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Governor Kim Reynolds laid out her agenda for the 2018 legislative session this week, presenting a set of lofty goals that hit on topics that typically have bipartisan support. But as Joe Biden often said, "show me you budget and I'll show you your priorities." So,...
Kim Reynolds gave the most important speech of her young term as Iowa's first female governor, presenting the Condition of the State at the Capitol this morning. The Statehouse was packed with both supporters of the Republican governor and plenty of protesters and...
New year, new endorsements. Both Theresa Greenfield and Andy McGuire added some support to their respective campaigns for the 3rd Congressional District and governor today. Both Democrats face seven-way primaries to gain the party's nomination on June 5. AFSCME...
In one of Democrats' best hopes for flipping a Midwestern Republican congressional district, a leading Democratic challenger for Iowa's 1st District has raised over $300,000 in the 4th quarter reporting period. State Representative Abby Finkenauer's campaign informed...
State Senator Nate Boulton rallied a crowd of labor members, Democratic activists and students at a pre-session event last night in Des Moines. Speaking at an IBEW union hall, the gubernatorial candidate who gained statewide prominence for his leadership on last...
Did you email inbox nearly implode over the past week with constant fundraising pleas from every Iowa candidate you've ever heard of? You're not alone, as each campaign went all-out in the closing hours of the year, insisting that it was their most critical finance...
Organize, organize, organize. That's been the model of nearly every Democratic candidate waging an outsider run from the left for major office. If you don't have the connections or the positions to pull in enough money to go toe-to-toe with better-funded opponents on...
A new year is just around the corner. But instead of tipping a celebratory glass of champagne on New Year’s Eve, a big tumbler filed with Maalox seems more appropriate this time. For all of the optimism that usually accompanies a new year, the arrival of 2018 is being...
Few elections have ever held more longterm consequences for a state than the upcoming 2018 races in Iowa. A few of the issues at stake: the survival of public unions and Planned Parenthood, the existence of mental healthcare services, and the state's own political...
The 2018 election may still be a long ways off in a political climate that can change rapidly on a daily basis, but all the data points for a good Democratic year in Iowa are starting to stack up. A string of special elections for state legislative seats have...
There is one thing I know for sure, and that is the decline in the middle class earning power is a real, possibly the greatest, threat to our democracy. That slow but steady erosion has put the middle class looking for scape goats and it, in a negative way, affects...
Iowa Democrats had their biggest night of the year on Monday, both in terms of importance and size. Around 3,000 people turned out to see Alec Baldwin and the seven Democrats running for governor, an encouraging sign of excitement and resolve for the party hoping to...
It's the biggest night of the year for Iowa Democrats as activists and donors gather for the state party's annual Fall Gala event (formerly the JJ Dinner) in Des Moines. Alec Baldwin's booking for the event, combined with a hotly contested seven-way gubernatorial...
Former gubernatorial candidate Todd Prichard has made his pick for the office he sought earlier this year, reports Ed Tibbetts. The Charles City state representative announced today that he's endorsing Fred Hubbell in the Democratic primary for governor. “I’m...
Des Moines businessman Fred Hubbell has jumped out to an early lead in Iowa Democrats' gubernatorial primary, according to a poll of likely Democratic primary-goers Starting Line commissioned with 20/20 Insight this past week. The June 5 primary next year is still a...
Escalating violence at the Iowa Department of Corrections’ (DOC) facilities are endangering both correctional officers as well as offenders. Reynolds’ budget crisis is driving Iowa correctional facilities to pack offenders together, stretching prisons beyond maximum...
With the 3rd quarter financial filings all getting posted on Monday, Starting Line continues its series of reports on where the field stands in each Iowa congressional district. Up today: Iowa's 2nd District, where incumbent Democrat Dave Loebsack, the last elected...
Democrats face large primary fields for the 1st, 3rd and 4th congressional districts in Iowa, making it a little tough at times to figure out how things could shake out. But after months of candidate announcements, the races are starting to come into focus. At this...
State Representative Abby Finkenauer of Dubuque will be reporting a fundraising haul of $152,000 in the 3rd quarter reporting period next week, adding to her $156,000 total in the previous quarter. That brings her to over $300,000 raised in her 1st District campaign...
My wife, Toni, and I just returned from a trip that included a tour of a geothermal plant in Iceland. It is the third largest geothermal plant in the world that uses super hot water from deep wells to drive steam turbines. It is one of seven such facilities in Iceland...
Beset by nonstop stories about Iowa's worsening budget crisis, Governor Kim Reynolds has been looking for a way to change the discussion in local political news. So on Monday she took a page out of her favorite racist president's playbook and criticized the players...
Just about everyone who’s been involved in Iowa politics for more than a decade knows who John Norris is. But if you are a younger Democrat, a progressive who got inspired by Bernie Sanders’ campaign or just someone who became involved after the Vilsack years, you...
Around the Des Moines metro, over tallboys at Carl’s and coffee mugs at Scenic Route, in the hallways of East Village consulting firms and in nonprofit board rooms, the Democratic gubernatorial race is the talk of the town. Outside of there? Eh, not so much. It’s been...
State Representative Abby Finkenauer added another key group to her list of supporters in Democrats' 1st District primary this week. The Great Plains Laborers have endorsed Finkenauer, making them the seventh labor union to support her in her bid to take on Republican...
The biggest under-reported news event from the past two weeks involves a crime of gigantic proportions that directly affects about half of the people living in the United States. Of course, Melania Trump’s choice of footwear for a trip to hurricane-ravaged Texas a few...
School has been back in session across Iowa for college and high school students for a few weeks now. While Donald Trump is certainly a constant topic of discussion, important Iowa campaigns are well underway for governor, Congress, the Iowa Legislature and other...
Under a hot September sun, progressive activists, Democrats and issue advocates gathered this weekend for the third annual Progress Iowa Corn Feed. Three prominent out-of-state leaders keynoted the event: Center For American Progress president Neera Tanden, South Bend...
What’s the proper role for a school administration in public elections for their governing board, whether it be for a community college board of trustees or a school board? For publicly funded institutions, the law is pretty clear: neutrality. You wouldn’t think to...
President Donald Trump's decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program for children of immigrants roiled the national and Iowa political scene Tuesday. Children brought to the country by their parents who have lived most of their lives in America...
Back in the old days of Iowa Democratic politics (when the party won a lot more often), political power was typically concentrated among a few statewide elected officials. Party chairs were usually hand-picked by Tom Vilsack, Chet Culver or Tom Harkin, and the type of...
