HSB 133, commonly referred to as the “Gun Omnibus Bill”, was referred to the House Judiciary Committee following a subcommittee hearing on Thursday. The subcommittee was chaired by Representative Matt Windschitl (R, Missouri Valley), with Representative Greg Heartsill (R, Melcher-Dallas) and Representative Mary Wolfe (D, Clinton). Included in this bill […]
Thursday, February 23, 2017 Wheeler Manages First Bill on House Floor (DES MOINES) – On Wednesday, Rep. Skyler Wheeler (R-Orange City) managed his first piece of legislation, House File 217, on floor of the Iowa House of Representatives. The bill passed the House with bipartisan support by a vote of […]
By: Josh Wilson State Senator Jeff Danielson, D-Cedar Falls, who embarrassed himself last year with his politician tattoo and is rud to be a potential candidate for Congress or Iowa Secretary of State to to on Tuesday calling for campaign finance reform. His was in response to a […]
JEFFERSON–The biologist and former head of the DNR under Chet Culver’s administration emerged from obscurity when he became the first Democrat to announce a candidacy for governor. He’s running on a campaign and message to reconnect rural voters to the Democratic Party. “Things for the most part have gotten […]
The 2018 Elections are still nearly two years away and two likely candidates for higher office have already bungled their rollout. Senator Matt McCoy is coming for your guns and Rep Abby Finkenauer has a problem being nice. The Progressive, liberal Blog, Iowa Starting , posted an article that Abby […]
By: MacKenzie Dreeszen Pro-life advocate Jenifer Bowen of Life Right Action gave an update on pro-life coalitions in Iowa at the Polk County Republican Women’s February meeting on Thursday. Jenifer founded Life Right Action in September 2016, and she serves on the board of directors for “And Then There Were […]
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 […]
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR Governor Terry E. Branstad « Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, Feb. 6, 2017 Contact: Governor’s Office, 515-281-5211 Courtney Greene, IWD, 515-725-3800 Branstad, Reynolds announce State Workforce Development Board subcommittee to address minority unemployment (DES MOINES) – Governor Branstad and Lt. Governor Reynolds today […]
By: MacKenzie Dreeszen SF 130, a deappropriation bill, passed the Iowa House on Monday following its passage in the Senate last week. The bill was introduced to sufficiently fund state government through the end of the fiscal year on June 30th. Iowa law requires a balanced budget, and cuts were […]
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, […]
Nominations for Iowa GOP Volunteer Awards Dear Republican Leaders, The Republican Party of Iowa recognizes that the success of this past election was due to the hard work and dedication of county leadership and grassroots volunteers. We would like to show our appreciation for those who have continually gone above […]
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEEMAN REPORT & UPDATE Fellow Friends & Republicans, Here is hoping you had a Merry Christmas! I also want to wish you a very Happy and prosperous New Year! Taking time for family and friends this time of year is so important, and I hope you were able […]
by: John Thompson A background check of Fort Lauderdale shooter identified in multiple media reports as Esteban Santiago, 26 of Anchorage Alaska reveals an e address of “NAOTA33@HOTMAIL.COM” The unique user name of NAOTA33 was also a handle used in a discussion of downloading Jihad videos on a web bulletin […]
Our next election may be two years out but the first official Democratic candidate for Governor has emerged. The former DNR head under Culver made his entrance official via a live message on Thursday. The Huxley native launched a website where he set the tone as a fiscally conservative […]
It is taking Democrats a long time to figure out what they lost with Tom Harkin. The political ecosystem of Iowa has always become unbalanced when one of the parties lacked a clear leader. The success of Republican Party of Iowa and The Iowa Democratic Party has always required […]
Jim Lykam won the Special Election to replace State Senator Dr. Joe Seng, who passed away in September. Filling the vacancy will not have an impact on control of the Chamber where a Republican wave already ensured the GOP would control the legislature and the Governor’s mansion. Although Democrats […]
By Barry B. Snell John Thompson, the Iowa Statesman’s new managing editor, asked me to write something for Christmas, since due to this publication’s very recent revival most columnists are either not up to speed yet, or are too busy or traveling for the holiday to turn content in. All […]
By Barry B. Snell Fellow Iowans, there is a legitimate, pernicious threat to your right to self-defense and firearms ownership this very moment. No, it’s not Obama. Nope, not the U.N. It’s not any anti-gun organization either. Stumped? Well believe it or not, the danger comes from our very own […]
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 […]
From Press Release Republican presidential candidate and winner of the 2012 Iowa Republican Caucus today announced that his campaign has added five additional staff members to his Iowa Campaign Team: Steven Munoz, Patti Brown, Jane Jech, Bob Algard, and Connor Stes. The five new Iowa staff additions will complement […]
From Press Release Today, during the Administration’s weekly press conference, Gov. Terry Branstad and State Public Defender Adam Gregg announced the creation of the Wrongful Conviction Division at the Office of the State Public Defender. The Wrongful Conviction Division will systematically review and identify potential cases involving wrongful convictions […]
For the first time, we’re beginning to see real cracks in Donald Trump’s armor of invincibility, but not in the way many expected to see it. Iowans seem to vacillating between Trump and second-place Ben Carson in an either-or scenario, seemingly depending on which talking points are resonating. Immigration is […]
By The Iowa Statesman Every day, we read through our e inbox in order to present you with the information from the political press releases that are most pertinent to you. Short disclaimer: not all candidates send out press releases to us, so if your favorite isn’t showing up […]
By The Iowa Statesman Every day, we read through our e inbox in order to present you with the information from the political press releases that are most pertinent to you. Short disclaimer: not all candidates send out press releases to us, so if your favorite isn’t showing up […]
From Press Release Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today at their Monday morning press conference joined Iowa Finance Authority Executive Director Dave Jamison to announce a new Workforce Housing Loan Program that is now available to communities with a need for additional rental housing as a […]
From Press Release Sen. Chuck Grassley today completed his 35th annual 99 county meetings with a question and answer session (Q&A) with the senior class at Greene County High School in Jefferson. “Representative government is a two-way street. I’m one half of the process and Iowans are the other […]
By The Iowa Statesman Over the weekend, state Rep. Jack Drake (R-Griswold), 81, passed away at Cass County Hospital in Atlantic. He had served in the Iowa General Assembly for nearly 23 years. Drake was serving his 12th term in the Iowa House of Representatives. Republican Party of […]
This week’s report is very short, mainly because there really aren’t any changes to report. Some polls remain skewed, some candidates remain under- or over-reported, and we’re holding to last week’s projections for vote totals, if the Iowa Republican Caucus were held tomorrow. While some may reject the reality […]
From Press Release Iowa Gov. Terry E. Branstad and First Lady Chris Branstad today announced that they will hold a media preview event at 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, at Terrace Hill located at 2300 Grand Avenue in Des Moines. The purpose of the event will be to […]
From Press Release Small businessman and Mitchell County Farm Bureau Board Vice President Waylon Brown announces he is running for the Iowa Senate. Brown, a Republican, is seeking the Senate District 26 seat, which represents all of Chickasaw, Floyd, Howard, Mitchell and Worth counties and portions of Cerro Gordo […]
From Press Release The Iowa Partnership for Economic Progress meeting was held at Pella Corporation to kick off the Iowa Energy Plan. The initiative, chaired by Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds and Pat Meyer, CEO of Pella Corp., is a means to set state priorities and provide strategic guidance for […]
From Press Release Iowa State Senator Mark Chelgren, R-Ottumwa, announced today he will seek the Republican nomination to challenge United States Congressman Dave Loebsack next November. “Our political leadership is on a dangerous and destructive path,” Senator Chelgren said. “However, the strength and beauty of our political system is […]
From Press Release Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley is hosting a field hearing next Tuesday in Des Moines to discuss the ongoing fight against methamphetamine in Iowa. “During my 99 county meetings I often hear from constituents and law enforcement officials about how severe the meth problem is […]
By The Iowa Statesman The Center for Medical Progress, which has released several videos depicting Planned Parenthood’s sale of body parts and tissues taken from aborted babies, has joined the effort to pressure Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad to take action on a 2010 promise to defund Planned Parenthood. The […]
By The Iowa Statesman Republican presidential candidate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee published an op-ed in the Des Moines Register today titled, “Why do GOP candidates support the IRS & the tax code? Let’s pass the FairTax.” He wrote: “Our 75,000 page tax code is a complete disaster and the […]
From Press Release A new report released today by the Branstad-Reynolds Administration in collaboration with the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (Georgetown Center) projects that from 2010 to 2025, Iowa will add 612,000 jobs to its economy, including replacement jobs due to retirement. The report, Iowa: […]
From Press Release Republican presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Rand Paul released a list of its Iowa Leadership team this morning. The group is composed of co-chairs from 99 counties along with district co-chairs, and several influential statewide leaders. This leadership team will work to spread Paul’s message throughout the […]
Several new polls — most of which have very questionable data — have been released in the past week. We have reason to believe the numbers in several polls were manipulated to achieve a desired result. In cases where there is solid evidence to support that notion, we have ignored […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and Pella Corporation CEO Pat Meyer will host a press conference tomorrow to reveal their work so far on developing the Iowa Energy Plan. The event will begin at 1:30 p.m. at Pella Corporation’s Design Center, located at 102 Main Street […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor One of the Iowa Senate Republican Caucus’ most vocal champions, long rud to be interested in a congressional run, will announce his intentions next week at an event in the First Congressional District. State Sen. Mark Chelgren (R-Ottumwa) said today he would announce his intentions […]
From Press Release Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad today appointed Kevin McKeever as judge to the Sixth Judicial District. McKeever was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Honorable Douglas S. Russell. McKeever, 46, of Iowa City, currently serves as an Assistant Muscatine County Attorney. Previously […]
From Press Release Republican presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz today announced the endorsement of former Scott Walker supporter state Sen. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull). The endorsement follows Cruz’ earlier announcement that all three of Walker’s former grassroots co-chairs in Georgia are also now organizing for the Cruz campaign. “It […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor At least three Republican county central committees have joined the growing chorus of conservatives demanding action to end taxpayer subsidies for Planned Parenthood. Last week, the GOP leaders in Polk, Story, and Woodbury counties approved their own resolutions. The Polk County resolution: Whereas, the […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor With conservatives within the base of his own party clamoring for him to take executive action to defund Iowa’s abortion industry, Gov. Terry Branstad instead issued an executive order to placate another interest group during a “Buddy Bench” dedication ceremony today at Arthur Elementary School […]
With Rick Perry and Scott Walker out of the picture, and following the second GOP presidential primary debate, there has been some movement in the field, and we once again have a little clarity — both about the electorate and the media-driven polls that are being reported. We are […]
From Press Release U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley today announced that Aaron McKay has been named state director of the six Grassley offices located in Iowa. The state director is based in Des Moines. Grassley said his state offices – located in Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Sioux […]
From Press Release Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that they will travel to Cedar Rapids today for the dedication of a “Buddy Bench” at Arthur Elementary, 2630 B Ave. NE, and make an announcement regarding the administration’s efforts to end bullying in Iowa’s schools. Former […]
From Press Release Republican Third Congressional District candidate Joe Grandanette reacted positively to the decision of U.S. Rep. John Boehner to step down as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Grandanette’s run for Congress is fueled in part by U.S. Rep. David Young’s vote in support of Boehner for […]
From Press Release More than three months after a report was released from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA OIG) following Senator Joni Ernst’s (R-IA) request for an investigation into the VA Central Iowa Health Care System’s mental health care programs and treatment provided […]
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