JOHNSTON – Iowa House Speaker Pat Murphy insists no “quid pro quo” exists between Democratic lawmakers and labor unions that agreed to concessions in order to balance the state budget.
Two unions representing state employees have recently agreed to workers taking five unpaid days off, which will protect union members [...]
DES MOINES – State Sen. Brad Zaun, a Republican from Urbandale, kicked off his campaign for Congress in Iowa’s 3rd District Thursday
Zaun, 47, highlighted his experience as a legislator, small business owner and former mayor in his announcement speech.
Zaun cited a growing national deficit as one of his [...]
DES MOINES – The manager of Gov. Chet Culver’s re-election campaign has left the position, saying it is for personal reasons.
Andrew Roos had been in the position since September and said his departure from the campaign is effective immediately.
“The break is totally friendly,” Roos said in an interview. [...]
DES MOINES – Vice President Joe Biden took on critics of the Obama administration in a forceful speech to Democratic activists in Des Moines Saturday.
Appearing at a fundraising dinner for Iowa Democratic Party, Biden pointed to the economic challenges he and President Obama faced when they were sworn into [...]
JOHNSTON – Congressman Bruce Braley called criticisms that the federal Cash for Clunkers program did not significantly affect the fuel-efficiency of vehicles on America’s roads “absurd.”
An analysis of data by the Associated Press found that the most common deals replaced old pickups with new ones that got only marginally [...]
JOHNSTON – Two Iowa casinos have agreed to fines for admitting people who should not have been allowed inside.
The Catfish Bend Casino in Burlington was fined $20,000 for admitting an underage female who played a slot machine and was served an alcoholic beverage. A security supervisor questioned her identification [...]
DES MOINES – Gov. Chet Culver and the union representing the largest group of Iowa’s state employees announced an agreement to save nearly 500 state jobs by imposing furloughs and benefit reductions.
The deal with the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Iowa Council 61 must still be [...]
DES MOINES – Des Moines lawyer and Democrat Roxanne Conlin officially filed papers today to run for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Chuck Grassley.
Conlin, 65, is a well-known Democratic activist who was the party’s nominee for governor in 1982. That year she became the first woman [...]
DES MOINES – Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty delivered a tough critique of the Obama administration and a Congress he said is dramatically off course in the keynote speech at an Iowa GOP fundraiser Saturday night.
As speculation builds that he will make a presidential bid in 2012, Pawlenty sought to [...]
JOHNSTON – U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin thinks the country should have a debate on whether the Medicare program providing health care to U.S. seniors ought to be expanded to cover children as well.
Harkin floated the idea with reporters after a taping Friday of Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press.”
“It’s [...]
DES MOINES – Days before coming to Iowa to headline a Republican Party fundraiser, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty was noncommittal about whether he would run for president but didn’t shut the door to a campaign.
In recent weeks, Pawlenty has launched the Freedom First PAC, fueling speculation that he is [...]
My Lee colleague Ed Tibbetts of the Quad-City Times has this dispatch from the southeastern part of the state –
A registered lobbyist at the Iowa Legislature has been arrested, accused of threatening to extort $1 million from the conservative Iowans for Tax Relief, authorities said today.
Mary Katheryn Moravek, 51, of [...]
DES MOINES – The White House’s drug czar said Monday that Iowa officials should look at the problems California has seen after allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes as they consider the idea here.
Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, specifically cited problems [...]
DES MOINES –Panelists at a forum at Drake University urged different state tax and spending policies to stave off the type of steep, mid-year budget cut state government is facing now.
A forum sponsored by IowaPolitics.com and Mediacom took an in depth-look at the state’s budget situation after Gov. Chet [...]
A recap of some of the budget savings plans Gov. Chet Culver unveiled at a news conference today:
State Employee Furloughs
3,258 – Number of state executive branch employees not represented by a union contract that will be forced to take unpaid furloughs.
7 – Number of days they will [...]
DES MOINES – An Iowa House panel will send a letter noting a violation by the Iowa Pharmacy Association for failing to file a timely report detailing its spending on a reception attended by lawmakers.
The Iowa House Ethics Committee’s action Wednesday meant they assessed no formal penalty against the [...]
After Bill Dix’s announcement he would run in Senate District 9, Bill Heckroth annouced he would seek re-election. My updated dispatch below —
DES MOINES – Former state representative Bill Dix, a Republican farmer from Shell Rock, is making a comeback bid for the Iowa Legislature and is targeting Waverly [...]
DES MOINES – Former state representative Bill Dix, a Republican farmer from Shell Rock, announced Tuesday he will try to make a return to the Iowa Legislature
But this time the former Iowa House member will seek a seat in the Iowa Senate.
Dix, 46, is running for the District 9. [...]
DES MOINES – Iowa Gov. Chet Culver pledged to attend bowl games of both the Iowa and Iowa State football teams after being questioned about why he sent out a statement congratulating Iowa for their win on Saturday, but not Iowa State.
Both teams notched historic wins over the weekend. [...]
DES MOINES — Iowa’s Supreme Court chief justice says in a public statement that she was asleep and didn’t know her son and his underage friends were drinking on their property the night her husband and seven others were arrested.
Chief Justice Marsha Ternus broke her silence about the incident [...]
Culver campaign manager Andrew Roos informs me the ad buy totaled $120,000 in the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids media markets.
Culver told reporters today he wanted to use the ad to explain to voters why he cut the budget 10 percent.
“I didn’t want to leave any doubt in anyone’s [...]
Gov. Chet Culver’s re-election campaign announced today it was launching a television ad highlighting his decision last week to order a 10 percent across-the-board cut to the state budget, which includes a cut to his own salary.
In the ad, entitled “Balanced Budget,” Culver said it is his responsibility to [...]
My Lee Enterprises colleague Bret Hayworth of the Sioux City Journal has the goods on 26-year-old Democrat Mike Denklau of Council Bluffs, who is launching a congressional bid in Iowa’s 5th District.
The sprawling district in western Iowa is currently represented by Rep. Steve King, R-Kiron. [...]
A judge has refused to dismiss charges against the husband of Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Marsha Ternus stemming from an underage drinking party at their home this summer.
Dennis W. Drake, 58, was charged with interference with official acts for allegedly refusing to follow the orders of a deputy [...]
DES MOINES – American consumers stand to benefit from a proposed federal consumer financial protection agency, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Tuesday.
Vilsack used a news conference with Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller during a visit to Iowa to promote the Obama administration proposal.
The reforms are currently being [...]
DES MOINES – An African-American leader announced plans to back GOP candidate for governor Bob Vander Plaats, citing a lack of action by Democratic Gov. Chet Culver to address racial bias in the state’s hiring practices as one of the reasons.
Keith Ratliff Sr., president of the Iowa/Nebraska Conference of the [...]
DES MOINES – If former governor Terry Branstad decides to formally join the race for governor in 2010, some of his potential rivals for the Republican nomination say that will not change their plans to run.
Branstad announced Wednesday he was forming an exploratory committee to weigh a possible candidacy. [...]
WEST DES MOINES – Homeland security and emergency management officials will have to learn to do more with less as federal funding diminishes, Lt. Gov. Patty Judge told a conference of emergency response workers Tuesday.
Iowa emergency management personnel are convening for the 6th annual Governor’s Homeland Security Conference, a [...]
DES MOINES – A record number of Iowans sought assistance from state human services programs last year in the midst of the current economic downturn.
More than 892,000 Iowans — roughly 31 percent of the state’s population –received assistance for health care, food, welfare, child support collections or other social [...]
DES MOINES — The group working to draft former GOP governor Terry Branstad into the 2010 gubernatorial race has launched a statewide radio ad.
The ad, entitled “Real Leadership,” begins today and is expected to run through the week.
It highlights Branstad’s leadership during 16 years as governor, through the farm [...]
INDIANOLA –U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., and Iowa’s top elected Democrats struck an urgent tone Sunday on what they said is the need to pass health care reforms.
The issue dominated speeches at U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin’s 32nd annual steak fry fundraiser, as Democrats who control Congress attempt to pass [...]
Simply unscrewing light bulbs in the display panel of Coke machines led to big savings for the state of Texas, a consultant charged with finding savings in Iowa’s state government told a panel of lawmakers Wednesday.
Other simple changes have saved money for other states as well, such as recalibrating road [...]
DES MOINES – The Senate Ethics Committee took no action Tuesday against the Iowa Pharmacy Association for filing a late report detailing how much the group spent on a reception for lawmakers earlier this year.
The committee voted 5-0 not to take action against the pharmacy association, which filed its [...]
DES MOINES – GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats, a social conservative, said Tuesday he would choose a running mate for lieutenant governor who shares his values, not someone who would help provide balance to his ticket.
“I’m not looking to balance the ticket with somebody who’s moderate or liberal [...]
DES MOINES — U.S. Rep. Steve King, who announced Thursday he would not run for governor, said any successful GOP candidate will have to support amending Iowa’s Constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
“Iowans want to know where their governor is going [...]
Colleague Rod Boshart of the Cedar Rapids Gazette covered AFL-CIO President John Sweeney at the Iowa Federation of Labor convention today. This is his account —
Democrats who control Congress and the White House have to pass meaningful health care reform this year or face a long wait before the [...]
RIVERSIDE – Iowa communities and developers hoping to open a new casino will have more time to complete their applications for a new gaming license after members of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission agreed today to extend the deadline.
Commissioners originally had set a deadline of Oct. 1, but [...]
ALTOONA– U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-Des Moines, urged Iowa union members to help Democrats push health care reforms through Congress, saying now is the time for action.
“I call on you to stand together with us, as we stand with you, and let’s get it done,” Boswell said during his [...]
DES MOINES – U. S. Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-Des Moines, said Tuesday he is hopeful meaningful health care reform can pass with bipartisan support, but indicated Democrats should move forward without the help of GOP lawmakers if they have to.
“Whoever’s in the majority has got the responsibility, and if you [...]
From the Gazette’s Rod Boshart —
DES MOINES – State Sen. Jerry Behn, a Boone farmer and 13-year legislative veteran, today is formally entering the race to be the Republican candidate for governor in 2010.
Behn, 55, a four-term senator who has farmed for 35 years in Boone County, said he [...]
DES MOINES — Republican Bob Vander Plaats will make his campaign for governor official with a formal announcement on Labor Day in his hometown of Sheldon.
Vander Plaats, a Sioux City businessman, has run for governor twice before – in 2002 and 2006. With his announcement, he’ll join a crowded [...]
DES MOINES – Communities hoping to land a new state casino license could have more time to put the finishing touches on their applications.
Members of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission are expected at their meeting this week to discuss extending the deadline for casino license applications beyond the [...]
Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley announced today he will “aggressively explore” a possible run for governor.
The Chariton Republican was first elected to the Iowa Senate nine years ago and calls himself a problem solver who can reform state government.
McKinley has been one of the most vocal critics of [...]
Gordon Fischer set off a lot of buzz in Iowa political circles when he announced in a Facebook status update Wednesday he was permanently retiring from politics.
The former chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party led the Dems during Iowa’s 2004 presidential caucuses. He also had the wisdom to jump [...]
Months after the presidential election and I’m still getting e-mails from Barack Obama’s operation. But now instead of pushing his campaign message, they’re pushing his administration’s agenda.
The latest one sent today is seeking donations to help pay for a health care reform campaign.
An excerpt below —
Today, spiraling [...]
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is scheduled to meet with Iowa school leaders Saturday to highlight money provided for education as part of the federal stimulus package.
Pelosi is scheduled appear with Congressman Leonard Boswell at Hiatt Middle School in Des Moines Saturday afternoon.
Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment [...]
The lawyer for a state lawmaker from Waterloo facing a drunken driving charge is asking to suppress evidence in the case, arguing police should have told his client he could lose his driver’s license for failing or refusing a chemical sobriety test.
Rep. Kerry Burt, a first-term Democrat, was arrested by [...]
If you’re a baseball fan, be sure to check out “Sugar,” which was filmed partially in Iowa and Davenport. It’s about a young ball player from the Dominican Republic trying to work his way up from the minors.
He plays for a team from the fictional city of Bridgetown. Iowans [...]
Gov. Chet Culver has appointed his chief of staff to serve as director of the state’s Department of Human Services after the Iowa Senate rejected his nominee.
Charlie Krogmeier, whom Culver called a “veteran public servant,” was tapped to lead the DHS.
With 5,700 employees, DHS is the state’s largest [...]
DES MOINES – State Rep. Christopher Rants said he’s more likely to consider a run for governor after the Iowa Supreme Court struck down the state’s gay marriage ban.
Rants, a Sioux City Republican, said Democratic Gov. Chet Culver lied to voters when he told them during the campaign he [...]
DES MOINES – A Fairfield Democrat and former state lawmaker is looking at the possibility of challenging Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley next year.
Bob Krause will formally announce the formation of his exploratory committee Saturday in Des Moines.
“I don’t think it’s an impossible task,” Krause said in an [...]
DES MOINES – Gov. Chet Culver sent an unequivocal message to state lawmakers Friday that he’ll veto any gas tax increase that lands on his desk this year.
Some key Democratic lawmakers are in favor of raising the tax to fill a shortfall in money for road and bridge projects and [...]
Republicans in the Iowa Legislature are calling a proposed tax increase on propane a “backyard barbecue” tax.
“This General Assembly just keeps finding more ways to take money out of people’s pockets,” said Rep. Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City. He opposed the measure, which was approved by the House Commerce Committee [...]
U.S. Rep. Steve King wouldn’t rule out a possible run for governor in 2010 and was coy about the prospects he would seek the position when questioned Monday.
The four-term GOP congressman from Kiron said he doesn’t know yet whether he’ll run for the post, but said it would be foolish [...]
It appears U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has been hitting the briefing books.
The new leader of the U.S. Department of Agriculture fielded federal ag policy questions for nearly an hour Monday morning in his first presser.
Vilsack gave long, detailed answers on biofuels, farm payment limits and even talked [...]
This dispatch just in from Lee Enterprises reporter Fred Love —
File this one under “bizarre lunch experiences.”
I knew something was amiss when a television news van stopped in the street directly in front of me and a cameraman jumped out of the driver’s seat and hurriedly rummaged through the [...]
The Republican Party of Iowa on Saturday chose as Matt Strawn of Ankeny as the new chairman as the party looks to rebuild after losses in last year’s general election.
Republican presidential nominee John McCain lost Iowa’s electoral votes and the party lost seats in the Iowa Legislature after Democrats [...]
Gov. Chet Culver is set to announce up to $40 million in cuts to the state budget Tuesday at an appearance before the Iowa Taxpayers Association.
Coincidentally, the announcement comes on the same day most of the media and the public’s attention will be focused on the Iowa Supreme Court, [...]
A lawmaker from Sheldon and member of the Iowa Air National Guard will miss the 2009 session of the Iowa Legislature because he is being deployed to Kyrgyzstan.
Rep. Royd Chambers, a Republican, said he will be leaving immediately after the first of the year and is unlikely to be back [...]
From my Lee Enterprises colleague Fred Love –
DES MOINES — A top Iowa GOP official is facing renewed calls for her resignation from critics in her own party who say an organization she leads undermined a Republican congressional candidate’s campaign.
Kim Lehman, an Iowa representative on the Republican National Committee and [...]
The Indy Racing League has signed a deal to use imported Brazilian ethanol instead of ethanol produced in the U.S. That’s raising the hackles of backers of this country’s renewable fuels industry.
American Future Fund, an Iowa-based conservative advocacy group, is running a radio ad in Indiana criticizing the move.
“It’s [...]
Iowa conservatives have pushed for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. But a new poll released by the University of Iowa shows many Iowans are in favor of at least allowing same-sex couples to join in a civil union.
From the University of Iowa –
As the Iowa Supreme Court [...]
State Sen. Jeff Danielson, D-Waterloo, won re-election to his Iowa Senate seat by just 22 votes over challenger Walt Rogers.
My colleague, Jens Krogstad of The Courier, reports a hand count of the ballots showed Danielson was the winner.
[...]It seems like the University of Iowa’s been under a curse the last year: two professors have committed suicide after being accused of sexual harassment, two football players are charged with sexual assault and historic flooding wreaked havoc on the campus this year.
The misfortunes have mounted to a degree [...]
Republicans in the Iowa Senate chose Paul McKinley of Chariton to replace Ron Wieck of Sioux City as the new minority leader.
The change in leadership, made today during a meeting at the State Capitol, comes after Republicans lost Senate seats in the Nov. 4 election.
McKinley, a businessman and manufacturer, [...]
John Kerry pulled out a few zingers during an appearance in Ames Wednesday.
Kerry mocked Sarah Palin’s claims she had foreign policy experience because her home state of Alaska was near Russia. Her comments were parodied by Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live. Fey, playing Palin, said she had foreign [...]
Calls and mail pieces blaming Barack Obama and congressional Democrats for taking a summer vacation after the floods hit Iowa are being called “disgraceful” by the Obama campaign.
Joye Winey of Cedar Rapids, a Democrat and Obama supporter, reported receiving both a flyer and a call.
“I don’t think it’s [...]
From Lee Enterprises Des Moines bureau reporter Fred Love –
Democratic congressional candidate Becky Greenwald on Tuesday accepted the backing of EMILY’s List, an advocacy group that supports pro-choice women running for office.
Greenwald, of Perry, is challenging Republican incumbent Rep. Tom Latham in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District.
An [...]
Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat who has been rumored to be on the short list of Democrat Barack Obama’s potential running mates, will hit central Iowa Thursday for a series of campaign appearances.
The events include a brown bag lunch in Des Moines that will [...]
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, knows who he wants to see as Barack Obama’s veep.
During a radio interview with KGGO-FM at the fair Wednesday, Harkin said he’s pushing for Senate colleague Chris Dodd of Connecticut.
“He is on the short list. What’s going to happen, [...]
Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, who admitted last week to an extramarital affair with a videographer chronicling his campaign, has cancelled a scheduled appearance in Iowa next month.
Edwards had been slated to appear as the keynote speaker for Iowa First Lady Mari Culver’s Conference on Solutions to Poverty. [...]
This juicy tidbit comes from the University of Iowa Hawkeye Poll. Take that Howard Wolfson. –
John Edwards’ admission that he had an affair in 2006 and then lied about it has prompted Hillary Clinton’s forces to suggest that if Edwards had been forced out of the [...]
The Iowa Democratic Party has launched a Web site criticizing Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s opposition to ethanol subsidies and the recent farm bill.
The site, MccainVsIowa.com, highlights McCain’s record on issues they say are important to working families and farmers.
“The record is clear: when given the opportunity, Sen. [...]
“On a day when major news organizations across the country are taking Sen. McCain to task for a steady stream of false, negative attacks, his campaign has launched yet another. Or, as some might say, ‘Oops! He did it again.’ Our dependence on foreign oil is one of the greatest [...]
A new television ad from John McCain tries to turn Obama’s popularity, on display during his world tour, into a negative for the candidate. The ad intersperses flashes of much-maligned celebrities Britney Spears and Paris Hilton with images of Obama.
It goes on to accuse Obama of supporting higher taxes [...]
Cedar Rapids attorney Greg Seyfer was voted in today as the new chairman of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.
Seyfer, a Republican, is serving his third year on the panel, and said he doesn’t see the commission moving in a new direction under his leadership.
The commission currently is [...]
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin is giving $7,000 each to two Oskaloosa Democrats for their re-election campaigns – State Sen. Tom Rielly and State Rep. Eric Palmer.
Winners were chosen by a vote on Harkin’s Web site as a part of his “Building Blue” campaign to increase Democratic majorities in [...]
The campaign for Republican presidential candidate John McCain will host a grand opening of his Iowa office Thursday night in Urbandale. The office also will serve as the Midwest regional office for the campaign.
Former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and State Auditor David Vaudt are listed as special guests for the [...]
Iowa’s new ban on public smoking, which went into effect Tuesday, is sending smokers to the streets to puff.
Now that smokers can’t light up in bars and restaurants, they’re congregating right outside those establishments’ front doors. Nonsmokers who might have felt relieved they could enjoy a meal in a [...]
The news release from the Republican Party of Iowa –
(DES MOINES) – The Republican Party of Iowa (RPI) has hired Nathan Treloar to serve as Communications Director for the 2008 Election. No stranger to Iowa politics, Treloar has worked for a number of Congressional, state, and local candidates, as [...]
In today’s increasingly lowered language standards, it’s good to see someone holding the line.
From the Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) _ The online hangout Facebook is getting more serious about grammar. No more should users see jarringly incorrect declarations such as “Debbie changed their profile picture.”
Users who haven’t specified their [...]
Fred Love reporting –
Charlie Liebschutz, John McCain’s new director in Iowa, is from Pittsford, N.Y.
He joined the campaign in March 2007 and worked for McCain’s field operation in South Carolina and other states.
[...]From Lee’s DM Bureau Intern Fred Love –
The campaign of presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain announced Thursday that Charlie Liebschutz will be the director of the Arizona senator’s Iowa campaign.
No biographical information was included in the release announcing Liebschutz as the new director, and the campaign didn’t return calls [...]
Democrat Barack Obama’s presidential campaign announced Wednesday that Jackie Norris will serve as the director of his Iowa effort in the general election.
Norris previously served as senior advisor to the campaign, helping Obama win the Iowa caucuses in January.
“We are grateful to have Jackie play this important role [...]
From Lee Enterprises’ Des Moines Bureau intern Fred Love —
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain disregarded a request from Iowa Gov. Chet Culver to suspend campaigning in the state until Iowans can get a better handle on the flooding crisis.
Instead, McCain, a U.S. senator from [...]
As someone who’s witnessed plenty of destruction in my journalism career, I was surprised at how hard the images of the flooded University of Iowa campus hit me.
I saw the campus landmarks [...]
Those familiar with my obsession for all things Airplane! will understand my affinity for a new conservative Iowa political blog based on the movie classic.
With posts from “Captain Oveur” and “Striker,” In Flyover Country takes pride in bashing the Democrats that hold the [...]
The day before President Bush is set to tour flood damage in Iowa, Gov. Chet Culver said he wants the federal government to pick up the entire tab for emergency response efforts and debris removal related to the disaster.
“As governor, I am committed to [...]
The Waterloo Courier’s Matt Wilde tells the incredible story of three Dunkerton women who have been called a “rogue outfit” by a government official for their efforts to deliver hot meals and provide assistance to victims of the recent Northeast Iowa tornado.
Disaster officials say [...]
Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack is urging presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama to choose Hillary Clinton as his running mate, saying the move would help unite the Democratic Party for the coming general election.
Vilsack was Clinton’s most prominent supporter in Iowa ahead of the state’s presidential caucuses, and has [...]
As I’m wiping the sleep from my eyes in the post-primary election haze, it’s worth noting that Iowa Secretary of State Michael Mauro’s Web site still hadn’t posted final results by the morning after. A link to Iowa primary election results on the site came up with nothing except a [...]
When Gov. Chet Culver declined to reappoint Gerald Bair of Ankeny to the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, the panel lost one of its best business minds. The decision left observers scratching their heads.
Some had expected Bair, the former director of the Iowa Department of Revenue, to become the [...]
Tenth Street in downtown Des Moines could be an interesting location tonight.
U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell and Ed Fallon, who are competing in today’s bitterly contested Democratic primary for the 3rd Congressional District, will be holding their primary night parties (practically?) next door to one another.
Boswell’s campaign will be [...]
Associated Press is reporting that Paul Tewes, who was the brains behind Barack Obama’s Iowa caucus win, could be tapped to oversee operations at the Democratic National Committee.
For all his success in assembling Obama’s grassroots campaign, Tewes shunned the spotlight during his time with the campaign in Iowa.
A [...]
Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Scott Brennan, who has stayed neutral in the party’s presidential nominating contest until now, announced this morning he is backing Barack Obama.
“Barack Obama spent nearly a year campaigning here prior to the caucuses. He built one of the strongest grassroots organizations we’ve ever seen in [...]
Iowa GOP Chairman Stew Iverson revealed Monday two of the big draws for the Republican state convention in Des Moines on June 14.
Former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, who is now rumored to be a leading VP contender, will make an appearance.
Also in attendance will be former House speaker [...]
As a news story, the whole idea of campaign staff hooking up with their own or rival campaigns has gotten pretty cliché. This Wall Street Journal story chronicles some of the latest pairings, many of which got their start during the Iowa caucuses. Several familiar names crop up in [...]
Iowa House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy revealed the secret for whipping up enthusiasm inside his members’ closed-door caucus meetings – a few cheers.
“When Obama’s on the up in his national campaign, we yell out ‘fired up,’ and the caucus screams back ‘ready to go,” [...]
Rep. Delores Mertz, D-Ottosen, heard a few boos in the Iowa House Wednesday when she reported that a truckload of alcohol wasn?t heading toward the State Capitol.
Mertz returned a phone call made to the wrong number. The man at the other end reported [...]
From Reporter Dan Gearino in the Lee Enterprises Des Moines bureau –
DES MOINES ? Gov. Chet Culver has signed near-total ban on public
smoking, a measure he said would protect workplaces from the dangers
of second-hand smoke.
“The bottom line is that this bill will save lives, plain and simple,”
Culver [...]
