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As the old Iowa Caucus saying goes, once the Pumpkin Spice Lattes go on sale, it's decision time for Iowans. Or, wait, is the traditional dividing line Labor Day? Well, anyway, the point is that we've clearly moved into a new, more serious phase of the presidential...
As the Democratic primary shifts into high gear for the final months before the early states start voting, we can expect candidates to draw sharper contrasts with one another and some attack ads to start airing. Just don't be surprised if you don't see much of that...
The first Democrat running to win back Senate District 44 in the Iowa Legislature announced his candidacy today in front of friends and family gathered at his Burlington farm. Rex Troute, a retired newspaperman from Burlington, is a first-time candidate for elected...
Democrat Ross Wilburn scored a crushing victory in today's special election for the Ames-based House District 46. It helped, of course, that he ran unopposed. After taking 97.4% of the vote tonight, Wilburn will join the Iowa House for next year's legislative session,...
The first gathering of presidential candidates to talk specifically about issues important to Native Americans will take place next month in an Iowa city well-versed in the concerns of tribal nations. The Frank LaMere Presidential Candidate Forum is a...
Several days after a New Yorker story revisited Al Franken's departure from the Senate, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand ripped into the Democratic Party at large in Iowa over its handling of sexual assault and harassment. Gillibrand told a group of women gathered for a...
Republican Bobby Schilling launched his candidacy for Iowa's 2nd Congressional District this week with a message of "fighting for Iowa values." Schilling, 55, now has a home in Le Claire, but previously lived in Rock Island, Illinois, and represented that state's 17th...
Former Illinois Congressman Bobby Schilling is running for office again, this time in Iowa's 2nd District. Schilling, a Republican who served one term in west-central Illinois' 17th District, was defeated in 2012 and again in 2014 by Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos, who...
Rita Hart, a Democratic candidate for Congress in Iowa's 2nd District, already has broken a fundraising record in her bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. According to Hart's campaign, she raised more than $278,000 in her first six weeks as a...
Shortly after becoming sexually active, Alexandra Rucinski got pregnant. She was 22 years old and had only been taught about abstinence because of her conservative, Mormon upbringing. “There was no conversation other than abstinence, which didn’t protect me at all,”...
Democrats have their nominee for the August 6 special election: Ross Wilburn. The former mayor of Iowa City, Wilburn was selected by Story County Democrats at a special nominating convention this morning to run in the Ames-based House District 46 seat that Lisa...
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...
Newman Abuissa has never run for a political position before, other than lobbying fellow Democrats to serve as a convention delegate during the 2004 presidential election. But a lack of political chops is part of the appeal of his unconventional candidacy to represent...
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 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...
During most of my career at the Des Moines Register, all purchases for the news staff and all expense reimbursement claims went through the newsroom’s business manager. Through the years, there was turnover in the job. But two people held the job for much of that...
California Senator Kamala Harris made her big Iowa debut this week, barnstorming Central and Eastern Iowa over two days to boost Democratic candidates up and down the ticket. Among those candidates getting some help were Cindy Axne, Amber Gustafson and Heather Matson,...
Iowans have started voting as we head into the final weeks of the 2018 election, and campaign staff and volunteer work is paying off in many important legislative swing districts. A look at the early vote data shows high percentages of registered Democrats requesting...
The steady march of White House hopefuls visiting Iowa for the State Fair this past week and a half has finally ended. They got their corn dogs, made their speeches, did a few press hits and chatted with activists. But how many made a lasting impact on their chances...
Will voters be eager to support "the exact opposite of Trump," as Jeff Merkley describes himself, for president in 2020? That's the sentiment the senator from Oregon hopes he finds among Iowans as he makes some early trips out to the lead-off caucus state and...
Primary contests for open, safe legislative seats for either party often draw multiple candidates and generate serious competition. Such is certainly the case for Democrats in Senate District 37, where fundraising and spending may set a record for a legislative...
So, there was a bit of news that happened in Iowa politics this week. The Des Moines Register story on Nate Boulton and his subsequent withdrawal from the race dominated headlines for most of the week. It shook up a still-fluid primary with less than two weeks to go...
Democratic primary voters finally saw a new side to the six-candidate field for governor in last night's IPTV debate. Tough questions from the moderators and various attacks from individual candidates (all aimed at Fred Hubbell) put the candidates on their toes and...
What the fuck was that? The six Democratic candidates vying for their party's gubernatorial nomination faced off this evening in Davenport for their first "debate." Well, we were told this would be a debate, anyway. I put that word in quotations because tonight's...
With just three and a half weeks remaining in the Democratic primary, the candidates are criss-crossing the state and blanketing the airwaves and mailboxes with ads. They're also rolling out endorsements from late-deciding leaders to project momentum. Here's a look at...
If you've been listening to Cardi B's new album on repeat since it came out, there's a decent chance you're voting for Nate Boulton in the Democratic primary. But if you end your evening relaxing with a nice glass of wine and listening to some Chopin, it's more likely...
Iowans can start voting as of today for the June 5 primary. Many Democratic campaigns took the opportunity to bring out their supporters to a county auditor's office early today and get their first votes in the bank. Secretary of State candidate Deidre DeJear is...
I have spent 50 years as a journalist asking questions, listening to the responses, and closely observing the people and events around me. Somewhere along the way, my observational skills must have failed me. Apparently, I have missed a lot. Otherwise, I would have...
The candidates are on the ballot, the TV ads have been running for half a year and the final two months of the Democratic primary approaches. One major outstanding question remains: will anyone choose a lieutenant governor running mate before the June 5 primary? And...
Guest post from Matt Chapman Caucus night in Dallas County was windy and the snow felt like being hit by a sandblaster. Almost six inches fell on Super Bowl Sunday the night before, but Democrats in Waukee still showed up for the caucus and we did our party business....
