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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...
To Cedar Rapid's George Ramsey III, running for Iowa’s 1st Congressional District is an extension of the service to country he pursued in his recently-ended military career. Ramsey spent 31 years in military service before retiring in 2016, and for much of this summer...
The elections for school board in Iowa are fast approaching, the first big round of races that are seeing new leaders step up in the wake of the 2016 outcome. One candidate that’s drawing a lot of attention in Central Iowa is Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley, who was...
President Trump has nominated the right-wing radio host, Sam Clovis as the top scientist at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Clovis, who is from Sioux City, served as Trump’s co-chairman and adviser on agricultural issues. He's a former college...
It's been a busy couple of days for Iowa campaigns. Here's a quick look at many of the new developments. Tyler Olson Is Back On The Ballot Former state representative and 2014 gubernatorial candidate Tyler Olson is running for an at-large Cedar Rapids City Council...
President Trump was perverting history in his defense of Confederate monuments. In his rambling comparison of neo-Nazi groups and the opposition protestors, he twisted history. He claimed in numerous tweets that by defending these monuments he was defending history. ...
“I’m a different kind of Democrat,” Maryland Congressman John Delaney gladly admitted to Iowa Democrats on his inaugural trip to the caucus kick-off state this past week. The former co-founder of two successful banking firms, Delaney is also looking to run a different...
Yesterday Simon Conway of I Heart Radio’s WHO AM 1040 irresponsibly posted screenshots from an Indivisible closed Facebook group. The post contained member names and profile pictures and had to be edited to contain the disclaimer, “UPDATE: Any threats of violence...
State Representative Todd Prichard withdrew from the Democratic primary for Iowa Governor today, his campaign announced. Prichard was one of the first candidates to form an exploratory committee back in March. He will instead run for reelection to his Charles...
Democratic activists from across Northern Iowa and beyond gathered in Clear Lake Friday night to hear Democratic candidates and leaders speak… and speak… and speak some more. 22 candidates, elected officials and leaders in all took the stage to address the crowd of...
Republicans ranging from U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to Iowa Senators like Brad Zaun have targeted public education as enemy number one. The national Republican agenda is to starve public education of funding, weaken public education unions, destroy...
