IowaPolitics.com BlogWatch

Oh no! Representative Leonard Boswell must be quaking in his boots now that the National Republican Campaign Committee is running this robocall against him in Iowa's third district. ... For years, Republicans have trotted out versions of this script against Boswell: blah blah blah Nancy Pelosi blah blah blah liberal agenda blah blah blah Democrat Party. It hasn't resonated before, so why would it work now? Specifically, I don't think they will get far running against the stimulus package. Even in a weak economy, Boswell will be able to point to dozens of programs from the stimulus bill that benefited Iowa families.

Labels: Leonard_Boswell

National Journal: "GOP strategists are putting extra pressure on more
than a dozen Dem lawmakers, hoping to convince them to retire rather
than face difficult re-elections." ... Hey, Repubs: I'm with ya on
this one, but let the record show I was doing it before you were....
Why, Deeth, why? 1) the war vote in 2002 2) chronically underperforms
the district 3) doomed to lose a redistricting matchup with Tom Latham
but most of all 4) despite a little bit better voting record (thanks,
Ed, for the push) he continues to self-ID as a Blue Dog. Quit the Blue
Dogs, Leonard, then call me.

Labels: Leonard_Boswell

Former Iowa State wrestling Coach Jim Gibbons wants to be the third
district's next member of Congress. Gibbons brings the unique
perspective of an athlete, coach, father, husband, and financial
advisor to his congressional campaign. However, after talking with him
for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon, it is clear that Gibbons'
drive, determination, and competitive nature are what will set him
apart from Congressman Boswell should he win the Republican nomination
next June. Gibbons attributes his drive, determination, and work ethic
to his father, who taught him to never accept defeat. "In order to
succeed, you must a have a goal and a plan that allows you to achieve
it," Gibbons told TheIowaRepublican.com. At a young age, Jim Gibbons
found success. At Ames High School, he won three state titles. At Iowa
State University, he was a three-time All-American and won a national
championship during his junior year.

Labels: 3rd CD, Leonard_Boswell

Republicans are trying to recruit a strong challenger against
Congressman Leonard Boswell, and by the end of the year State Senator
Brad Zaun, former Iowa GOP head Mike Mahaffey, or perhaps some other
prominent figure will throw his hat in the ring. However, I continue
to believe that Iowa's third Congressional district will not be a
close contest next year, and I'll explain why after the jump. ... When
Republicans ran hard against Boswell in 2002, 2004 and 2006, the
National Republican Congressional Committee made significant
independent expenditures in the district. I can't see that happening
next year, not with so many more promising targets for House
Republicans.

Labels: Leonard_Boswell

About a week ago, CQ Politics downgraded its rating for Iowa's third
congressional district race from Likely Democratic to Safe Democratic.
The reason for the switch in the rating is because CQ Politics
believes Iowa Republicans have failed to put forth a strong opponent
against Democrat incumbent Leonard Boswell. "The Republicans would
have a good shot at defeating seven-term Rep. Boswell if they fielded
a strong candidate. They last did that in 2006, a generally terrible
year for the GOP nationally, when state Sen. Jeff Lamberti held
Boswell to 52 percent, his lowest re-election vote share ever. But in
2008, against a little-known and underfunded Republican, Boswell won
more convincingly. His 56 percent wasn't exactly a landslide, but it
wasn't bad for a traditional swing district -- which includes
Democratic-leaning Des Moines along with more conservative rural areas
-- where the congressman outran presidential nominee Barack Obama by 2
points."

Labels: Leonard_Boswell, RPI

The House of Representatives will soon bring a health care reform bill
up for a floor vote. All three relevant committees have approved bills
containing a public health insurance option. ... When the House Energy
and Commerce Committee passed a watered-down bill to placate Blue Dog
Democrats, most people assumed that this compromise would be the
health care reform bill sent to the House floor. However, House
Progressives have been rounding up votes for the stronger public
option provisions, and yesterday Progressive Caucus co-chair Raul
Grijalva claimed to have 210 votes supporting or leaning toward
supporting the stronger bill. Speaker Nancy Pelosi won't bring that
bill to the floor unless she is sure she has the 218 votes needed to
pass, however. As many as 19 House Democrats have not decided whether
they would support the "Medicare plus 5 percent" public option. Chris
Bowers published a pdf file listing 36 House Democrats who are either
undecided, "lean yes" or "lean no" on the stronger public option.
Representative Leonard Boswell (IA-03) is on that list.

Labels: health_care, Leonard_Boswell

In his only scheduled town hall meeting, Congressman Leonard Boswell
told a crowd of 100 people that he might not vote for the health care
reform bill. Boswell, who is considered to be the most vulnerable
congressional incumbent in Iowa, told the audience, "I can't answer
that because we don't have a bill." However Boswell's congressional
website tells a different story. The front page of Boswell's website
states, "As a Member of Congress, representing the Third Congressional
District of Iowa, I am committed to working with my colleagues in
Congress and with President Obama to create real reforms that will
help Iowans and all Americans receive health insurance and access to
their family doctors. Since H.R. 3200, the America's Affordable Health
Choices Act of 2009, was introduced on July 14th, I have been in
various meetings analyzing this bill with the needs of Iowans in mind,
voicing my support and criticism for the many provisions in this
monumental bill."

Labels: health_care, Leonard_Boswell

Iowans are angry. They are angry at the direction this state and this
nation are going. They are appalled at the speed with which Congress
has been spending our tax money. They are angry about supposed
solutions to some of our problems will only serve to hinder our
nation. You can see this anger and outrage building across the State
of Iowa and across the United States. From the numerous tea parties
springing up nationwide to the outbursts at Congressional town hall
meetings the frustration that the electorate feels is profound.
Yesterday morning that anger and frustration was on full display in
the rural community of Knoxville, IA.

Labels: Leonard_Boswell

Just had reason to visit Leonard Boswell's congressional web site, and
it's been redesigned. In the process, the Blue Dog Conservative
Democrat logo that marred his page for many years is all of a sudden
missing. Not that he's QUIT the Dawgs... but he's not bragging about
it as bad. Both the Register and Iowa Republican had articles this AM
in praise of primaries, and this little web site omission may be
proof.

Labels: Leonard_Boswell

Congressional Quarterly rates Iowa's 3rd and 4th districts as among the top 100 of 435 potentially competitive U.S. House races. The individual district writeups are contained in the fun interactive map. Of Boswell, CQ sums up his relatively easy 2008 win over the unnamed Kim Schmett and notes: "Yet the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has designated Boswell as a member of its 'Frontline Democrats' program, which provides additional campaign support to incumbents deemed potentially vulnerable in the 2010 campaign. The Republicans may get a comeback try by former state GOP chairman Michael Mahaffey, who narrowly lost to Boswell in an open-seat race in 1996 and has said he'll make up his mind by Labor Day about whether he'll run again." Potential opponents Mike Mahaffey and Robert Brownell, and '06 rival Jeff Lamberti, get name-dropped. But no mention at all of Ed Fallon's '08 primary challenge.

Labels: Leonard_Boswell, Tom Latham

As I was sitting here this evening contemplating the passage of the Waxman-Markey Cap and Trade bill yesterday evening I continued to get more and more irate. Sure I have been opposed to any form of cap and trade legislation because I firmly understand that it is a job killer, an economy killer. I understand that it is nothing more than a massive tax on all Americans. I understand that it does have good intentions, however I remain unconvinced that it will achieve the objectives that the bills supporters have been claiming. ... As more and more Americans called in to voice their disapproval of the plan I thought that Boswell would succumb to the pressure of the public. That was not to be though. Ultimately he fell on the side of the puppets.

Labels: Leonard_Boswell

Ed Fallon pulls a jujitsu move on Leonard Boswell today, using the
ghost of the 2000 election to bash the Boz for opposing climate change
legislation. "If Boswell truly wanted to be 'on the front lines' in
the fight to address climate change, he would throw his weight behind
HR 2454," the American Clean Energy and Security Act, writes Fallon,
who lost a primary challenge to Boswell last year." "As this bill
stands today, I can't vote for it. I don't know of anyone else in the
{House Agriculture} committee who can," Boswell said of the bill. The
2000 presidential race was a hot issue in last year's congressional
primary. Boswell repeatedly attacked Fallon for supporting Ralph Nader
that year, and even got Al Gore to endorse him.

Labels: Ed_Fallon, global warming, Leonard_Boswell

Congressman Leonard Boswell still supports a health care reform bill
containing a public option that would go into effect immediately,
Boswell's spokesman Mark Daley confirmed today via e-mail. ... Whether
to include a "public option" that would compete directly with private
health insurers has become the main fault line as Congress prepares to
mark up health care reform proposals this summer. Stand with Dr. Dean
and Health Care for America Now are good resources on the need for a
public option. Republican opponents of serious reform are mostly
trying to keep the public option out of the health care bill, dangling
the carrot of substantial bipartisan support.

Labels: health_care, Leonard_Boswell

Former Iowa GOP chairman Mike Mahaffey told CQ Politics that he is
thinking about running against Representative Leonard Boswell in
Iowa's third Congressional district next year. (Hat tip to WHO's Dave
Price.) Boswell barely defeated Mahaffey in his first bid for Congress
in 1996. CQ Politics highlights a big obstacle for Mahaffey if he runs: "A
Boswell-Mahaffey rematch after a 14-year hiatus would also take place
on quite different turf from their first race. The 3rd District in
1996 was located mainly in southern Iowa and was heavily rural." ... It
will take a lot to convince me that Mahaffey, a small-town lawyer and
part-time Poweshiek County attorney, poses a serious threat to Boswell
in a district dominated by Polk County. So far IA-03 doesn't seem to
be on anyone's list of competitive U.S. House districts.

Labels: Leonard_Boswell

Leonard Boswell's pals in the House Blue Dog Coalition of conservative
Democrats may be the latest barrier to health care reform. The Blue
Dogs Thursday released a statement headed, "Health Care Reform Must
Protect Consumer Choice, Promote Competition in the Marketplace," and
signed by the group's 15 member Health Care Task Force. Boswell's not
part of that subgroup, but is a member of the larger 51 member Blue
Dog Coalition. ... Those 78 Democrats include 2nd District Rep. Dave
Loebsack, but not 1st District Rep. Bruce Braley. But Boswell still
seems to be in good standing with party leadership, as Speaker Nancy
Pelosi is visiting Des Moines with Boswell Saturday.

Labels: health_care, Leonard_Boswell

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is scheduled to meet with Iowa
school leaders Saturday to highlight money provided for education as
part of the federal stimulus package. Pelosi is scheduled appear with
Congressman Leonard Boswell at Hiatt Middle School in Des Moines
Saturday afternoon. Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act, Iowa already has received more than $94 million to support
education. Another $316 million in stimulus dollars is expected to be
available for Iowa to prevent the layoff of teachers, according to
Boswell's office. Pelosi's appearance will follow a private luncheon
fundraiser at the home of Roxanne and James Conlin for the Democratic
Congressional Campaign Committee.

Labels: Leonard_Boswell

Yesterday Taniel at the Campaign Diaries blog posted about 68 Democratic-held U.S. House seats that could potentially be competitive in 2010. Iowa's third Congressional district is not on that list. IA-03 did not make Stuart Rothenberg's list of competitive House seats for 2010 either. The National Republican Congressional Committee released a list of 51 targeted Democratic-held House districts in January. Lo and behold, IA-03 is not on that list either. I realize that Boswell only won the district with 56.3 percent of the vote in 2008, but I don't hear any chatter from Iowa Republicans about recruiting a candidate to run against him. The focus is on the governor's race and the Iowa House.

Labels: Leonard_Boswell, U.S. House

Congressional vote rating site Progressive Punch has added a new measurement to its cluster of counts that illustrates even more clearly why Leonard Boswell neds to be replaced though retirement or primary. The new measure is called "Progressive Score vs. District Tilt," and it looks at the partisan leanings of a district compared to the member's voting record. It's a five star system, with more stars being better. ... Bruce Braley is number 154. He's at -7.28 for a one star "intolerable." A harsh description, but even Dennis Kucinich rates only an "acceptable" three stars. The number is what's significant. And by the numbers, Leonard Boswell is near the bottom of the Democratic list, number 194 of 221 ranked Democrats (freshmen aren't listed). With a Leaning Democratic district, Boswell should be at 80 percent progressive. Instead, his lifetime record on crucial votes is only 64.06, for a score of -15.96.

Labels: Leonard_Boswell

Iowa Independent had a story last week about Civic Skinny reporting
that House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy might not run for reelection
in 2010. ... Civic Skinny says McCarthy has talked with Gov. Culver
about a job in his administration. When I first heard about this, I
thought McCarthy might be eyeing a run for Congress in Iowa's 3rd
district that is currently held by Leonard Boswell. This is all pure
speculation, but maybe McCarthy knows Boswell is going to retire.
McCarthy would be the logical choice of party insiders to be the
nominee.

Labels: Kevin McCarthy, Leonard_Boswell

Through Wednesday's passage of H.R. 1105 – The Omnibus Appropriations
Act of 2009 - the U.S. House voted to kill a program that allows
private sector collection agencies to help the Internal Revenue
Service recoup old outstanding tax debts. I'm told that Federal
Treasury Union Employees never liked the program because its success
could have made the case for more effective collections by the private
sector. And the last thing we want to do is create private sector jobs
and reduce the size and scope of government... They had reason to fear
the program's success. As of October 2007 the IRS' Private Debt
Collection Program, which launched as a test program only a year
earlier, successfully closed 9,000 old cases, collecting more than $30
million in outstanding debt.

Labels: Bruce Braley, Leonard_Boswell

The news releases which went out earlier his week indicated there were
21 members in the new "Populist Caucus" Congressman Bruce Braley
(D-Waterloo) has formed. Today, Braley's two Iowa colleagues --
Congressmen Leonard Boswell & Dave Loebsack, both Democrats -- joined
the "Populist" group, too. ... "The middle class is the economic engine
of America, but too often in Washington, the needs of the middle class
are ignored." Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa), Chair of the Populist
Caucus, said. "During these tough times, we need a renewed focus on
strengthening the middle class and improving the lives of working
families."

Labels: Bruce Braley, Dave Loebsack, Leonard_Boswell

Ed Fallon fired up the I'M for Iowa email list Tuesday, saying he
plans to keep a campaign pledge and vote for his former primary
opponent, Congressman Leonard Boswell. So far, so good. Fallon has
been attacked in the past for a lack of party loyalty. A long-since
renounced Ralph Nader endorsement from 2000 became a major, perhaps
decisive, issue in his primary loss to Boswell. But then Fallon
continues. "The Des Moines Register's editorial board also recommends
supporting Boswell." He then includes a link to the "endorsement".
"Iowans deserve more from 12-year incumbent," blares the headline.

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell

So, I'm listening to the radio this morning, and there was a little
one sentence news blurb telling me than Leonard Boswell will be
leaving the hospital tomorrow. Did anyone else realize that he was
even still in the hospital? That means he has been in the hospital for
TWO WEEKS. Of course, we still don't really know what's going on with
him because he won't tell us anything, just that it was a "routine"
procedure. What kind of "routine" procedure requires two weeks in the
hospital? What's the deal Boz? Why won't you tell us what's going on
with you? Ted Kennedy has brain surgery, and we know so much about it,
it feels like we're on the hospital staff. Leonard Boswell has
surgery, and you have to be a member of the CIA to know what's going
on.

Labels: Leonard_Boswell

I received a fundraising letter from Congressman Leonard Boswell's
campaign recently. It contained a healthy dose of the misleading spin
I have come to expect from Boswell's mailings this year. I'm not going
to retype the whole text, but this passage made me laugh (emphasis is
in the original): "My republican opponent has had four months to raise
money and plan for the general election; an election that I am only
able to focus my attention on now. While I was competing against an
opponent for the Democratic nomination, the republicans were getting
ready to once again challenge us in this competitive district. This
time they have the advantage of a large head start." Get real. Iowa's
third Congressional district is not on the National Republican
Congressional Committee's list of 2008 targets.

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell

More than a week after the primary, it's time to put Leonard Boswell's
victory over Ed Fallon into perspective. While the Fallon campaign is
claiming "a partial victory," the facts don't bear out the silver
lining that Fallon is trying to discern from his defeat. (Although
after such a devastating loss, one certainly can understand while
Fallon is looking for a silver lining). Fallon seems to think that his
primarying Boswell was the reason Leonard Boswell's voting record
suddenly improved in 2007. However, Fallon didn't have anything to do
with it. Nancy Pelosi did. Democrats taking control of the House of
Representatives meant that Republicans weren't able to bring bills up
that would place Democrats in swing districts like Boswell in tough
positions.

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell

I will write more about the third district primary later this week,
but for now I want to say this: challenging Congressman Leonard
Boswell was a worthwhile effort. This race forced Boswell to work a
little harder on constituent service. To cite just one example,
Windsor Heights is about to get a new zip code, which probably
wouldn't be happening if not for the primary. More important, this
race forced Boswell to move to a better place on several issues of
national importance. If not for Ed Fallon, I doubt Boswell would have
signed on to a strong global warming bill, and I think he would still
be voting for blank checks to fund the war in Iraq.

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell

It seems like a surprise on the surface, but the Des Moines Register
endorsed Ed Fallon Tuesday in the 3rd Congressional District, over
incumbent Leonard Boswell. Why alienate an incumbent who, according to
all public polls, is likely to win re-nomination by a two to one
margin? Let me help you think like journalists. We've got this weird
mix of cynicism and idealism, always looking for the motivations
behind seemingly straightforward moves, yet still wishing for the Mr.
Smith Goes To Washington vision of how government and politics are
really supposed to work. Think John Stewart meets Jimmy Stewart, and
you'll get the idea.

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell

Congressman Leonard Boswell's campaign finally released some results
from its internal polling today. An e-mail from campaign manager Scott
Ourth said that according to a survey by Anzalone Liszt Research, 65
percent of likely primary voters would vote for Boswell. If Boswell
did win 65 percent of the vote on June 3, he would do slightly better
than 8-year incumbent Jane Harman did in the 2006 primary to represent
California's 36th district. Harman, who like Boswell was backed by
pretty much the whole state Democratic Party establishment, defeated
peace activist Marcy Winograd by 62.4 percent to 37.5 percent. The
e-mail from the Boswell campaign did not contain details such as:
which days the poll was in the field; the number of respondents
surveyed; what criteria were used to code a respondent as a likely
voter...

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell, polling

A little more than two weeks before the Democratic primary in Iowa's
third Congressional district, Ed Fallon has challenged Congressman
Leonard Boswell to shift his support as a superdelegate from Hillary
Clinton to Barack Obama. It's a shrewd move for several reasons.
First, Iowa's third district went for Obama in January, as yesterday's
press release from Fallon underscores: "Fallon says, 'Even though
Hillary Clinton finished behind Barack Obama and John Edwards in the
Third Congressional District, Congressman Boswell continues to ignore
the will of the majority by saying he will cast his superdelegate vote
for Clinton.' ... As I've written before, Fallon yard signs are often
seen in the same yards as the Obama "HOPE" signs, while Boswell's yard
signs are frequently paired with Hillary signs.

Labels: Barack_Obama, Ed_Fallon, Hillary_Clinton, Leonard_Boswell

Despite being a city slicker from Sherman Hill, Ed Fallon displayed
his agricultural expertise last week when he reaped what he sowed with
Al Gore's endorsement of Leonard Boswell. To paraphrase what Fallon
said about the former Vice President, Gore can't support Fallon, won't
support Fallon and thinks Democratic primary voters in the 3rd
District shouldn't support Fallon either. Fallon notoriously betrayed
the Democratic Party and stabbed Gore in the back and is now facing
the consequences of his actions. This endorsement came the same day as
a KCCI poll came out that showed Boswell thumping Fallon by nearly 25
points. Even if every undecided voter broke for Fallon, Boswell would
still win 52-48. In addition, national publications such as the
Hotline and Real Clear Politics are counting Fallon out.

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell

Ed Fallon attacked a mailing by Leonard Boswell today that criticized
Fallon for his support of Ralph Nader as "very cynical [and] very
deceptive" today. While Iowa Progress has previously addressed
Fallon's support for Nader, including stating "I can't, I won't and
you shouldn't [vote for Al Gore] either" in a speech that was
reproduced nationally. As a result of the strong Nader organizing in
Iowa, in which Ed Fallon was actively involved, the Gore campaign had
to devote a disproportionate amount of resources to a state that
Michael Dukakis won handily in 1988 and that Bill Clinton won twice.
Gore even was in Iowa the day before the election in 2000. If Al Gore
instead could have paid an extra visit to Florida or was able to run a
few more ads there, it certainly would have shifted 500 votes and
changed history.

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell

My husband dumped this in the recycling bin today, thinking it was the
same mailing we got from Congressman Leonard Boswell's campaign
yesterday. But no, although it uses the same color scheme and the same
"scary font," this is indeed a separate mailing emphasizing Ed
Fallon's support for Ralph Nader in 2000. I've transcribed the piece
that arrived today after the jump. This is one 8 1/2 by 11 piece,
front and back with a flap that folds out from the front side. On the
front, there are large black and white photos of George W. Bush and
Ralph Nader. Below that, in black "scary font" on a Hawkeye gold
background, it says "Which Iowa candidate helped Ralph Nader elect
George Bush..."

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell

I still don't have any information about Congressman Leonard Boswell's
internal polling, and six weeks before the June 3 primary, there are
still no public polls on this race. However, it's notable that the
Boswell campaign has sent out a negative direct-mail piece focusing on
Ed Fallon's support for Ralph Nader's 2000 presidential campaign. My
husband and I received the latest mailing today. Most of the text is
in a bizarre font, in which the letters are not aligned properly and
each letter looks as if a tiny piece has been broken off or torn away.
The effect is to make the text look unstable, somewhat like a ransom
note.

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell

As I've noted recently, the primary to represent Iowa's third
Congressional district has taken a strange turn, whereby the incumbent
seems to be trying to make the race primarily about the challenger's
faults rather than the incumbent's record of service. I've been too
busy in non-blog life to write up the day to day sparring following a
recent e-mail from Leonard Boswell's campaign, which attacked Ed
Fallon on several fronts. The criticism of Fallon by Boswell's
surrogates and supporters has focused on four issues in particular: 1.
alleged ethical questions related to Fallon's work for the
Independence Movement for Iowa (I'M for Iowa).

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell

I didn't see this last week, because despite my requests, the Boswell
campaign is still not sending their press releases to me. But on
Friday the United Auto Workers came out for Boswell in the Democratic
primary to represent Iowa's third Congressional district. Via Iowa
True Blue, here is the release from the campaign: "Des Moines, IA -
Congressman Leonard Boswell received the support of the Iowa United
Auto Workers State Community Action League (CAP) today."... It's not
clear how many UAW members in Iowa live in the third district. There
used to be a sizable number in Jasper County, but that was before
Maytag closed.

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell, unions

Ed Fallon is being accused by Leonard Boswell's campaign of being hypocritical about receiving support through PACs. At issue is that Democracy for America, which is a PAC has encouraged its members to support Ed Fallon, who has not received a SINGLE dime from DFA, but did receive direct contributions from 730 DFA members to the tune of about $20,000. Many people are members of organizations that encourage supporting candidates, the National Board of Realtors as an example encourages its membership to choose pro-real estate candidates, but that doesn't mean the same thing as the NBR cutting a check for a candidate.

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell

I got an e-mail today from Democracy for America, confirming that they are backing Ed Fallon in the primary to represent Iowa's third Congressional district. Excerpt: "Last Tuesday, our Primaries Matter campaign delivered results and helped lead Donna Edwards to a resounding 24-point victory over Bush-Democrat Al Wynn in MD-04. Ed Fallon is the next DFA-List endorsement and he's taking on Bush-Democrat, Rep. Leonard Boswell in IA-03. Contribute $20.08 right now and support a Democrat with the backbone to stand up for progressive values. ..." I don't know how many members Democracy for America has, but it will be interesting to see how much money this appeal raises for Fallon's campaign. Donna Edwards' convincing victory may make people more willing to invest in another primary challenger. ... As of 10:30 pm, this appeal has raised $20,024 for Fallon from 582 donors. That's an average of just under $35 per donor. Looks like a lot of those people will be willing and able to donate again before this race is over.

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell

Leonard Boswell prominently displays a "Blue Dog Conservative Democrat" logo on his House web page. And this week, his Blue Dog partners control the fate of federal legislation granting telecommunications companies retroactive immunity for cooperating with the government in warrantless surveillance. Boswell and other self-described Blue Dogs are bucking Democratic leadership and joining with House Republicans to keep the retroactive immunity provision the Bush Administration wants. The Protect America Act, a stopgap measure, has been in place since a classified ruling from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court reportedly imposed limitations on the government's warrantless eavesdropping activities.

Labels: Leonard_Boswell

The Des Moines Register had a lovely little chart in their Saturday
newspaper today that showed the cash on hand and 4th quarter numbers
from the five districts in Iowa but I cannot seem to find it on the
web version of the website at all. What I can tell you is that Steve
King and Tom Latham BOTH topped Bruce Braley, Dave Loebsack and
Leonard Boswell in fundraising in the 4th quarter which ran from
October 1 through December 31. For being in the minority party in
Washington D.C., I think that is an interesting development. Normally
it is easier to raise money when you are in the majority because, lets
be honest, you have a bit more access to the legislative calendar and
agenda.

Labels: Bruce Braley, Dave Loebsack, Leonard_Boswell, Steve_King, Tom Latham

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Congressman Leonard Boswell officially got his primary opponent today when former State Representative Ed Fallon announced his intentions to take on Boswell. ... Remember back to the 1992 Presidential contest when Iowa's ultra-liberal U.S. Senator Tom Harkin actually ran for the nation's top job? One of his campaign gimmicks was to put little collar type signs around dogs that read "Barkin' for Harkin". It was so people who walked their dog could also advertise on behalf of their buddy Tom. ... I cannot wait for this Boswell v. Fallon race to unfold more. I'm definitely pulling for Fallon to take out Boswell or at least make it really close. Expect Boswell to swerve to the left rather abruptly when it comes to his votes in Congress.

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell

It's official, Iowans are going to be treated to primary challenge of
an incumbent Member of Congress. We're about to get six months of
enjoyment out of this. Aging Democrat Leonard Boswell versus ever so
loved liberal activist and former State Representative Ed Fallon.
Cyclone Conservatives was the first blog in Iowa to note this
potential challenge over 13 months ago and within the last several
weeks, several blogs, especially the ones in the left-o-sphere, have
been crowing about this potentially blockbuster race ever since.

Labels: Leonard_Boswell

Ed Fallon made his primary challenge official against Leonard Boswell
today. As part of our continuing analysis of the race, it's worth
previewing one of Fallon's likely attacks against Boswell. Fallon is a
campaign finance reform fanatic and Boswell has taken a lot of money
from political action committees. In fact, in the first three quarters
of 2007, Boswell has taken in $433,000 in contributions from PACs,
making up 75% of total contributions recieved. Much of the money is
the result of a simple matter of timing.

Labels: Leonard_Boswell

Republicans can't seem to find a candidate to take on Iowa's Third District Congressman Leonard Boswell. But Boswell's own party has. Ed Fallon has filed papers to run against him in the June primary. Fallon gave up his Iowa Statehouse seat in 2006 to run for Governor. I'm told he carried the Third District in that race, for what that's worth. Fallon had been helping out John Edwards' Iowa campaign. The dollars are stacked up against him so far. The Federal Election Commission shows through the third reporting quarter (the four quarter hasn't come out yet), Boswell raised about $600,000.

Labels: Leonard_Boswell

The increasing buzz that Leonard Boswell might face a primary
challenge from former State Representative Ed Fallon leads to some
interesting questions. The first question is, what effect does this
have on the caucuses? There are less than two weeks left and a
prominent supporter of John Edwards is going after a prominent
supporter of Hillary Clinton. What effect does this have on media
perceptions of Edwards and Clinton and does it change the storyline at
all? At this point, the political press is so focused on Iowa that the
slightest bit of political news in the state can make national
headlines.

Labels: Leonard_Boswell

As the one-year anniversary of the 2006 general election – in which
the U.S. House and Senate moved from Republican Party to Democratic
hands — approaches, the National Republican Congressional Committee is
asking just what the Dems in power have accomplished. The NRCC is
targeting congresspersons perceived at risk for re-election, and that
includes South Dakota Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin and the
three Iowa Democrats who hail from central and eastern Iowa.
Basically, all the House members from the tri-state area who aren't
Republicans (all three Nebraska congressmen are R's) are being taken
to task for inaction since Congress convened in January. Herseth
Sandlin and Bruce Braley, Sioux City native Dave Loebsack and Leonard
Boswell are being criticized by the NRCC for a host of things.

Labels: Bruce Braley, Dave Loebsack, Leonard_Boswell

So Leonard Boswell voted for the Iraq War supplemental funding bill today, just like we all knew he would. Sad as that is, it's not why I felt compelled to write this post. Pretty much every vote Boswell has ever cast related to Iraq has been the wrong vote, in my opinion. What prompted this post was a press release from the Center for Food Safety, which came to my attention this evening. Leonard Boswell apparently inserted language into the 2007 Farm Bill that would preempt any state prohibitions against any foods or agricultural goods that have been approved by USDA. That would include genetically modified foods. The press release does not name Boswell as the author of the language in question, but advocates have learned that he was behind the move. How disappointing that as the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry (a subcommittee of the House Ag Committee), Boswell is using his influence to weaken consumer protection. Does he think the Farm Bureau will reward him for this? They're always going to endorse his opponent, no matter how much he delivers for big agribusiness in the Farm Bill. As a resident of Iowa's 3rd district, I have long felt that we could do a lot better than Leonard Boswell. He is often not with us on environmental policy, energy policy, tax policy, or foreign policy. Even so, this move disappoints me.

Labels: Leonard_Boswell