Tag Archives: Iowa

Just in from Iowa State University: Mayor Pete Buttigieg is building momentum in Iowa, according to the latest Iowa State University/Civiqs poll. Of likely caucus-goers, 20% said Buttigieg is their top choice among the field of Democratic presidential candidates. That moves him to second in the poll – up from fourth in September – just behind Sen. Elizabeth Warren who …

USA Today reports: It’s a new three-way race in Iowa. Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who was initially seen as a long-shot presidential contender, has surged within striking distance of former vice president Joe Biden and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses, a Suffolk University/USA TODAY Poll finds. Biden, long viewed as the Democratic …

Iowa Starting Line reports: Three times in a row today, Sen. Joni Ernst dodged questions about whether it’s appropriate for a president to ask a foreign power to investigate a political rival. After a round of questions from a CNN reporter looking for a “yes” or “no” answer from Ernst, the senator walked away and talked with a few Iowans …

The Des Moines Register reports: A 14-year-old male faces a terrorism felony after creating a job posting in Fort Dodge for a “school shooter.” Fort Dodge police were made aware of the “concerning online job” on Indeed.com, a search engine for job postings, according to a news release. Though the post offered little content to identify the poster, police eventually …

The Des Moines Register reports: Elizabeth Warren has surged in Iowa, narrowly overtaking Joe Biden and distancing herself from fellow progressive Bernie Sanders, the latest Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows. Warren, the U.S. senator from Massachusetts, now holds a 2-percentage-point lead, with 22% of likely Democratic caucusgoers saying she is their first choice for president. It is the first …

The Hill reports: Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) lead a new poll of likely Iowa caucus-goers by a wide margin as Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) fade. The poll was conducted for Focus on Rural America, a Democratic group run by former Lt. Gov. Patty Judge (D) and Iowa political strategist Jeff …

The Associated Press reports: The Democratic National Committee will recommend scrapping state plans to offer virtual, telephone-based caucuses in 2020 due to security concerns, sources tell The Associated Press. The final choice whether to allow virtual caucuses in Iowa and Nevada is up to the party’s powerful Rules and Bylaws Committee. But opposition from DNC’s executive and staff leadership makes …

Iowa Starting Line reports: Elizabeth Warren’s early investment in Iowa is paying off. A new Iowa Starting Line-Change Research poll shows the senator opening up a commanding lead in the Iowa Caucus. Warren was the top pick of 28% of likely Iowa Caucus-goers in the poll, an 11-point lead over the nearest competitor. Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders were both …

Iowa Public Radio reports: A northwest Iowa man who burned four LGBTQ-themed children’s library books last year was found guilty of 5th degree criminal mischief Tuesday in Sioux County District Court. Paul Dorr, 63, of Ocheyedan, who runs the Christian group “Rescue The Perishing,” was fined $65 plus a 35 percent criminal penalty surcharge and court costs during his sentencing. …

The Associated Press reports: The ousted Iowa Department of Human Services director will pursue a wrongful termination lawsuit, alleging he was let go after objecting to a pay arrangement for the governor’s deputy chief of staff, his lawyer said Wednesday. Jerry Foxhoven, a 67-year-old legal scholar known for his frequent workplace praise of the late rapper Tupac Shakur, will file …

The Des Moines Register reports: The president of The Family Leader, a prominent conservative Iowa organization, endorsed Rep. Steve King’s primary opponent Thursday. Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO for the evangelical group, announced his support for Iowa Sen. Randy Feenstra in the 4th District Republican primary. Vander Plaats’ endorsement is personal and not on behalf of the organization. Vander …

The Associated Press reports: The director of Iowa’s social services agency was a huge fan of the late rapper Tupac Shakur, and he frequently let his subordinates know it. Emails obtained by The Associated Press show that Iowa Department of Human Services Director Jerry Foxhoven routinely sent messages to employees lauding Shakur’s music and lyrics even after at least one …

The Associated Press reports: Former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad [photo] and a staffer discriminated against the state’s then-commissioner of workers’ compensation in 2011 because he’s gay, and the ex-official is entitled to $1.5 million for emotional distress, a jury said Monday. Polk County jurors found that Chris Godfrey not only proved the discrimination occurred, but also showed he was retaliated …

The Associated Press reports: Democrats in the early presidential contest states of Iowa and Nevada will be able to cast their votes over the telephone instead of showing up at their states’ traditional neighborhood caucus meetings next February, according to plans unveiled by the state parties. The tele-caucus systems, the result of a mandate from the Democratic National Committee, are …

Iowa Starting Line reports: We have a shakeup in Iowa. Elizabeth Warren leads the pack in the Iowa Caucus, according to a new poll out this morning from David Binder Research, currently earning the support of 20% of likely Democratic caucus-goers. Kamala Harris and Joe Biden are both within the margin of error with Warren for first place, but they …

The Hill reports: The Iowa Poll, conducted by veteran pollster Ann Selzer for the Des Moines Register and CNN, found former Vice President Joe Biden leading the Democratic field with 24 percent of the vote. The race for second place is a statistical tie between Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), at 16 percent; Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), at 15 percent; and …

The Hill reports: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.) served drinks at a gay bar in Des Moines on Friday to kick off Pride Month celebrations in Iowa’s capital city this weekend. The 2020 hopeful was behind the bar at The Blazing Saddle, answering questions about her policies and taking drink orders. She was also spotted at popular Des …

Charleston’s Post & Courier reports: Since leaving the United Nations last year, Nikki Haley’s moves have been closely watched for signs that the former South Carolina governor will run for the White House in 2024. A new advocacy group, a new book and a series of high-profile speaking engagements were seen as steps toward a presidential bid. Now Haley is …

The New York Daily News reports: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand channeled her inner diva at a Des Moines gay bar, where she posed and palled around with a drag queen. Pics of the Democratic presidential candidate posted to Twitter late Friday showed Gillibrand doing her makeup and striking poses alongside a drag queen at a bar called Blazing Saddles. Gillibrand is …

Politico reports: Democratic Rep. Dave Loebsack announced today that he will retire from the House at the end of his term, potentially setting up a competitive race for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District in 2020. Loebsack’s district, which he will have represented for 14 years by the time he exits Congress, went for President Donald Trump by 4 percentage points in …