Iowa Caucus

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 first-of-its-kind event, “focused entirely on the concerns of Native Americans.” The two-day event will be held…

Pete Buttigieg unveiled a plan to end the systematic attack on labor and organized workers during his most recent trip to Iowa. His plan will allow undocumented workers to report labor violations without fear of repercussions, force companies to reveal their gender pay gap numbers and his administration will give contractual preference to companies who…

Instead of bedtime stories, Montana Governor Steve Bullock’s children used to fall asleep hearing the stories of the people he was about to represent as a union-side labor lawyer. In an interview with Iowa Starting Line earlier this month, Bullock spoke about his experiences representing organized workers. Bullock specifically mentioned one man who was a…

Studies have shown that bald men are perceived as more intelligent, mature and as more dominant leaders than their hair-laden counterparts. If that’s the case, then Cory Booker not only brought three charitable Iowans into his chrome dome club, he enhanced their social standing as well. Such was part of wild, amusing, day-long Iowa Caucus…

Retired admiral Joe Sestak’s presidential campaign announcement was noticed almost by accident. Explaining his entrance into the crowded field in a June 23 video on a campaign website few knew existed, word of the then-24th Democratic candidate slowly spread through political journalist Twitter. No major profile pieces, media roll-outs or cable news tours accompanied it.…

A guest post in support of Kamala Harris from Vanessa Phelan and Victor Dutchuk, two neighborhood Democratic leaders in Polk County. As the chairs of the Northwest Des Moines Democrats and the West Des Moines Democrats, we spend our free time on grassroots activism. We’re the volunteers you might spot holding a picnic with presidential…

A guest piece from Emma Harris, regional organizing director for Beto O’Rourke in Polk County. When someone asks me why I work for Beto O’Rourke, I end up talking about my dad. He was an officer in the Navy for over twenty years and was a lifelong, “common sense” Republican. We have never agreed on…

Two weekends ago, Cedar Rapids held its second major multi-presidential candidate in as many months. The national press swarmed the streets of Iowa’s second-largest city, over a thousand Democratic caucus-goers braved the overwhelming heat and candidates themselves tried out the vibrant NewBo culinary scene. That day, 11 candidates seeking the White House attended. A month…

At a town hall hosted by NARAL Pro-Choice America on Saturday, Julián Castro emphasized the importance of sex education and access to reproductive health care, which he said includes contraceptives. When asked by Starting Line, Castro said, “What I believe is that we need to make sure that we have sex education in our public…

Sen. Cory Booker’s campaign seems primed for a breakout. He was the most-googled candidate during night one of the first debates, after which he saw a big jump in fundraising. He’s also secured a ton of endorsements from Iowa legislators and activists across the state. And most Iowa politics watchers praise his campaign’s ground game…