The Iowa Statesman does not issues endorsements lightly. The easiest thing for a publication to do is stay neutral, hedge every position, and avoid offending anyone. That is especially true in a Republican primary where all five candidates are conservatives, all five have strengths, and all five bring something valuable […]
DES MOINES, Iowa-Pro-life supporters gathered at the Capitol on Friday as Governor Branstad signed SF 471 into law, a bill that bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The bill also requires abortion providers to inform women of alternative options to abortion, to provide an opportunity to view an ultrasound […]
By: MacKenzie Dreeszen After months of preparation, HF 291, a bill that reforms the collective bargaining process in Iowa, was passed in the House on Thursday by a vote of 53-47. The Senate adopted the House version of the bill with a vote of 29-21 the same day. All Senate […]
By: MacKenzie Dreeszen Long-awaited reforms to collective bargaining will likely become a reality in the state of Iowa. Last Wednesday, subcommittee hearings were held for HSB 84 and its Senate companion bill, SF 213. After over an hour for the House subcommittee hearing and two hours for the Senate hearing, […]
By: MacKenzie Dreeszen HSB 67, the bill to prohibit sanctuary entities in Iowa, passed out of the House Public Safety committee on Tuesday. The bill was referred after a hearing last week by a subcommittee that was chaired by Representative Steve Holt (R, Denison), with Representative Jarad Klein (R, Keota) […]
By: MacKenzie Dreeszen True to their word, Iowa lawmakers passed SF 166 on Monday, a bill setting supplemental state aid to schools. The bill was sponsored by Representative Walt Rogers (R, Cedar Falls) and will increase school funding by 1.1%, for a total of $40 million in extra dollars. In […]
By: MacKenzie Dreeszen The subcommittee hearing for HSB 67 was held on Thursday morning. HSB 67 is a bill that would prohibit sanctuary communities in Iowa by enforcing federal immigration laws. The subcommittee was chaired by Representative Steve Holt (R, Denison), with Representative Jarad Klein (R, Keota) and Representative Wes […]
Kurth was able to defeat Gonzales in a special election for House District 89. In a special election that favored Democrats by a healthy margin they left nothing up to chance. Democrats expended a lot of resources that will be in short supply ahead of a 2018 cycle that will […]
By: MacKenzie Dreeszen General Timothy Orr of the Iowa National Guard ivered the condition of the National Guard address to the Iowa legislature on Tuesday. 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the entry of the United States into World War I and the founding of Camp Dodge, home of the […]
DES MOINES– Jeff Kaufmann was unanimously elected to serve another term as Chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. Cody Hoefert was reelected to serve as Co-Chair. Kaufmann said his first priority is fundraising setting a goal of 1 Million Dollars for himself and 150k for Hoefert. “Almost first would […]
By: MacKenzie Dreeszen The Westside Conservative Club featured Speaker of the Iowa House Linda Upmeyer at their breakfast at the Iowa Machine Shed on Wednesday. Speaker Upmeyer talked with pride about the role that women play in the Republican Party in Iowa. “While we don’t play gender politics, our party […]
By: Jacob Hall SIOUX CENTER – About 30 people attended the first Pizza & Policy discussion hosted by Sioux County Conservatives on Thursday at the Sioux Center Pizza Ranch. Featured speaker John Thompson (State Treasurer candidate, State GOP Central Committeeman and Army veteran) discussed his background, the importance of grassroots […]
By: MacKenzie Dreeszen The subcommittee hearing for SF 2, a bill to defund organizations that perform abortions, was held on Tuesday morning. Introduced on the first day of the 87th General Assembly, the bill is sponsored by Senator Amy Sinclair and co-sponsored by the entire Senate Republican caucus. After referral […]
By: MacKenzie Dreeszen Iowa veterans were recognized on Wednesday during Veterans Day on the Hill at the Capitol in Des Moines. Both rotundas were packed with veterans and their friends and families, and the long list of event sponsors included veteran advocacy groups and non-profits that assist veterans in Iowa. […]
By: Tim Overlin Last Wednesday was an historic event in the life community that cannot be overstated. Anyone who has been involved in the pro-life movement in Iowa (and, to be fair, nationwide) knows there has traditionally been an undercurrent of disunity and even out-and-out disagreement among advocacy groups. Well, […]
By: MacKenzie Dreeszen A new coalition of conservative activists met for dinner at Cupcake Addict in Johnston on Friday. Advocates included Gregg Cummings of the Tea Party Patriots, Sandy Wilson of Ankeny’s 9/12 Group, and Drew Klein of the Iowa chapter of Americans for Prosperity. The guest speaker was Mark […]
by: James Weeks Scott County hosted a convention tonight to nominate a candidate for State House to fill the vacancy left by Jim Lykam. Lykam won a special election to fill the vacancy left by Dr. Joe Seng in the State Senate who lost his fight with cancer. The Iowa […]
By: MacKenzie Dreeszen The plan for the criminal and civil justice systems in Iowa was outd today in the condition of the judiciary address. Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court, Mark Cady, gave the address in the chamber of the Iowa House of Representatives. Cady said that the number […]
On Tuesday Governor Branstad ivered his final condition of the state address in the chamber of the Iowa House of Representatives. The galleries were packed with people from all over the state as the he outd the legislative goals of the 87th General Assembly. Presiding over the first Republican trifecta […]
The 87th General Assembly of the Iowa legislature commenced on Monday. It was an eventful day packed full of breakfasts, luncheons, and receptions as lawmakers in the House of Representatives and Senate were sworn into office. The morning began with the Republican Party of Iowa breakfast at the Embassy […]
Northwest Iowa Newspaper man, Doug Burns is promoting Rod Roberts for Lieutenant Governor thorough an independent expenditure committee. Roberts, a former legislator from Carroll County was a candidate for Governor in 2010. He came in third behind Governor Branstad. Roberts was nominated for Lt. Gov at the Republican State Convention. […]
After a difficult election cycle for Democrats nationwide the Iowa Democratic Party has started the healing process. IDP kicked off the left road to the White House last February in churches, schools and union halls all over Iowa. It was a photo finish. Bernie Sanders was barely upset by Secretary […]
By: Eric Rosenthal On Eve of Inauguration Linn County Republican Party Co-Chair’s Van Spray Painted with Vulgarity Republican Party Co-Chair for this past fall, Brett Mason, has reported that his family’s van (used to raise his seven boys) was vandalized this afternoon. Sgt. Omar of the Cedar Rapids Police Department […]
by: John Thompson photo by: Lenny Scaletta On a Monday morning radio broadcast with Simon Conway, Cedar Rapids mayor, Ron Corbett, announced that he would not run for reelection. The former Republican Speaker of the Iowa General Assembly has often been rud to be a 2018 candidate for […]
The Iowa Statesman returns today with a new group of contributors offering conservative news and policy analysis. The publication aims to cover stories in rural parts of the state that are left unreported by city based publications and to give insight on policy during the legislative session. John Thompson, an […]
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