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State Senator Nate Boulton landed his biggest endorsement yet this weekend at the AFSCME Council 61 state convention. The union that represents over 40,000 state workers voted to endorse Boulton, who rose to prominence early on this past legislative session by taking...
Get ready for a wild weekend in Iowa politics. One of the most progressive organizations in Iowa, Iowa Citizens For Community Improvement Action Fund (CCI Action Fund) has scheduled their annual convention, Revolution Iowa: From Protest to Power, for Saturday, July 15...
At a hot and sun-drenched campaign picnic in Urbandale at Living History Farms, John Norris drew a sizable crowd to his gubernatorial kick-off tour. With about 200 people in attendance, Norris' event was the largest yet of the Democratic Terrace Hill hopefuls, as well...
Longtime Iowa Democratic political staffer Troy Price announced this afternoon that he's running to be chair of the state party, which was vacated when Derek Eadon resigned late last month. The election for the position will be on July 22 at the IDP State Central...
This is the debate Democrats are continuing to have following the 2016 losses. As Democrats attempt to craft a winning message for 2018 and beyond, the internal debate within the Party is focused on how far left they should or must move the Party’s messaging. The...
State Representative Abby Finkenauer got a big boost in her quest to take on Republican Rod Blum in Iowa's 1st Congressional District today. EMILY's List, the major political advocacy group that helps elect pro-choice women, endorsed Finknauer today. “Abby’s record...
“Something Different.” That could easily be the slogan for Cathy Glasson’s campaign for governor in 2018, as she said at one point in an interview with Starting Line that “Iowans want to see something different.” She believes Iowans will find just that in her...
Trumps rejection of the Paris Climate Agreement isn’t based on the facts nor does his base need any facts to support his climate denial position. For Trump’s loyal base of supporters, facts are irrelevant because climate denial has become a proxy issue for the support...
Under a blazing hot sun yesterday, Senator Joni Ernst drove into her annual Roast And Ride fundraiser with Vice President Mike Pence at her side. Both were on motorcycles. But had just a few political calculations gone differently last year, it might have been Ernst...
Just a couple months ago, Iowa Democrats were wondering if we'd have more than one or two candidates in the race for governor in 2018. Now, about one year out from the primary, we're up to nine contenders who have either officially declared or have set up an...
Democrats have another contender for the 2018 gubernatorial nomination: Cathy Glasson. She kicked off an exploratory committee today with a video outlining what she calls a "bold, progressive" agenda for Iowa. An ICU nurse at the University of Iowa Hospitals for over...
President Trump’s bow to the Saudi Arabian King Salman is further evidence of Trump’s creepy attraction for some of the world’s worst dictators. In Trump’s recent Middle East trip, he celebrated with the Saudi Royal Family, one of the most repressive regimes in the...
It was quite a week last week with the buzz about impeachment. Relax. I’m not referring to President Donald Trump. I’m talking about the mayor of Muscatine. Diana Broderson was removed from office by a 7-0 vote of the city council on Thursday. The meeting lasted 3...
While the Donald Trump presidency disintegrates before the nation's eyes in non-stop breaking news stories, local politics marches on in Iowa. Let's do a quick round-up of recent news. Des Moines City Council The race for Des Moines City Council Ward 3 originally...
The Democratic gubernatorial primary campaign kicked off in Indianola, Iowa this past week when six of the candidates made their pitch to Democrats at Summerset Winery. Well, that’s what Representative Scott Ourth, who hosted them at his fundraiser, wanted his event...
Hi! My name is Dallas, nice to meet you! A couple weeks from now, I’ll be graduating with a degree in politics from Loras College and have little to no idea what my future looks like. The 2016 election results shocked me as an Iowa Democrat, and I’ve been incredibly...
Drawing heavily on her life experiences growing up in a working-class family, Dubuque State Representative Abby Finkenauer officially entered the 1st Congressional District race today. She's currently in her second term in the Iowa House, and at age 28, would become...
Nate Boulton is not the type of candidate that Iowa Democrats have usually put up for statewide office over the past few cycles. He does not have a famous last name. He has served in public office for just four months. At 37, he is the youngest member of the Senate...
The Iowa immigrant community is under great stress from the Trump Administration’s conflicting and contradictory statements on deportation. It’s not at all clear who is subject to deportation and how deep Homeland Security will reach into the community. Will they just...
Time is running out in order to slow and reverse the warming of the earth. The catastrophic consequences associated with climate change are rapidly becoming more evident. It’s not too late but the world must act soon in order to prevent the worst of these...
Iowa Teamsters Local 238 has created an exciting new organizing group and are quickly reaching out statewide to partner with other progressive groups. In March they launched a Teamsters Community Action Network (TeamCAN), a 501(c)3 nonprofit which is separate from...
In the state where presidential politics never ends, two potential 2020 Democratic contenders have scheduled Iowa visits in the coming months. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar will speak at the Polk County Democrats Spring Dinner on May 7 in Des Moines. Senator Bernie...
Democratic candidate Mike Sherzan is shutting down his recently-launched campaign for Iowa's 3rd Congressional District. Sherzan came in second place in Democrats' primary in 2016, and had hoped to use lessons learned from that bid to better-position himself for the...
Democrats' gubernatorial nominee for 2018 will not simply be the most important name on the ballot. He or she will also be the defacto leader of the party in a state that hasn't really had one since Tom Harkin's retirement in 2014. They have a very big task ahead of...
Iowa’s Congressional delegation are on their Easter recess until April 21. This is an opportunity for you to demand answers on the Trump agenda. We know the activists that attended the first set of Town Halls were very effective. These activists changed public...
The Democrats’ quest to retake Terrace Hill kicked off in Quasqueton this weekend, a tiny, picturesque town in Buchanan County. Local Democrats held a county party fundraiser that five gubernatorial hopefuls attended. The contenders chatted with Northeast Iowa...
Many of you may recognize this as former Senator Tom Harkin’s comparison of the two political parties. He often used this comic line as a simple and easy-to-understand description of the difference between Democrats and Republicans. “Just remember one thing,” Harkin...
Guest post from Matt Chapman on the workers compensation and minimum wage preemption bills that passed the Iowa Senate this week. At this point I don’t even see these as separate bills. They are all running together in a nightmare for the working class folks. No raise...
The People's Climate Movement is gaining momentum for what should be a landmark day of action on April 29, marking the 100th day of the Trump Presidency. The major event is in Washington, DC -- a march for climate, justice and jobs. Hundreds of related marches,...
Democrats and their grassroots supporters’ victory at blocking the Republicans’ Obamacare repeal provides a much-needed boost to morale. Since the election, national Republicans have been riding a wave of enthusiasm as they anticipated turning back the clock on...
