After the shellacking Democrats took in the 2010 and 2014 elections, one phrase is on the lips of many Iowa Caucus activists: "party building." How would their nominee strengthen the party infrastructure? How committed would they be to help down-ballot Democrats? What...

Philanthropist Donald Trump was in Iowa last Saturday, where he gave prepared remarks about America’s post-colonial experience in Southeast Asia, with specific emphasis on the role of naval forces and the impact of a particular soldier’s five year interaction with the...

"We need to campaign among Hispanic, black, Asian, and gay Americans and demonstrate we care about them, too." That's what RNC Chair Reince Priebus said back in 2013 after the party's second-in-a-row presidential election defeat. They determined their standing among...

I'll be honest: last week I had a different idea of how I was going to rank this. I planned on taking the bold step of putting Bernie Sanders at number one, making the argument that if the Iowa Caucus were to be held today, he'd win it. Despite the Clinton organizing...

No need to bury the lede here: Hillary Clinton didn't win the Iowa Caucus with just one speech, but she came damn well close on Friday night. Her feisty, passionate barrage of policy issues, one-liners and hits on Republican candidates stood out amongst the crowd on...

Since taking over the reigns of the Republican Party of Iowa in 2014, Jeff Kaufmann has impressed Republican insiders and frustrated Democrats' electoral efforts. He took over a state party driven to near-bankruptcy and dysfunction by Ron Paul supporters and willed it...

In a very surprising development for the 1st District Democratic primary, Ravi Patel has announced he is withdrawing from the race. Patel entered the campaign back in February after being seen as a rising star by some in the party who had encouraged him to run. The...

1st District Democrat Gary Kroeger has added an important name to his corner for his Congressional campaign. Timi Brown-Powers, the freshman State Representative from Waterloo, has endorsed Kroeger. Brown-Powers had previously backed Monica Vernon and often attended...

It's not every day you get Democrats Ed Fallon and Rob Hogg on the same side of an issue with Republicans Bobby Kaufmann and Greg Heartsill. But that's exactly where leaders from both sides of the aisle find themselves when it comes to opposing or restricting the...

Who do Democratic presidential hopefuls need on their side to win in Dallas County? We continue our profile of important Iowa counties. We previously covered Clinton County and Woodbury County. Main Cities: Waukee (largest), Adel (county seat) Population: 77,400 (10th...

Good morning readers! As always, a lot happened in the political world this week. Enjoy our Sunday Grab Bag of shorter takes on a number of Iowa and national political topics: Democrats and Allies Unite in Pink for Education The stalemate over education funding at the...

Former Virginia Senator Jim Webb displayed his military-like efficiency during an Iowa swing at the end of last week, marching through an impressive and diverse number of events throughout the state from Thursday through Sunday. Among other events, he met with...

As the race for the White House begins to heat up on the Democratic side, politically-engaged Iowans' phones will soon start ringing with calls from potential presidential candidates. Which people are contacted and swayed will go a long way in determining how well...

While the race for the Iowa's Democratic-leaning 1st Congressional District has captured headlines and excitement recently, the race for the 3rd District has been a quieter affair. That won't last for long, as multiple Democrats are considering a challenge to freshman...

Iowa Democratic activists hungry for a caucus conversation got a full serving of progressive populism from Martin O'Malley during his two-day Iowa swing this week. The former Maryland Governor and Baltimore Mayor railed against Wall Street greed and income inequality...

There's no green beer in sight at the Statehouse this evening, but Iowa House Republicans appear drunk on partisanship with their latest push to slash workers' collective bargaining rights. Republicans brought House File 549 to the full floor late Tuesday afternoon, a...

During the same weekend where Jeb Bush and Scott Walker were swamped by supporters and a large chunk of the national political press corp in New Hampshire, Carly Fiorina embarked on a lower-key swing through Iowa. The former Hewlett-Packard CEO and 2010 California...

Update 3/6: DesMoinesDem got a poll testing Hillary negatives on March 5th. Layout seemed similar to this one. Around 6:00 this evening I got a call from Mountain West Research that asked a wide array of questions on presidential candidates and policy messaging,...

Good morning readers! A lot happened in the political world this week in Iowa. Enjoy our Sunday Grab Bag of shorter takes on a number of Iowa-based topics: Marco Rubio Book Signing in West Des Moines Over the lunch hour on Friday, Florida Senator Marco Rubio stopped...

Which local activists do Democratic presidential campaigns need on their side to win Clinton County? Starting Line presents its first in a new series of in-depth looks into individual important counties around the state. Main City: Clinton Population: 49,116 (11th...

No campaign from Hillary Clinton until July? That's what a Politico report suggested late last week, setting off a fierce discussion among Democratic activists. Iowa Democrats, in particular, worried she may be taking her early lead for granted, and voiced concern...

If any clerks, pages or other young staff at the Iowa Legislature think they could benefit from a motivational life coach, they may want to pull up a chair next to new State Representative Timi Brown-Powers of Waterloo. The positive-thinking legislator loves...

At an age where many young people are still figuring out their direction in life, newly-elected State Representative Abby Finkenauer walks onto the floor of the Iowa House each day with a passion and purpose unlike many others. Elected from District 99 in Dubuque,...

Republican leaders and consultants were probably letting out sighs of annoyance on Tuesday night upon seeing Iowa Representative Steve King's newest offensive comment pop up on their Twitter feed. "#Obama perverts "prosecutorial discretion" by inviting a deportable to...

The midterms before the Iowa Caucus provide an excellent opportunity for potential presidential candidates to visit the First in the Nation state. Early trips to Iowa can connect candidates with grass-top activists, pique interest in local and national media, and...

Is the GOP Grooming Joni Ernst for the VP Nomination? Later tonight, recently sworn-in Senator Joni Ernst will grace television screens and live-streams nation-wide as she gives the official Republican rebuttal to President Obama's State of the Union. It's a heady...