You don’t win races you don’t run in. And because we’ve made getting involved such a slog, no one wants to run.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, hosts Zachary Oren Smith speaks with Blue Missouri’s Jess Piper about what happens when a party decides not to compete in our rural states.

In 2022, over 40% of legislative seats went uncontested. That dropped to just 18% in 2024. Competing isn’t winning, but Piper argues making the effort makes a difference.

Join the conversation with Amie Rivers and hear about a push to criminalize drag shows, the opacity of the state’s private school voucher program, and primary jockeying among Republicans for election years that haven’t begun.

Links:
1. Taking someone under 18 to a drag show would be a felony under Iowa House bill (Des Moines Register): https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/13/iowa-house-bill-would-make-it-a-felony-to-take-minors-to-lgbtq-drag-show/78523064007/

2. State agencies block Auditor Sand during review of private school voucher program (Iowa Starting Line): https://iowastartingline.com/2025/02/18/sand-education-school-voucher-audit/

3. Former Republican state representative to challenge Kim Reynolds for Iowa governor seat (Des Moines Register): https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/17/republican-brad-sherman-to-run-for-iowa-governor-against-incumbent-kim-reynolds-gop/78963619007/

Guest:
Jess Piper is the executive director of Blue Missouri and the host of Dirt Road Democrat podcast.

“I absolutely do not think that Lutheran Services (of Iowa) is a money laundering organization.”

Gov. Kim Reynolds took some heat last week after getting asked if she agreed with billionaire Elon Musk that Lutheran Family Services and its member organizations were laundering money. In a press conference, she blamed it on being taken out of context.

It took Raygun all of 24 hours to get this on up.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, hosts Zachary Oren Smith and Amie Rivers play back the tape. Also here about a glowing profile in the Des Moines Register of Speaker of the House Pat Grassley. As well as a rally held against a bill that would limit lawsuits over pesticide-related illness.

Finally, many listeners had followup questions about last week’s discussion of Trump’s lawsuit against the Iowa Poll. We get some real insight from a national expert in defamation.

Links:
1. Lutherans decry Reynolds’ ‘failure to defend’ Lutheran Services of Iowa (Iowa Starting Line): https://iowastartingline.com/2025/02/07/lutherans-decry-reynolds/

2. How Pat Grassley keeps the Iowa House's sprawling GOP majority united. It's not always easy (Des Moines Register): https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/10/pat-grassley-iowa-house-gop-majority-has-grown-heres-how/77493945007/

3. Iowa senators advance Bayer bill to limit lawsuits over pesticide-related illness (Iowa Public Radio): https://www.iowapublicradio.org/state-government-news/2025-02-06/iowa-senators-advance-bayer-bill-limit-cancer-pesticide-roundup-lawsuits

Guest:
Samantha Barbas is a legal historian and the author of Actual Malice: Civil Rights and Freedom of the Press in New York Times v. Sullivan. She is a professor of law and the Aliber Family Chair in Law at the University of Iowa College of Law.