of John Forbes' pharmacy in Urbandale to see the 90 solar panels he's installed to power his business. Once it comes online next week, the panels should power 80% to 85%...
After five days on the road with the top three Democratic presidential candidates, I'm back at home decompressing and sorting through all the interesting tidbits that didn't make it into my main posts. Here's some good odds and ends of what I saw out at eight Sanders...
Bernie Sanders may not be appearing at any Labor Day events in Iowa today like Hillary Clinton and Martin O'Malley are, but his presence will certainly be felt after winning over many union members with a campaign stop three days ago. At an informational picketing...
The sun had begun to drop behind a picturesque Iowa cornfield as Bernie Sanders took to the stage at a rally in Burlington on Thursday. By the time he was finished, it was pitch black outside. His voice turned scratchy by the end of the day, and his Brooklyn accent...
Like a swarm of minimum wage-raising locusts, Democratic candidates will barnstorm Iowa cities over the next five days, hitting many Labor Day-related events. Bernie Sanders is first up with a two-day swing through mostly eastern and southeastern Iowa. Martin O'Malley...
The United States loves to view itself as a world leader and pioneer in human rights issues. In reality, we are one of only three countries that do not provide some type of paid maternity leave, an issue that presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has made a...
The race to be the Democrat to beat Rod Blum has taken quite a few twists and turns this summer. Ravi Patel is out; Pat Murphy is in. While Chet Culver remains the 800-pound gorilla in the room that people are waiting on for the 3rd District race, Pat Murphy was more...
Nearly a month after Governor Terry Branstad issued his controversial vetoes, the reviews are in and they're unanimous: Iowans are pissed off. The vetoes that eliminated $56 million for K-12 education, effectively closed two mental health facilities, and wiped out...
For Iowa Democrats still coming down from the exciting high of the Hall of Fame Dinner in Cedar Rapids this Friday, good news: you've got two more fun events to go to in August. Coming up on August 14th will be the Wing Ding Dinner in Clear Lake. Then two weeks later,...
No need to bury the lede here: Hillary Clinton didn't win the Iowa Caucus with just one speech, but she came damn well close on Friday night. Her feisty, passionate barrage of policy issues, one-liners and hits on Republican candidates stood out amongst the crowd on...
In a clear sign we've entered a new era in Iowa campaigns, Starting Line hears that the Martin O'Malley-backing Super PAC, Generation Forward, is planning to go all-in for the Iowa Caucus by hiring and running a large field team separate from the official campaign....
Christmas in July is a popular contradiction; have a Christmas party while the temperatures are soaring and lemonade is the beverage of choice. It is an ironic celebration because, as Bing Crosby told us, Christmas should be white, and in July, everything is green. In...
Determined to not be out-organized in the Iowa Caucus again, Hillary Clinton's Iowa campaign has been hard at work for months, constructing an impressive statewide grass-roots organization in every county. Those efforts are showing results as the Clinton campaign has...
Every Iowa Caucus season brings in the big names running for president, but it also attracts a lot of issue-based groups who organize for the caucus as well. One of the most visibly active this cycle has been NextGen Climate, which is ramping up in Iowa this summer....
State Senator Rob Hogg of Cedar Rapids made a big step toward challenging Senator Chuck Grassley in 2016 today, forming an exploratory committee to look into a potential run. Hogg had been widely expected by many within the party to be considering a U.S. Senate...
Since taking over the reigns of the Republican Party of Iowa in 2014, Jeff Kaufmann has impressed Republican insiders and frustrated Democrats' electoral efforts. He took over a state party driven to near-bankruptcy and dysfunction by Ron Paul supporters and willed it...
In another sign that Democratic leaders are closing ranks behind Monica Vernon in Iowa's 1st Congressional District, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has endorsed Vernon's campaign. "Monica Vernon knows what it means to be a working mom," Gillibrand said in a...
Too early to talk about 2018? Never! Certainly not on Starting Line, anyway. Seriously though, forget the 2016 presidential election or the close races in the 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts. Nothing will have a bigger impact on Iowa's future than who wins the...
Don Avenson once told me, “The next election won’t be much different from when I was speaker. Democrats will win the urban seats. Republicans will win the suburban seats. A majority will be made in the rural seats.” There is still some truth to this but we are seeing...
After a year of delays, the EPA finally released its new proposal on the Renewable Fuel Standard, governing how much ethanol is blended into the country's fuel supply. The decision angered many. The EPA proposed setting the amount of renewable fuels to blend at 17.4...
While the Iowa Legislature continues to struggle to find consensus on school funding, some state representatives seem fixated on other issues. Starting Line obtained from a number of sources an email that Republican Representative Greg Heartsill sent to what appears...
In April State Representative Ken Rizer visited Waypoint Services, a Cedar Rapids shelter that helps women suffering from domestic violence and other crisis situations. Just a few weeks later, he voted for a budget that slashed funding for the very services the women...
These days, pretty much everyone is talking about pot – except for national Democrats. And that might be a mistake on their part, because discussing marijuana legalization could be the way into the hearts of millennial voters. A PEW Researcher poll from April 2015...
As the race for the White House begins to heat up on the Democratic side, politically-engaged Iowans' phones will soon start ringing with calls from potential presidential candidates. Which people are contacted and swayed will go a long way in determining how well...
Ted Cruz took his post-announcement tour to Iowa this week, hitting Sioux City, Dubuque, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids and Des Moines during Wednesday and Thursday. Starting Line followed the Senator for the last of those three events. Here's what I took away from it: 1....
1. Iowans Insist on One-on-One Time with the Candidates - Nearly a quarter of a million people turned out for the 2008 Democratic Caucus, when Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards faced off. Every single one of them did not shake hands with or personally...
While the race for the Iowa's Democratic-leaning 1st Congressional District has captured headlines and excitement recently, the race for the 3rd District has been a quieter affair. That won't last for long, as multiple Democrats are considering a challenge to freshman...
Iowa Democratic activists hungry for a caucus conversation got a full serving of progressive populism from Martin O'Malley during his two-day Iowa swing this week. The former Maryland Governor and Baltimore Mayor railed against Wall Street greed and income inequality...
