In case you need to do a little cramming before you vote, here’s a roundup of race overviews, issue closeups, debate stories and more from Iowa Capital Dispatch:
Presidential race
Trump to Iowa voters: Coronavirus vaccine is a few short weeks away
Biden criticizes the ‘stable genius’ Trump at Des Moines campaign rally
Biden in final debate vows an immigration overhaul in his first 100 days as president
Trump in final debate slams pandemic aid as a ‘big bailout’ for blue cities and states
Debate: Trump tells far-right group to ‘stand back and stand by’
Biden says he’ll support election outcome but Trump urges supporters to ‘watch very carefully’
Trump and Biden quarrel over mask mandates and state shutdowns in first presidential debate
Trump, at convention, praises oil pipelines and coal, doubts wind and solar can meet demand
Iowa’s U.S. Senate race
Race overview: Senate race between Joni Ernst, Theresa Greenfield remains a dead heat
Issue closeups:
- As Iowa farmers struggle, fighting for ethanol industry becomes a key issue in Iowa’s Senate race
- COVID-19 and health care become top priorities in Senate race as Iowans look to Congress for aid
- After summer of protests, Senate candidates commit to different levels of criminal justice reform
Debates:
- In heated first debate, Ernst and Greenfield clash on vacant court seat, mask mandate
- Ernst, Greenfield each call for apologies during second U.S. Senate debate
- Senate debate: Amid technical glitches, candidates differ on racial issues
Interviews:
- Theresa Greenfield stops short of saying how she’d vote on election-year Supreme Court nominees
- Ernst says no one ‘should be surprised’ she voted with Democrats on ACA lawsuit
Report: Ernst said she’s ‘skeptical’ of COVID-19 death numbers
Ernst, Greenfield spar over which candidate best supports ethanol, agriculture
Iowa’s congressional races
1st District
Race overview: Finkenauer, Hinson spar over fundraising, Statehouse records in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District
Issue closeups:
- Finkenauer and Hinson clash over taxes, energy and infrastructure
- 1st District candidates differ on education, police reform and immigration
- 1st District candidates spar over health care, but agree on pre-existing conditions
Coastal donors plow cash into Iowa campaigns
How the Chamber of Commerce learned to love House Democrats
2nd District
Race overview: Tight 2nd District race features two candidates with state experience
Issue closeups:
- 2nd District candidates debate climate change, environmental regulations
- 2nd District candidates differ on future of ACA, how to fight COVID
Debate: Hart, Miller-Meeks split on federal mask mandate
Miller-Meeks: Reynolds, Trump should continue reopening economy in part to prevent suicides
Hart calls for anti-corruption bill on campaign finance, lobbying, gerrymandering
Miller-Meeks: Increase in fuel tax could pay for infrastructure
Hart: Congress should stop environmental rollbacks, support ethanol
3rd District
Race overview: Axne-Young rematch centers on health care coverage, showing up for work
Issue focus:
- Health care splits 3rd District candidates
- Third District candidates split on Paris Agreement, other environmental issues
- Third District candidates: Police ‘bad actors’ should be addressed
Interviews:
- Axne: Pandemic revealed broad weakness in health system
- Young opposes Paris climate agreement; Axne supports it
Debates:
- Axne, Young spar over COVID-19 response shortly after President Trump leaves hospital
- Axne, Young split on marijuana, Trump’s rally, classic rock, favorite coffee flavor
Axne, Young trade barbs over ads on health care, allegiance to party leaders
David Young: Stimulus package should advance in stages
4th District
Race overview: Without Steve King, Iowa’s 4th District is in for a shakeup
Issue focus:
- Scholten supports universal health care; Feenstra says repeal the ACA
- In Iowa’s 4th District, prioritizing ethanol is focus for Feenstra and Scholten
- Feenstra, Scholten differ on tax policies and methods to sustain Social Security
Debate: Feenstra, Scholten disagree on COVID-19 policy, immigration
Interviews:
- D. Scholten: Lack of national COVID-19 plan prolonging virus spread
- Feenstra: Protecting people with pre-existing conditions is ‘paramount,’ but Affordable Care Act has to go
Scholten’s magic-wand issues: campaign finance and antitrust reform
Voters, voting, election laws, lawsuits
Battle for the Ballot: A five-day series on voter access and barriers to the ballot
Des Moines’ suburbs are changing. So are the women voting in them.
Iowa surpasses 1 million absentee ballot requests
What happens in Iowa if elections are too close to call?
Mysterious ‘pop-up PACs’ activate in some competitive U.S. Senate races
‘It’s a 2020 election. Everything is crazy’: Iowa county auditors prepare for Election Day
Lawsuit seeks to block counties’ use of private money for election expenses
Judge invalidates absentee ballot applications in Johnson County lawsuit
For more campaign reporting and Election Day updates, see IowaCapitalDispatch.com/Election-2020-page
