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Des Moines coach and businessman Eddie Mauro is launching his run for the U.S. Senate today, aiming to be Democrats' nominee to take on Senator Joni Ernst next November. Mauro's been traveling the state for several months in advance of a possible candidacy, building...
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...
In a May 5th guest article in the Des Moines Register, Senator Joni Ernst blamed the Army Corps of Engineers for lack of timely warning prior to the epic Missouri River flooding. She claimed we need better communication and warning about potential flood risk. Ernst’s...
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...
Certain issues reach a political tipping point when timing, events or actions captures the public’s attention. One of the reasons that action on climate has skyrocketed to the top of the Democrats’ priority list is the actions of the world's youth. In March, over one...
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...
The First Amendment isn’t long, but it certainly packs a lot of angst into those few words: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press or the right...
Hawaiian Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard made her fourth visit to Iowa this weekend, focusing her remarks at a Des Moines town hall primarily on veterans' issues and the cost of war. Gabbard, who served two tours in the Middle East, has a personal perspective on the...
A guest post from Kirsten Anderson on her choice in the Iowa Caucus. Bravery plays a huge role in my life. Bravery got me through tough personal, private, and public moments. Bravery has helped show me how to be strong for my family and pushed me to question people in...
Cracking the rural code by finding a successful message is essential to Democrats’ future elections. It’s not only critical in Iowa, but in much of the so-called red flyover country of the heartland. Iowa Democrats understand that they can’t win majorities in the...
The second public legislative endorsement of the Iowa Caucus goes to the same candidate who received the first: Senator Cory Booker. State Representative Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights made her choice of Booker known today in a short video message. "Cory is...
Iowa is heaven on earth for political junkies, especially so for the Democratic activists who are closely following this year's historically large field of candidates. But if you live outside our great state, do you ever watch the TV clips of presidential contenders...
Places like Iowa Falls feel a long way away from the national discussion on the Democratic primary. An Iowa town of 5,000 people, it's a long drive away from any county that even used to vote regularly for Democrats, and the kind of place where Fox News is the default...
Do you recall all the Republican promises about protecting Iowa Public Employee Retirement System (IPERS) during the Hubbell/Reynolds campaign in 2018? Democrats warned repeatedly that Reynolds and the Republican legislators couldn’t be trusted. Nevertheless, Reynolds...
As presidential candidates fan out across Iowa to woo caucus-goers, their campaigns are staffing up to build the organizing infrastructure to bring home a win on caucus night. Here's a quick roundup of some of the most recent top staff hires for the Iowa campaigns....
Guest post from Tiffany Welch of the Save The Children Action Network organization. My husband and I moved to Iowa from the West Coast in April, 2007. Moving to Iowa was a wonderful decision for many reasons, and I have especially loved participating in Iowa...
Congressman Dave Loebsack will retire after his current term comes to an end, reported the Quad Cities Times this afternoon. He has served in Congress since his 2006 election when he won in a surprise upset, and was Democrats' lone federally-elected member from Iowa...
Senator Kamala Harris is running for president, but an event of hers in Des Moines yesterday was focused on other candidates - women running or thinking of running for local offices. She spoke with a group of about 125 women at an Emerge Iowa house party, where she...
Above photo via Joe Crimmings. Presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke is well-known for his energetic, non-stop campaigning style, and that was certainly on display during his ambitious Polk County schedule on Saturday. He held six house parties, spread out across the...
Iowa and the Upper Midwest have suffered unprecedented flooding on the Missouri River. It is of historical proportions exceeding the previous 1952 record by 51% and smashing a 67-year-old record. The latest cost estimates have spiked to over $2 billion dollars, and...
I conducted a fun little experiment yesterday. After noticing many people expressing frustration on political Twitter that Elizabeth Warren wasn't getting enough media coverage for her policy ideas, I wondered, are those same people sharing her policy proposals...
When members of the Iowa Legislature show up at coffee shops in their districts on weekends, you won’t hear them talking about not trusting local government officials. But that is at the heart of a bill that would turn city and county government topsy-turvy and place...
The Iowa House Democrats have hired Emily Waggoner as their new caucus director for the 2020 campaign cycle. She'll be tasked with running the political operation to pick up at least five House seats to retake the majority for Democrats. “We’re excited to ramp up our...
A sponsored guest piece from Marianne Williamson's campaign. Presidential candidate and best-selling author Marianne Williamson will return to Iowa for five days of campaign events over the next two weeks. These will be her third and fourth visits to the state since...
Back during Elaine Baxter’s childhood, party loyalty was a simple matter. “When I was growing up, it would be unthinkable if you worked in a factory and were a Republican,” Baxter explained to Starting Line last week. “The two didn’t go together.” Now 86, Baxter, who...
Iowa Democrats owe a debt of gratitude to the Asian and Latino Coalition, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) of Iowa, and Iowa State University student Taylor Blair for continuing their fight to overturn the Republicans’ 2017 voter suppression ID law. In...
Progress Iowa released their ranking of Iowa Republicans' Extreme 16 contest for the year, highlighting which elected officials have had the worst impact on Iowans. Following the Progress Iowa press release, Representative Bobby Kaufmann (R-Wilton) responded to his...
Senator Bernie Sanders continues to build out his Iowa Caucus team, one that will likely end up as one of the largest of the 2020 field. The campaign tells Starting Line that they have hired Michael Fasullo to serve as their Iowa field director and Tony Anthony as the...
A Public Policy Polling survey shows former Vice President Joe Biden with a nearly two-to-one lead over his nearest competitor, Senator Bernie Sanders, in a new poll of likely Iowa Caucus-goers. Biden, who is expected to soon enter the presidential race, starts with...
The altar at the First United Methodist Church in Cedar Falls was decorated with bouquets of beautiful flowers last week. Dozens of people gathered there to celebrate the life of a wonderful woman at the conclusion of her 84 years on this Earth. Those blossoms offered...
