Election 2022
We have to raise our expectations for election losers
In an election, all the attention is on the winners. That’s normal. Our expectations are focused on what candidates will do if they win. But this year, maybe for the first time, we need to be clear about our expectations for the candidates who fall short on Election Day. These would-be public servants have a […]
Iowa’s congressional candidates view health care as top policy issue
Health care remains a top issue for Iowa’s U.S. House and Senate candidates as the Nov. 8 election comes up, with most of them ranking the topic in their top five priorities. Here are the Republican and Democratic candidates’ positions on several health care issues. Expanding rural health care Mike Franken, Iowa’s Democratic candidate for […]
Concerns grow that voter intimidation could disrupt midterm elections
PHOENIX — The two outdoor ballot drop boxes in Maricopa County are both unassuming — secure metal boxes, about the size of blue mailboxes, located just outside county buildings. But in recent weeks, they’ve at times been monitored by volunteers with far-right organizations, prompted by former President Donald Trump’s claims of widespread fraud and misinformation […]
Misinformation about voting crops up around the U.S. as midterm elections near
In Colorado, an error in early October involving voter registration postcards that were mailed to non-citizens in the state morphed into a conspiracy theory about voter fraud. In Iowa, voters in late September received phone calls spreading misinformation about how they could vote, with Iowans falsely told they could cast their ballots over the phone, the Iowa Capital Dispatch […]
Grassley regains double-digit lead in Iowa Poll
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley regained a double-digit lead over Democratic challenger Mike Franken in the Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll published Saturday. The longtime Republican senator led his opponent 53% to 41% in the poll, which surveyed 801 Iowans who said they have already voted or would definitely vote. The poll, conducted by Selzer & Co., […]
Climate funding could suffer in the farm bill under GOP control of Congress
WASHINGTON — Republicans who may take control of Congress in next week’s midterm elections have not been very specific about many policy goals — but the farm bill is an exception. Members of the GOP in the U.S. House and Senate are sending strong signals they want to strip climate funding from the massive legislation […]
Weed on the ballot: Voters could approve legal marijuana in 5 more states
Midterm voters in five states, including two of Iowa’s neighbors, will determine if they should join the growing list of places where recreational marijuana use is allowed, even as any use of the drug is still illegal under federal law. Referendums to legalize recreational use of marijuana are on Nov. 8 ballots in Arkansas, Maryland, […]
Second gentleman joins panel on abortion ahead of election
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff told a Drake University audience Friday that abortion rights were not just a women’s issue and he called for men to get involved in the political fight defending reproductive health care. “Men out there: Step up, and I want you to pay attention, because this is for everyone,” he said during […]
Iowa candidates release final ads in lead-up to Election Day
Candidates are making their closing arguments ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections with a last-minute flurry of television ads. Gov. Kim Reynolds launched a new ad this week in a final blitz in her reelection campaign against Democratic challenger Deidre DeJear, blasting “woke states.” The $900,000 buy puts the ad on digital streaming platform, cable and […]
Mitch McConnell-aligned super PAC pours record advertising cash into U.S. Senate races
WASHINGTON — The super PAC aligned with U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, has spent a record amount advertising for GOP Senate candidates this cycle, according to AdImpact. The Senate Leadership Fund has “become the highest-spending advertiser” AdImpact, started in 2014, has ever reported on, according to data it released Thursday. The numbers […]
Trump tells Sioux City crowd he’s ‘very, very, very probably’ running in 2024
Sioux City, Ia. — Former President Donald Trump, during a rally here Thursday, hinted at another run for the White House in 2024. “I ran twice. I won twice,” Trump said. “… And now, in order to make our country successful, and safe and glorious, I will very, very, very probably do it again, OK.” […]
Iowa’s congressional candidates answer questions on agriculture
The 2022 midterm election comes at a crucial time for agriculture, as those who are elected to Congress will help shape the nation’s next farm bill. That legislation, which is renewed about every five years, determines federal insurance support for farmers and conservation incentives, among other programs. And the election could alter Iowa’s representation on […]