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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi Friday visited Des Moines this weekend to talk about the state of U.S. politics, what she's working on as Speaker and, of course, Donald Trump. Understandably, there was a healthy amount of time set aside early for Pelosi to talk...
Affordable housing advocates are making a case for municipal support to generally receptive local officials as a projected workforce housing crisis approaches Polk County. A newly released workforce housing study found Polk County will need to add 57,170 new housing...
If there's one thing we've learned from watching this year's new Democratic House majority, it's that Speaker Nancy Pelosi can really get under President Donald Trump's skin. A lot. Powerful women seem to have that affect on him. And Pelosi, today in Iowa, seemed to...
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard's bizarre week in American politics continued Thursday night, when she skipped an appearance at LULAC's Latino town hall in Des Moines, appearing that evening instead on Sean Hannity's Fox News show. There, she criticized House Democrats'...
Several mayoral candidates with extensive, but different backgrounds dealing with Des Moines’ rising shortage of affordable housing have proposed varied approaches to solve the issue ahead of Nov. 5 elections. Incumbent Mayor Frank Cownie, who has led the city through...
Michael Bennet, the Colorado senator and Democratic presidential candidate, now has a group of Polk County residents dedicated to spreading his message in the key Iowa county. The Polk County steering committee will "offer strategic guidance and lead outreach and...
While Democrats were debating health care plans all this year, a less-noticed storyline was playing out on Iowa TV screens. Conservative organizations were dumping millions on ads opposing Medicare for All or even a public option here. While those messages were aimed...
A diverse group of progressive candidates from across Iowa are seeking spots on city councils and school boards this year. At least one wants to make history. If 20-year-old Rachel Junck in Ames is elected, she will be the youngest woman elected to any office in Iowa....
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren spoke about Washington corruption and fielded questions about topics like climate change during a Sunday campaign event in Indianola, Iowa today before finally addressing recent attacks on her plan to pay for ‘Medicare for All’...
We pulled away from downtown Des Moines at 7:45 a.m., heading to our first stop of the day, a town hall in Tama, Iowa. I needed some caffeine, and was praying Rob Sand did, too. Before we even got out of the city, we pulled up at a red light next to a QuikTrip. "Let's...
Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst was criticized Wednesday by an unlikely source — a famous singer-turned-Social Security advocate. Jon "Bowser" Bauman, a member of the 1970's-era band "Sha Na Na," now is a senior advisor to Social Security Works, a national organization working...
Elizabeth Warren will return to Iowa later this weekend to a new raft of prominent endorsers, including former Lt. Governor Sally Pederson. Twenty-four leaders from across Iowa announced their support for Warren today, adding to her growing list of endorsements in the...
The third and final reading of the new, controversial Des Moines zoning code was approved Wednesday by the Des Moines City Council while a few focus surrounding a potential housing project surfaced Monday at a Council meeting. The code, which sparked debate over...
As we inch closer to the end of 2019, campaigns for the U.S. House and Senate are coming into focus. Since Starting Line last reported on fundraising numbers, more candidates were added to the races against Sen. Joni Ernst and Congressman Steve King, and for an open...
Team Starting Line fanned out to multiple debate watch parties tonight in Des Moines, tasked with gathering voters' reactions to the 12-candidate event. The three-hour debate featured the largest field of presidential candidates on one debate stage ever. Take a look...
In the middle of the night, at a gas station in rural Iowa, an employee recognized a little-known presidential candidate approaching the cash register. "You're Bennet," the woman said. The "Bennet" she recognized was Michael Bennet, a U.S. senator from Colorado and...
Des Moines businessman Eddie Mauro is certainly serious about defeating Sen. Joni Ernst. New FEC campaign finance reports out today show that Mauro has invested another $1 million of his own money into his Senate campaign during the 3rd quarter of the year. That's on...
Josh Cook subs as host for an interview with Congresswoman Deb Haaland from New Mexico, one of the first Native American Congresswomen elected along with Representative Sharice Davids of Kansas, about her trip to Iowa campaigning for Sen. Elizabeth Warren....
Sunday’s United Food and Commercial Workers forum in Altoona was supposed to be focused on labor issues. In the hall, with several hundred labor union members seated in the audience, it was. Outside, not so much. Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, who’s had a tough time...
Fifty-three years ago, I was a high school kid in southern Iowa who knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life: I wanted to be a journalist. The first step on that journey occurred when I walked into the offices of the Bloomfield Democrat and introduced myself...
Guest piece from Des Moines School Board Member Dionna Langford. Students and families are under huge pressure today, in Des Moines and across the country. Wages are not keeping up with the costs of basic everyday needs — housing, childcare, health care,...
Affordable housing lies in the underpinnings of Cory Booker’s presidential run. The 2020 candidate’s campaign said the issue is integral to his purpose as a public servant. A housing rights attorney before running for public office, the New Jersey senator’s stump...
I'm supporting Chelsea Chism-Vargas for Des Moines City Council, and the reason why is a lot different than my usual line of thinking. In the past, I’ve been perfectly candid about my disappointment with several elected officials in the Des Moines area, including my...
Presidential candidate Michael Bennet today joined the slate of 2020 democratic hopefuls with detailed housing plans. The Colorado Senator’s plan looks to build more affordable housing near good jobs, help middle-class families rent or purchase a home and reform...
Kamala Harris returned to Iowa this week on a mission: rejuvenate a stalled campaign. The lead-off caucus state is a natural place to stage a comeback, though her new rally playlist specifically directs you to "don't call it a comeback" via a LL Cool J song. As Harris...
AFSCME’s public sector union workers will cast their votes for the third year in a row next week to recertify their unions. This year’s voting cycle runs from 8 a.m. Oct. 15 through 9 a.m. Oct. 29. Iowa’s public sector union workers have been forced to recertify...
We have a new Speaker of the Iowa House for the 2020 legislative session: Pat Grassley. The grandson of Senator Chuck Grassley secured his party's support for the top job in the House this morning. House Republicans gathered at the Statehouse around 10:00 a.m. to vote...
When introducing herself to voters at a Fort Madison sandwich shop, Theresa Greenfield didn't just highlight her youth on a farm in Minnesota or her successful professional career. Greenfield got personal, telling the small group about the day, at 24 years old, she...
Today in Templeton, Iowa, Senator Joni Ernst provided a moment that you'll likely see over and over again on television ads next fall. "Yes, I did vote to repeal the ACA," Ernst said, when asked by a constituent with a pre-existing condition, to explain her health...
While most candidates were consumed with end-of-quarter fundraising in September, U.S. Senate candidate Kimberly Graham volunteered her time to help a young asylum seeker prepare for his immigration hearing. Graham, a children's rights attorney from Indianola, spent...
