IowaPolitics.com BlogWatch

Last fall in Linn County's House District 37, my friend Renee Schulte
defeated the incumbent, Art Staed by 13 votes. Given the razor thin
margin, everyone knew that this race would be targeted in 2010. Renee
has been working hard already. She has been out door-knocking and this
week -- until the blizzard interfered -- my crew and I were going to
do a lit drop for her. (My crew of Chung children think that lit drop
is a synonym for Dairy Queen.) Many of us have been speculating who
the Democrats would run to attempt to regain the seat. Well, today
according to the CR Gazette, there is at least on Democrat in the
running. The Gazette reports that Mark Seidl a Cedar Rapids attorney
will challenge Schulte for the seat.

Labels: state House

We're seeing a period where candidates are settling on decisions to
run for the Iowa Legislature in 2010. A few days ago it was Sioux City
Democrat Rick Mullin announcing he'd run for the position to be
vacated when fellow city Dem Wes Whitead doesn't seek re-election in
Iowa House District 1. And Republican Jeremy Taylor of Sioux City will
almost certainly vie with Mullin for the spot in the general election.
Now, we learn from the Spencer Daily Reporter that Mike May, a
Republican from Spirit Lake, won't run for a fourth term to Iowa House
District 6. There's a Republican ready to fill the bill for the GOP,
as Okoboji banker Jeff Smith has declared his candidacy. In the piece,
May gives endorsement to Smith, like Whitead did for Mullin. Smith
wants to control "out of control" state spending.

Labels: state House

On Monday we learned State Rep. Wes Whitead, D-Sioux City, will not
run for re-election in November 2010 to Iowa House District 1, and
that city longtime Democratic activist Rick Mullin will look to follow
Whitead in the position. Mullin has the endorsement of Whitead. In
writing the piece, I was placed a call to Sioux City teacher Jeremy
Taylor, who ran against Whitead in 2008 and narrowly lost. Taylor had
left the door open to another run, and I was surprised when he didn’t
call me back. Now I know why -- he is in Army basic training at Fort
Jackson, S.C., and will graduate in a week. Taylor then he heads out
for intelligence school training through May. Anyway, I have it from
two sources that Taylor will run. Kraig Paulsen, the Iowa House
Minority Leader heading the Republican caucus, today said "my
expectation is that Jeremy is going to run." Paulsen said Taylor will
be making a formal announcement on his House District 1 plans at some
point prior to the March filing deadline.

Labels: state House

Two-term State Representative McKinley Bailey, an Iraq War veteran,
may face a tough Republican challenger next year in Iowa House
district 9. The Des Moines Register reports that Stew Iverson, former
Iowa Senate majority leader and Iowa GOP chairman, is thinking about
running against Bailey. Iverson told the Register that he'll make a
decision "sometime after the first of the year" ... Bailey defeated
Republican incumbent George Eichhorn with nearly 55 percent of the
vote in 2006. He was re-elected with just over 55 percent of the vote
in 2008, even though his district was one of Iowa Republicans' top
targets. Corporate-funded conservative interest groups ran ads against
Bailey and other first-term House Democrats in early 2008 as well as
shortly before the November election. House district 9 includes all of
Wright County, parts of Webster and Hamilton counties, and a tiny
slice of Franklin County.

Labels: RPI, state House

I hadn't planned on blogging tonight's Scott County GOP fundraiser,
but here's a bit of local political news: Ross Paustian, the Walcott
farmer who lost a high-profile race to state Rep. Elesha Gayman,
D-Davenport, is going to give it another go, according to Brian
Kennedy, who is the emcee at the dinner. You may recall the
Paustian/Gayman race last year turned nasty toward the end. We'll see
if there's a repeat next year.

Labels: state House

With the resignation of Rep Dick Taylor in HD33, Cedar Rapids will be
having a special election. The Des Moines Register reports that
Governor Culver has called for a special election on Tuesday, Nov 24.
Unlike the recent battle in HD90, the HD33 race looks pretty lopsided.
In 2008, Taylor won with nearly 70% of the vote. In 2006 he was
unopposed. So I am certainly not predicting that this race will be
anywhere near close. ... At this point no Republican has come out
publicly as a possible candidate. State law requires the county
central committee members from the precincts that make up HD33 to
nominate their party's official candidate. An interesting twist to
this particular race is that the special election will take place on
the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week. This means that turnout will be
exceptionally low and plays into the Democrat's strong suit --
absentee ballots. Call me a pessimist but it looks like we'll have a
new Democrat rep from HD33 when the legislature gavels in.

Labels: state House

State Representative Dick Taylor of Cedar Rapids announced his
resignation today, effective immediately, saying, "after 9 years in
the House, it's time for me to focus full-time on my family." Within
the next five days Governor Chet Culver will set a date for a special
election in Iowa House district 33. The race to replace Taylor will
lack the drama of the September 1 special election in Iowa House
district 90, because district 33 leans much more heavily Democratic.
In 2008, Taylor won nearly 70 percent of the vote against Republican
Kathy Potts. A district convention made up of Linn County Central
Committee members who live in Iowa House district 33 will select the
Democratic candidate for this special election within the next few
weeks. Bleeding Heartland readers familiar with Linn County politics,
who should replace Taylor?

Labels: state House

It's a nail-biter in Iowa House district 90. Democrat Curt Hanson
carried Jefferson County, which includes Fairfield. Republican Stephen
Burgmeier ran up a big margin in Van Buren County. ... Democrats will
retain a 56-44 majority in the Iowa House for the 2010 session. From
the Secretary of State's office: There were 8,046 total votes (I had
heard predictions that 6,000 to 7,000 people would vote in this race).
Hanson won 3,932 votes (48.9 percent), and Burgmeier 3,825 votes (47.5
percent). Click the link for the breakdown by county. Only four votes
separated the two candidates in Wapello County. Jefferson County was
the key for Hanson -- he led by more than 600 votes there, while
Burgmeier led by just over 500 votes in Van Buren County.

Labels: elections, state House

Democrats and Republicans were busy in Iowa House district 90 over the weekend, making calls and knocking on doors to GOTV for tomorrow's special election. Democrats had an early lead in terms of absentee ballots returned, and according to the field organizer for the Fairness Fund, efforts to collect outstanding absentee ballots continued. We won several Iowa House seats in 2008 through big leads in early voting. A strong absentee ballot showing will be crucial for Curt Hanson, because the national political environment for Democrats is less favorable now than it was last November, conservative interest groups are heavily invested in this race, and same-sex marriage has galvanized the Republican base in Iowa.

Labels: elections, state House

The special election in House District 90 between Republican candidate
Stephen Burgmeier and Democrat Curt Hanson is now less than a week
away. If Republicans are able to pick up the seat, they will gain a
critical vote in the Iowa House that should help fend off a number of
labor union bills that would devastate Iowa's economy. A win by
Republicans in HD 90 would also create a tremendous amount of
political momentum for House Republicans if they are able to capture
the seat. On the Democratic side, a victory will allow them to claim
that the anti-Culver sentiment that Republicans have been talking
about for most of the year doesn't really exist despite all of the
recent polls that show that, for the first time in decades, Iowans
would rather vote for a Republican candidate than a Democrat for
governor.

Labels: state House

In what's shaping up to be a hard fought race in House District 90,
Republican Stephen Burgmeier has received the endorsement of anti-gay
rights organization Everyday America. The race between Burgmeier and
Democrat Curt Hansen to fill the seat left open when Democratic Rep.
John Whitaker accepted an appointment to serve as the Iowa director of
the Farm Service Agency could become a showdown between special
interests and political parties on both sides, and it is seen by many
as a blueprint for the general election battles that will take place
in 2010. The Iowa Independent has already reported that conservative
group Iowans for Tax Relief is involved in the campaign already, with
two members of its leadership team making up Burgmeier's campaign
organization.

Labels: state House

When your party suffers a net loss of seats in the state House and Senate for four elections in a row, it's time to try something different. In the case of the Republican Party of Iowa, that apparently means outsourcing operations for the September 1 special election in Iowa House district 90. In a July 31 e-mail blast, Iowa GOP chairman Matt Strawn encouraged activists to contact "Matt Gronewald, our Legislative Majority Fund Director," if they would like to volunteer for Stephen Burgmeier, the Republican candidate in district 90. However, Burgmeier's campaign website tells the real story.

Labels: Iowa GOP, state House

The resignation of John Whitaker (D) in Iowa HD 90 has left a vacant
seat and the special election to fill it will be on September 1. This
district includes Van Buren County and parts of Wapello and Jefferson
Counties. While this is a Democrat leaning district, in light of what
has been happening it could very well turn into a swing district.
Stephen Burgmeier has received the Republican nomination for this
district. He and his wife, Betty, reside in Lockridge and are
partners in the Hooter Lane Farms sow farm, and farm over 300 acres of
land. Burgmeier is a three time elected Jefferson County Supervisor,
currently serving as chairman, a past district director of the Iowa
Pork Producers, an appointed delegate of the Pork Act boards, and a
Jefferson County Farm Bureau board member.

Labels: state House

The Democratic-controlled legislature failed to pass some important bills during the 2009 legislative session, including a tax reform package and all major agenda items for organized labor. Since the fiasco that doomed the "prevailing wage" bill in February, I've thought that electing better Democrats to the state legislature is at least as important as electing more Democrats. With a 56-44 majority in the Iowa House, it's ridiculous not to be able to find 51 votes for some of these bills. According to a letter I received last weekend, Ed and Lynn Fallon of I'M for Iowa are already meeting with potential progressive challengers in some House districts. I've posted the full text of the letter after the jump. I share their disappointment with what the Democratic "trifecta" has accomplished since the 2006 elections.

Labels: IDP, state House

Democrat leaders in the House are having difficulty finding the 51
votes required to pass the repeal of federal deductibility. House
Democrats originally planned to debate and vote on HF 807 tomorrow,
but the federal deductibility bill has been removed from the calendar
for the time being. As it stands now, the following Democrats are
opposed to the bill: Rep. Geri Huser - Altoona, Rep. Doris Kelley -
Waterloo, Rep. Brian Quirk - New Hampton, Rep. Dolores Mertz -
Ottosen, Rep. Elesha Gayman - Davenport, Rep. Paul Bell - Newton.
Democrats are working on an amendment aimed to get one or two of the
Representatives listed above to flake.

Labels: state House, taxes

"The tenants evicted the landlords." "Refused to allow the people to
speak." "Since when did applause become a protest?" Let's step away
from the spin machine long enough to evaluate the sorry spectacle that
occurred last night in Des Moines during a public hearing on proposed
legislation to eliminate federal deductibility. The first speaker was
Beth Pearson from the Iowa Policy Project. She voiced support for the
idea, citing that it would be a benefit for low-income taxpayers. In
response to her comments several individuals in the gallery -- most of
them wearing red shirts and representing Iowans for Tax Relief --
protested. To be blunt, the same people screaming this morning about
being removed from a public hearing booed an Iowan for expressing her
opinion on a proposed piece of legislation.

Labels: Pat_Murphy, state House

Just an hour into the public hearing on House File 807, Speaker of the
House Pat Murphy ordered State Troopers to remove all citizens who
were not scheduled to speak from the House chamber. Murphy's decision
came after Rep. Paul Shomshor warned the people who gathered that if
they continued their outbursts, the galleries would be cleared.
Speaker Murphy's decision to remove the people who had taken the time
to speak out or listen to this debate was shocking and something never
seen before. While the crowd at times was rambunctious, it also
quieted down quickly for the next speaker. Instead of evicting
hundreds of concerned taxpayers from the State Capitol, Murphy and
Shomshor should have simply kept warning the audience about their
behavior and continued with the forum.

Labels: Pat_Murphy, state House, taxes

I was there, it was cool. When provoked by public opposition to the
Labor/Socialist/Democrat confiscatory plan to repeal federal
deductibility at tonight's public hearing, Democrat Speaker Pat Murphy
gave a vivid exposition of Cromwellian politics at their worst. Rumors
of the jack booted tactics that Murphy and Majority Leader Kevin
"Bully" McCarthy employ behind closed doors in running the House have
been rampant, but tonight the world was treated to a public explosion
by Murphy. Yes, as you've heard, Murphy cleared the public from the
people's house because the 600 or so people who showed up to oppose
the Labor/Socialist/Democrat confiscation scheme politely clapped for
opposition speakers (who outnumbered the L/S/D confiscation proponents
8-1 or so) and less politely but quite discreetly and softly booed
proponents of the plan.

Labels: Pat_Murphy, state House, taxes

Members of the Iowa House overwhelmingly supported passage of a bill
that seeks to add pay discrimination into the Iowa Civil Rights Code.
The bill, which was first past along party lines by the Iowa Senate on
Feb. 16, had minor changes in the House version that will require
another nod from the Senate before heading to the Governor's desk. The
House changes are primarily cosmetic. Information that was previously
placed into an existing subparagraph of the Civil Rights Code was
pulled out and then given its own new subparagraph. Therefore, it is
highly likely that the bill will once again gain Senate approval.

Labels: state House

Iowa Republicans are mobilizing against House File 530, which would
allow employees to select their own doctor in case of a workplace
injury. The workers' compensation reform has already cleared a
subcommittee (over the objections of its Republican member) and will
be discussed at a public hearing tonight at 7 pm at the capitol. Iowa
GOP chairman Matt Strawn held a press conference on the issue
yesterday in Davenport, and most statehouse Republicans agree with the
business interests working hard to defeat the bill. Opponents claim
the bill would let injured workers go "doctor-shopping," even though
the text states clearly that workers would have to designate a
personal physician before any injury occurs.

Labels: health_care, state House

Many have deemed this week "labor week" in the Iowa House of
Representatives. Last night some 40 Iowans spoke out at a public
forum. Following the forum, the bill quickly passed out of the House
Labor Committee. The bill is expected to be debated on the floor of
the House on Friday if Democrats can find the 51 votes needed to pass
it. Democrat leaders in the House might have a hard time finding the
necessary votes to move forward with the bill. It is rumored that as
many as ten Democrats oppose the legislation. If that is indeed the
case, it will be another embarrassing loss for the labor unions who
have yet to see one of their legislative priorities be signed into
law.

Labels: health_care, state House, unions

I don't really know what to make of House Democrats filing two Labor
Union bills yesterday. One of the bills, HF 530 would allow union
workers to choose their own doctor if they get injured on the job. The
other is the most contentious bill they could file, HF 555. HF 555
requires non union members to pay union dues. Talk about un-American.
I think there is a good possibility that the Democrats move on the
choice of doctor legislation. Like prevailing wage, it's an issue that
they can spin as pro-worker pretty easily. ... I have a feeling that the
Fair Share bill is another distraction, just like the bicycle bill and
the Electoral College bill was over in the Senate.

Labels: state House, unions

The "prevailing wage" bill fiasco finally ended on Monday. ... As Iowa
Politics reported, McCarthy's vote-switch will allow the leadership to
bring this bill up later in the session, if they can find 51
supporters. The logical thing would be for one of the holdout
Democrats who represents a safe district to switch his or her vote,
but Geri Huser and Brian Quirk have made clear that they are not team
players and for whatever reason don't see the benefit to helping local
workers earn an extra dollar or two an hour.

Labels: state House, unions

Yesterday the Iowa House took up House File 333, which will enact a
prevailing wage in Iowa. The "prevailing wage" is an administrative
wage, set by government officials, based on union wage rates where the
work would be performed. They are, in effect, required by law to spend
more money than necessary. "We're over one-third of the way through
the legislative session and Democrats have yet to move a bill that
puts one Iowan back to work and this prevailing wage bill is nothing
new," said House Republican Leader Kraig Paulsen (R-Hiawatha).

Labels: state House, unions

A month prior to the 2008 election, it was learned that State Sen.
James Seymour, R-Woodbine, had been arrested for soliciting sex in Des
Moines. The arrest came in mid-2002, right before his first election
in Senate District 28, which covers many western Iowa districts.
Seymour had been nominated to be on the '08 ballot before the arrest
disclosure was made, and Democrats sought having a few write-in
candidates to take the seat, figuring the news would keep Republicans
from voting for Seymour. But he won the election, although the
write-in candidacy of Lenee Sinnett of Ida Grove and others got more
than 7,000 votes, a sizable amount. Some Dems told me they figured
Seymour would resign his post, but that doesn't seem likely, as the
Legislature gavels in in five days.

Labels: state House

Democratic Iowa House leaders Kevin McCarthy and Pat Murphy have
received a call from the members of Iowa Citizens for Community
Improvement to remove Dolores Mertz (D-Ottosen) as chairwoman of the
House Agriculture Committee. The group cites Mertz's voting record and
close ties to the factory farm industry as reasons for the action.
Mertz, an 11-term member of the House, was re-appointed last week by
leadership to serve as chair of the committee for the 2009 legislative
session. "For more than a dozen years, she has consistently voted for
policies that benefit corporate factory farms and worked against the
interests of hundreds of thousands of everyday Iowans," read the ICCI
press release. "In addition, Mertz's son, Peter, owns a 4,000-head hog
factory, which raises other questions about her votes." Kevin
Shilling, a member of ICCI and a livestock/poultry farmer, accused
leadership of caring "more about the factory farm industry than the
quality of life of everday Iowans."

Labels: agriculture, state House

I was asleep at the wheel when the Iowa House Democratic leadership made the committee assignments last week. I didn't notice that Representative Brian Quirk of New Hampton will replace Representative Geri Huser of Altoona as chair of the Transportation Committee. ... Does anyone know why Murphy would have wanted to replace Huser? As the Register notes, she is among the more conservative members of the Democratic caucus. I am not sure whether she was committed to the "fair share" bill that never came to a vote in the Iowa House in 2007. ... Some activists have suggested Huser has a conflict of interest because some of her work in the legislature and on the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization could financially benefit her family's business interests.

Labels: state House, transportation

House Democrats seem to have made strategically smart decisions in assigning their members to committees for the 2009 legislative session. ... Almost all vulnerable Democratic incumbents have been kept off the Ways and Means committee. In a year of budget shortfalls, Ways and Means will likely have to send some tax-increasing bills to the floor. Members of the committee who vote to send those bills to the floor will be said to have voted for tax increases an absurd number of times because negative direct mail does not typically distinguish between committee votes and floor votes. As with Ways and Means, the Labor committee also has few vulnerable incumbents this year. ... But after a campaign that was dominated by attacks on Democrats for taking tough votes on labor issues, Democratic leaders may be content to let union resources go into their general campaign fund so that they can redistribute it as needed, rather than relying on unions to provide direct support to at-risk incumbents.

Labels: state House

I am disappointed that the Democrats did not gain as many seats in the
Iowa legislature as I'd hoped. With Barack Obama winning this state by
9 percent and Democrats enjoying a big voter registration advantage,
we should have done better in the statehouse races. We need to analyze
what sank some of our down-ticket candidates so we can do better in
2010. None of that should obscure the much bigger problems currently
facing the Republican Party of Iowa. Six days after the fourth
straight election in which Republicans have lost seats in both the
Iowa House and Senate, the Republicans House caucus voted to replace
Christopher Rants of Sioux City as their leader. Kraig Paulsen of
Hiawatha (a suburb of Cedar Rapids) will take on the job. ... With two
House races yet to be decided, Republicans are likely to end up with
only 44 of the 100 seats in the lower chamber.

Labels: Christopher Rants, Iowa GOP, Kraig_Paulsen, state House

... House Republicans will meet on Monday to select their leader. The outcome of this race for the leadership positions at the State House will determine what if anything is going to change in how House Republicans conduct their campaigns. Now I’ve seen how these things work in the echo chamber, the discussion tends to be based on personalities not the mechanics of these races which is of great importance. While some will quickly vilify Rants, you have to give him some credit. Rants is an articulate spokesperson, there is no doubt that he works hard in the areas of candidate recruitment, and fundraising. Despite his talents, under his leadership Republicans have went from a 56 member majority to a 44 seat minority. The tide is now against him as are some in his caucus and it is time for new leadership. Yesterday, Kraig Paulsen made it known that he is going to challenge Rants for his leadership position. Paulsen, who is from Cedar Rapids, was the number two guy behind Rant in the House and was an integral part of the House Campaign effort. All of this begs the question, what will change if anything if Paulsen is appointed as House Minority Leader?

Labels: Christopher Rants, state House

The chronology of the election returns had it backwards. Early election results showed incumbent state representatives Wes Whitead, Roger Wendt and Elesha Gayman losing their seats as the returns rolled in. A buzz of panic rippled through an Iowa City victory party: "Did we lose the House? Did we lose the House?" But the three incumbents had won re-election (assuming Whitead hold his six vote lead) before the polls even opened. When the absentee results were added in, their early vote totals overcame the Election Day leads of Republican challengers. It was like watching the second half of a ball game before seeing the score of the first half, making an early lead look like a come-from-behind win. "We won on election night, and we lost when they opened the mailbox," House Republican Leader Christopher Rants told the Des Moines Register. "Election Day is no longer 24 hours, it's 24 days." 40 days, to be exact, as state law allowed any Iowa to vote early beginning Sept. 25.

Labels: elections, state House

I apologize for not posting my State House predictions yesterday
afternoon as I said I would. I was pulled away from the office and
couldn't get them posted. Just like the presidential race here in
Iowa, predicting the outcome of the races for the Iowa House of
Representatives is a tossup. The media and most Democrats tell us
there is another blue wave coming, and Republican insiders really
believe they have a chance at taking the majority in the House. I've
studied at these House races and I see some very promising things, and
then find some races that are equally disturbing. I'll be up front
from the start, I can get Republicans to 49 seats in the House but I
don't know how realistic I'm being in that scenario. I think the more
likely outcome is that the Republican's return in January with 46 or
47 seats.

Labels: state House, state Senate

Republican attorneys challenged the absentee ballots of 50 Grinnell
College students today, an act that could have an impact on the battle
for control of the Iowa House of Representatives. The students in
question reside in Iowa House District 75, where a heated campaign is
being waged between incumbent Democrat Eric Palmer and Republican
Danny Carroll. In 2004, the same matchup was decided by a little more
than 300 votes -- in Carroll's favor. Palmer won by a slightly larger
margin in their 2006 rematch. Grinnell students have a long history of
supporting Democratic candidates. The elimination of 50 votes could
tip the balance of the election to Carroll. Poweshiek County Auditor
Diana Dawley said the ballots were challenged on the grounds that the
students do not reside at the address they listed when they registered
to vote.

Labels: state House, voting

As I wrote on Monday, I attended a debate hosted by the Ames Chamber
of Commerce and the League of Women Voters for the Iowa House
candidates in the Ames area. One topic that got brought up was the
issue of special interests and their role in the election process. All
three Democratic candidates decried the influence of special interests
and voiced that they would be in favor of laws that would restrict
this influence. Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell of House District 45 was
in attendance and was the most outspoken opponent of the influence
that special interests have in elections. See this article here from
the Ames Tribune quoting Wessel-Kroeschell from Monday's debate. So,
to keep her honest I decided to see if her rhetoric matched reality.

Labels: campaign finance, state House

For two years the residents of Iowa House District 9 have been
represented by a man whose very office was bought and paid for by
special interests and industrialists. After reading that many people
are going to assume that District 09 has been represented by a
Republican. This couldn't be further from the truth. Iowa House
District 09 is the district represented by McKinley Bailey. You want
some proof of that, just check out the non-partisan website operated
by the National Institute on Money in State Politics,
followthemoney.org. I will even provide you with a direct link to
Bailey's page on this website, here. As you can see, Mr. Bailey is one
of the top fundraisers in the state of Iowa with $53,444 raised so far
in this election cycle.

Labels: state House

It would be hard to find a political candidate in Iowa with a more
difficult race than James Van Bruggen. To say he's got an uphill
struggle to unseat incumbent Rep. Dwayne Alons in Iowa House District
4 would be an understatement. What's Van Bruggen's problem? He's a
25-year-old legislative assistant from George, facing a farmer and
former Air Force pilot who has been running unopposed for a decade in
the northwestern part of the state that has been called the "Bible
Belt of Iowa." At first glance, many would think Alons might be just
the kind of a candidate the state Democratic Party might put resources
into unseating. During his 10 years in office, he has been very
successful at grabbing headlines that are not always flattering.

Labels: state House

You know in the past when I have written about Union Thug/House
Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy people have posted comments and sent me
emails telling me that it's a low blow calling this guy a thug. Well
sorry, that's exactly what this guy is. The most disturbing part is
the fact that he doesn't try to hide it. It's kind of like those Scab
shits the union guys were wearing in 2006. Anyway, Union Thug/House
Majority Leader McCarthy recently dropped of his little book of dirty
secrets to the folks at the Des Moines Register. Now I've never done
any opposition research, but from what I know it usually contains
votes that someone may have made or public statements on issues. Union
Thug/House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's research goes a little
further, delving into candidates' personal lives.

Labels: IDP, state House

At least three Cedar Rapids-area Republican candidates for state
office have been snubbed by GOP leadership in an opportunity to share
the stage with Arizona Sen. John McCain Thursday, according to one of
the candidates. Kathy Potts, Republican candidate in Iowa House
District 33, said she has been excluded from the event. She said Emma
Nemecek, Republican candidate in House District 29, and Joe Childers,
who is running in Senate District 18, had also been told that they
would not get to appear with McCain. "Christopher [Rants] and Kraig
[Paulsen] are in charge of the event tomorrow with McCain," said
Potts. "They do not want me on stage. They said that I and Emma
Nemecek and Joe Childers are losers and that they only want Renee
[Schulte] and Nick [Wagner] on stage."

Labels: John_McCain, RPI, state House

The Iowa House District 89 race, once again, features a young first
time candidate against an older contender with deep community ties.
But with the retirement of longtime incumbent Republican incumbent
Sandy Greiner, the parties have reversed roles. It's the Republicans
who have the young candidate with Jarad Klein, while the Democrats
have the older contender with Larry Marek. Marek rolled up a big fund
raising lead in the July 19 reports, with $14,924 cash on hand to
Klein's $3,131. But Klein is clearly a GOP priority, with his large
red and white signs on the highways of Washington County outnumbering
those for higher on the ticket Republican candidates.

Labels: state House

Republican candidate for Iowa House, Jarad Klein, can't be too happy
with the results to his online poll on his campaign website. One of
Klein's top issues is keeping Iowa's Right to Work law and he links to
a Right to Work website on his website that advocates that... "No one
should be forced to pay tribute to a union in order to get or keep a
job." Klein has an online poll asking... "Legislation is being
proposed this session that would force all workers to pay union dues.
Do you support this measure?" As of Tuesday night, out of 72 votes, 53
people voted yes (74%) and just 19 people voted no (26%). Klein has to
be disappointed that almost 3/4 of the votes so far answered yes to
that question and are in favor of requiring all workers to pay for
services provided to them by unions.

Labels: state House, unions

The incumbents with challengers all survived and the favored
candidates generally came through in last night's legislative
primaries. Your round up: Senate District 16: High school football has
a 50 point rule, but not so for politics. Republican Dave McLaughlin
gets the blowout of the night award, for an 88 percent to 12 percent
win over Gary Lee Culver, who campaigned little. McLaughlin is a top
tier GOP challenger against incumbent Tom Hancock. Senate District 18:
Republican Joe Childers won handily over Karla Sibert, 72 percent to
28 percent, in his bid to fill Mary Lundby's shoes. This is one of the
Democrat's top pickup chances with Rep. Swati Dandekar.

Labels: state House, state Senate

Between the last Democratic presidential contests, and Iowa's
contested primaries in three congressional districts and the
Republican U.S. Senate race, state legislative races won't be on many
radar screens Tuesday night. But several of the contested primaries in
deep red or dark blue districts will be decisive or nearly decisive..
But several of the contested primaries in deep red or dark blue
districts will be decisive or nearly decisive. Here's the legislative
scorecard for Tuesday night: Senate District 16: In a Republican
primary, Cascade car dealer Dave McLaughlin is favored over Gary Lee
Culver of Wyoming.

Labels: state House, state Senate

I live in Iowa House district 59, which includes Windsor Heights,
Clive and parts of West Des Moines. Republicans have held this seat
since before I was born, but I am convinced that Windsor Heights Mayor
Jerry Sullivan has a strong chance to flip this district for the
Democrats. Judging from two calls I received in the past 48 hours,
some Republicans are worried about that possibility too. On Sunday
evening I got a robocall from "Survey 2000" claiming to have a brief
30-second survey for me to answer. The first question was whether I
planned to vote in the June 3 Democratic primary. The second was
whether I planned to vote for Jerry Sullivan or Mark Matel in the
primary. Then the push-polling started.

Labels: state House

In the past I have tended to focus mostly on Federal and Statewide
races. When deciding to kome out of retirement and made a kommitment
to be more involved in the local legislative races. I'm pretty excited
about some things I'm working on. Today's focus is the primary in
House District 69. HD 69 is in the northern part of Polk Kounty
includes Johnston, Grimes, but doesn't include the city of Ankeny. The
seat is kurrently help by Walt Tomenga who is retiring. Thank God! I
think Walt voted for the same day voter registration and was wrong on
Eminent Domain. I'm too darn lazy to do research today. I have serious
issues when a Republican doesn't understand the importance of the
property rights of the individual... The two primary kandidates are Erik
Helland and Al Lorenzen.

Labels: state House

Iowa lawmakers are meeting today in an effort to reconcile the 2008
health and human services appropriations bill, a necessary and
traditional piece of legislation considered controversial this year
due to the implementation of a new fund that would address family
planning. The fund, allocated up to $750,000 before House lawmakers
stripped it from the bill and re-allocated the funds to county mental
health services on Tuesday, is a focused effort of Planned Parenthood
of Greater Iowa, through the Healthy Families project. The monies
would be used to aid low-income and under-served women in Iowa in
obtaining contraceptives and accessing family planning programs that
seek to prevent unwanted pregnancy.

Labels: state House

Jeremy Taylor, the Sioux City Republican who wants to unseat Democrat
Wes Whitead in Iowa House District 1, this morning announced he will
not accept campaign donations from political action committees or
lobbyists. So Taylor, a political newcomer, will be filling out
finance disclosure forms that only include donations from individuals.
He said he's taking the step to reduce the influence of special
interests in the Iowa Legislature. Taylor acknowledges this will put
him at a competitive disadvantage with Whitead, who's received PAC
money frequently in winning four terms. "Although my opponent may
outspend me 10-to1, I hope to make up for the lack of money with 10
times the door knocking and visiting with voters," Taylor said.

Labels: state House

As the 2008 Iowa legislative session runs nears its conclusion,
lawmakers who are "retiring" (not seeking re-election) are given a
chance to give speeches. In the House, those making such voluntary
exits are given an opportunity to stand at their desk on the House
floor and speak to their colleagues. Representative Clarence Hoffman,
a Republican from Denison, was the first to speak last week and
Hoffman concluded by telling his colleagues he was a glass half full
kind of guy and he was leaving it to those who'll serve in the 2009
legislature to tackle getting that glass full. In the Senate, other
senators get up to say (almost always) nice things about the
soon-to-be-ex senator and then the senator gets to speak. Senator Mary
Lundby, a Republican from Marion, is not seeking re-election after 22
years in the Iowa House & Senate.

Labels: state House, state Senate

Service to community is nothing new for Pat VanZante, Democratic
candidate for Iowa House District 71. Throughout her life she has
volunteered and worked for the betterment of both her immediate
community and the state at large. Being elected to serve in the state
legislature, she said, is a way she can continue what she's already
started and make a difference on a larger scale. Pride in the state
and a want for it to be the best it can be is ingrained in both her
and her husband, Arvin VanZante -- descendants of families that have
long made Iowa their home. "[Running for the Iowa House of
Representatives] is very exciting, but also a little scary," she
admitted.

Labels: state House

Phyllis Thede, a Democratic candidate for Iowa House District 81, is
just two years away from a close but disappointing bid for the Iowa
Senate, which she lost by just 436 votes. She says, however, it's that
campaign, despite its unfortunate ending, that has given her the drive
to try again. "When I lost the last time, it was a bit of a blow,"
Thede said. "But I think once you get bitten by this political bug,
you say to yourself, 'Hey, you know what? I know I can do well as a
representative of Iowa.' "I developed lots of ideas when I ran last
time -- ideas on how I could serve the people of Iowa. I don't want to
let those ideas go. They need to happen because there are too many
things that Iowans and our state need."

Labels: state House

Despite being voted against by our two area Representatives (Mary
Mascher and Vicki Lensing), the Iowa House has followed the lead of
the Senate and approved a proposed constitutional amendment to
dedicate a portion of future sales tax increases to the environment.
If the constitutional amendment is approved, the Legislature could
create a 3/8-cent sales tax to fund those efforts. The tax would go to
such efforts as protecting natural areas of the state, cleaning up
Iowa waterways and funding parks, trails, fish and wildlife habitats
and soil conservation.

Labels: state House, state Senate

Cayla Baresel is the first to admit that a successful campaign against
Republican incumbent Pat Grassley in Iowa House District 17 is going
to take a lot of work, but she says that she has the energy and
dedication to get the job done. At age 23, Baresel is the youngest
woman currently seeking a legislative seat. She's also an Iowa native
and a 2007 graduate of Wartburg College where she obtained her
bachelor of arts degree in political science. Most recently, she's put
shoe leather to asphalt in Butler and Bremer counties as a field
organizer for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign.

Labels: state House

November may seem like a long way off, but many of the top races that
will decide control of the Iowa Legislature have already taken shape.
Some fall matchups will be settled in the June 3 primary. But in other
seats, the picture is already clear. Here's our top five Senate races
and top ten House contests. Senate District 16: Tom Hancock,
D-Epworth: Hancock knocked off short-term GOP incumbent Julie Hosch
narrowly in 2004. Hosch took the seat narrowly in 2002 after incumbent
Tom Flynn got burned in redistricting. Cascade car dealer Dave
McLaughlin and Gary Lee Culver of Wyoming will face off in a
Republican primary.

Labels: state House

Century of the Common Iowan, a liberal blogger here in Iowa, has a
post up begging readers to contribute money to far left Democratic
Representatives McKinley Bailey, Elesha Gayman and Eric Palmer since
today is the last day to raise money for the first quarter fundraising
report. All three of them narrowly defeated Republican incumbents in
2006 and therefore have bullseyes for this year. With a very small
margin determining who controls the Iowa House, these three seats are
must wins for the Grand Ol' Party. So, I decided I'd click on McKinley
Bailey's website and check it out. I started laughing immediately at
the blatant hypocrisy. Here's what it says on Bailey's re-election
website under the obviously bogus claim of "Your Vote, My Pledge."

Labels: state House

Extreme liberal Herman Quirmbach is working overtime these days to
screw over college students. As Chair of a three person Education
Subcommittee, Quirmbach appears to be holding up the important
textbook bill that I blogged about several weeks ago. What happened to
the bill in the Iowa House? It passed 96-0! NO VOTES against it. Yet,
Quirmbach continues his crusade to keep students from knowing what
their textbooks will be before classes get started. This bill seeks to
provide information ahead of the start of each semester so that
students can know which books they will need so they can find them at
the cheapest possible price.

Labels: state House

Could the Sioux Cityans serving in Iowa House next year all be under
age 45? There could be a considerable youth movement in representation
if two young Republican newcomers can unseat two, let's say, more
wizened Democrats who hold seats. Christopher Rants is in low 40s in
his District 54 seat and his opponent, Democrat Carlos Venable Ridley,
is of similar vintage. And in House Districts 1 and 2, two guys under
40 are seeking to upset Roger Wendt (age 74) and Wes Whitead. In a
recent address to supporters, Jeremy Taylor (District 2) noted he and
Rick Bertrand (District 1) are in the race to win. Taylor used the
phrase "older incumbents" for Wendt and Whitead...

Labels: state House

Iowa Republican Senators, Representatives and candidates for those positions have just received a beautiful election year issue: The protecting of Iowa's Right to Work status. The question is, will Republicans forcefully utilize this to our advantage. I sure hope so or else there will be a lot of Republican political and legislative leaders who are going to find themselves a very angry group of grassroots Iowans. I can assure you that this is one issue that will rally the troops if the Generals in Des Moines are ready to don the armor and pick up the jousting sticks. While it is true that this proposed amendment does not explicitly come right out with the anti-Right to Work language like last year's bill, make no mistake about it, this is a clever away of at least getting more than just a foot in the door.

Labels: state House, state Senate

November may seem like a long way off, but many of the top races that
will decide control of the Iowa Legislature have already taken shape.
Some fall matchups will be settled in the June 3 primary. But in other
seats, the picture is already clear. Here's our top five Senate races
and top ten House contests. Senate District 16: Tom Hancock,
D-Epworth: Hancock knocked off short-term GOP incumbent Julie Hosch
narrowly in 2004. Hosch took the seat narrowly in 2002 after incumbent
Tom Flynn got burned in redistricting. Cascade car dealer Dave
McLaughlin and Gary Lee Culver of Wyoming will face off in a
Republican primary.

Labels: state House

The House Environmental Protection Committee on Monday approved a bill
that would extend the 5-cent deposit to bottled water, tea, juice and
sports drinks. It's a step in the right direction, although it would
be better to increase the deposit so that redemption centers could
receive more than 1 cent for each can and bottle they handle. Governor
Culver's original bottle bill proposal would have doubled the deposit
to 10 cents, giving an extra penny to the redemption centers. However,
Culver's bill also would have returned only 8 cents of the deposit to
consumers. The other 2 cents would have gone to fund some
environmental programs.

Labels: Chet_Culver, state House

Jamie Johnson is the President of Iowa News-Talk Radio. For four years
he hosted a popular daily radio show in which he interviewed
newsmakers and opinion-shapers from across the nation, discussing
political, economic, and cultural trends affecting American life. His
heartland perspective on politics has been sought by CBS News, ABC
News, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Newsweek, The New York
Post, The Washington Times, The Associated Press, The Internet News
Agency, American Radio Journal, and WorldNetDaily. Jamie previously
taught economics, government, history, communication, sociology,
ethics, and logic at Des Moines Area Community College and Iowa
Central Community College.

Labels: state House

At a state policy briefing scheduled for Thursday morning, Iowa
legislators and other state officials will be asked to end federally
funded abstinence-only sex education in the state. The move would make
Iowa the 17th state to reject Title V abstinence-only funding. Rep.
Mary Mascher, a Democrat from Iowa City, sponsored and floor managed a
bill during the 2007 session that required all sexual education taught
in accredited Iowa schools to be medically- and scientifically-based.
Signed into law last spring, the bill did not necessarily put an end
to abstinence-only sex education teaching in Iowa, but it did ratify
standards and guidelines that directly conflict with those associated
with federal funding streams.

Labels: state House, state Senate

Trolling through one of my favorite websites, IowaPolitics.com, I
found a link to a nice story that appeared in Quad-City Times that
notes that there is an advertising campaign going on to highlight
Gayman's liberal views on issues of importance to Iowans. This is
outstanding and is something that I advocated back in September. In
fact, Campaigns and Elections Magazine contacted me after I wrote that
post to discuss it further... I am very excited to see that such
actions are being tried. If we are to take back our majority in the
House come November, it will be because we tossed aside liberal
Democrats like Elesha Gayman and McKinley Bailey.

Labels: state House

The process of getting an absentee ballot may get slightly less bureaucratic this fall, if a bill that passed the Senate overwhelmingly Monday makes its way past the House and Governor Culver. Senate File 2089 by Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, would roll back a 2004 change that required auditors to accept absentee requests only if they were on one specific statewide form. "I am just trying to restore the prior practice, which as far as I know was never a problem," said Quirmbach.

Labels: Chet_Culver, state House, state Senate

Polly Granzow, the Republican State Representative from House District
44, comprising Hardin County and most of Marshall County outside of
Marshalltown, is not running for re-election in 2008. This combined
with Larry McKibben's decision not to seek re-election in the Senate
District that includes all of Marshall and Hardin Counties, puts local
Republicans in a bind as Century for the Common Iowan notes. However,
it puts the State Republican Party into even bigger bind. So far, nine
Republican incumbents in the State House are not running for
re-election according to Iowa Independent.

Labels: state House

The second-biggest statistical secret in Iowa politics could be out in
the open if a Linn County Republican's bill passes the Legislature.
The biggest secret, of course, is the raw vote total from the
Democratic caucuses. That's still hush-hush. But the second-biggest
mystery is how the absentee votes break out by precinct. Current Iowa
law, drafted in an age when the only absentee voters were shut-ins,
service people and expatriates, requires that all absentee ballots
across a county be counted as a separate precinct. The law forbids
auditors from releasing any breakdown below the county level.

Labels: state House, state Senate

The Iowa Legislature has begun what will prove to be a very exciting year for health care reform in the state. This Tuesday legislators presented a health care bill that would bring universal coverage to Iowa's approximately 45,000 uninsured children. This would be accomplished by expanding already existing programs to afford covering 25,000 more eligible kids, and providing subsidies to cover a remaining 19,000 in private plans. This goal is to be reached within three years, but in order for it to reach the Governor's desk it will need legislative support. SEIU and Iowa for Health Care are setting out to assure this support by holding its 5th Annual Lobby Day at the Capitol on February 14th.

Labels: Chet_Culver, state House, state Senate

A statewide smoking ban was approved Tuesday by the Iowa House Commerce Committee. The bill, managed by Rep. Tyler Olson of Cedar Rapids, was approved with two additional exemptions -- casinos and federally chartered veterans organization that are closed to the public. "Secondhand smoke contains 60 chemicals that cause cancer, asthma and other respiratory diseases," said Olson, a Democrat. "There is no risk-free secondhand smoke exposure for Iowans or workers. This creation of smoke-free places will protect Iowans in 99 percent of public places and workplaces, including bars and restaurants."

Labels: smoking_ban, state House

I thought this was the Hawkeye (Cyclone) State? I guess we've all been
duped. I'm going to start calling this the "Nanny State". Because that
is apparently what many legislators in Des Moines are interested in
fostering. It's shameful. I will be watching the vote on this, should
it come forward, very closely. We are allowing government to take on
more and more power. The recent legislation sponsored by big
government leftist Swati Dandekar to ban the use of cell phones in
vehicles is another big swipe at our liberties. Do I agree that people
should use cellular telephones responsibly while driving or riding in
a car? Yes. Absolutely. That's common sense. However, there are many
other distractions that could be put forward too.

Labels: state House, state Senate

"Everyone's got caucus hangover right now," State Rep. Ray Zirkelbach
said of the pre-recorded calls still echoing in the ears of Iowans.
The Monticello Democrat is trying to put a stop to auto-dialed
"robocalls" by making the tactic illegal in Iowa. But critics of the
bill have free speech concerns, and Zirkelbach's own frank assessment
is that the bill, though popular with his constituents, won't advance
this year. Party leaders "haven't even talked to me about it," said
Zirkelbach. "I'm sure a ton of people are against it." Still, he
stands by House File 2008. "Everybody complains about (the calls) but
no one does anything about it."

Labels: state House

Iowa business owners who repeatedly employ illegal aliens would face civil penalties of up to $10,000 and up to a year in jail under legislation being proposed by a coalition of Democrats in the Iowa House of Representatives. House File 2026 would lead to the creation of the law that prohibits employers from employing any persons in the United States illegally. The employer would be exempt from penalties if they seek verification of a worker's citizenship status through the Department of Homeland Security's verification system.

Labels: Christopher Rants, state House

A few days ago, Iowa Democratic leaders held a press conference in Des
Moines at the Capitol talking about the need to get tough on illegal
immigration. Don't believe a word they are saying. Democrats in Iowa
had a chance to vote on tough anti-illegal immigration legislation
during the 2006 session and many of them voted against it. Without
Republican leadership the bill wouldn't have passed. What was the
bill? House File 2671. It was considered by the House on 3/16/2006.
What happened to it in the Senate? All I can seem to find is that it
was referred to a committee. Fascinating.

Labels: immigration, state House, state Senate

Sen. Mike Gronstal and Rep. Kevin McCarthy were in Marshalltown this afternoon to speak about legislative accomplishments. ... Someone else asked about VOICE before I could get a chance to. ... Gronstal responded by saying that he is a fan of getting the influence of money out of politics, but the VOICE legislation had somethings in it that weren't the best. Gronstal talked about the study group created to look into the issue of clean elections. He then said that he will work with groups that are friendly, a clear shot at the incident at the State House with clean elections supporters. ... [McCarthy's issues with VOICE: ] First, the bill includes primaries. McCarthy said that if someone in his district is upset with one of his votes all they would have to do is get 100 people to donate $5 each and they would be eligible for tax payer money to run. Second, McCarthy said the VOICE legislation would make it illegal for House leaders to funnel money to other races. Right now the House leaders are able to raise unlimited amounts of money and then can dish that money out to candidates in targetted races.

Labels: campaign finance, elections, state House, state Senate

... It is impossible to celebrate our mothers or our lives as mothers without taking a moment to consider how that very important life role has helped to shape who we are and what we do. "My mother was hard working, had a great sense of humor, enjoyed life, always tried to fix what was wrong, and loved herself," said Iowa Rep. Helen Miller. ... "I see my legislative role much like that of a parent working to do her best for individuals and groups who may be needy, confident, pushy, sensitive, unreasonable, helpful, angry, and more. It helps to call upon memories, analogies and quotes from my child-rearing days -- those child-rearing days are not unlike my work now." ... fellow legislator Rep. Vicki Lensing agrees. "Becoming a mother is life-changing and the only training we have is what we know – from our own mothers and women in our lives that have taught, modeled and influenced us," she said. "It brings us skills, strengths and weaknesses. It releases within us feelings that we have never felt before in quite the same way as motherhood brings to us.

Labels: state House

As the Iowa legislative session came to a close early Sunday, House Democrats marveled that they had passed all but one of the items on their legislative agenda. The next day, they learned that they were short one more thing: a caucus member. The two issues were not unrelated. ... Fair Share, despite being passed in the Iowa Senate, never came to a vote in the House because, McCarthy said, "We just didn't have the votes to get it done." McCarthy said that the proposal had the support of 50 Democrats in the caucus but lacked that crucial 51st. "We don't have that large a majority." One Democratic representative, Ray Zirkelbach of Monticello is currently serving in Iraq, and in addition to Pettengill, two other members of the Democratic caucus refused to support the bill. McCarthy declined to name those representatives. McCarthy said that on the way to regaining the majority in the 2006 elections, some conservative Democrats ran, or were recruited, to defeat Republican incumbents. Keeping them on board for certain issues, he said was "challenging." In the interview, McCarthy did not seem angry that the bill failed to pass; he simply stated matter-of-factly that "the answer is to continue to try to educate [reluctant members] and to pick up a few more seats" in order to make up for deserters. ... McCarthy bristled at the suggestion that he had tried to strong-arm people for support. "I definitely didn't," he said. "We used tough arguments trying to convince people… We did that through civil and respectful conversation." McCarthy said, "The argument that we were strong-arming people was coming from right wing Republican propaganda." The charge, he said, was "a falsehood, a lie."

Labels: Dawn Pettengill, state House

... As Pettengill herself noted in a Des Moines Register article a month ago, "I don't fit in either place, really." At that time she indicated if she switched it would probably be to independent. If her voting record in the state legislature is any indication, she's wrong about not fitting with the Democratic Party. Her record shows her squarely in the middle on many key issues as outlined in the party's platform (and in direct opposition of many on the other side of the aisle). In looking at Pettengill's 2006 voting record on issues key to labor, she scores high. Seventy-five percent of the time she and the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO took the same position. ... Likewise, when looking at GLBT issues this session, Pettengill received a grade of B (Pro-Gay). She voted with this constituency on three out of five issues. ... Pettengill voted with the Iowa ACLU 50 percent of the time this session while the best a member of the Republican Caucus could muster was 30 percent. The votes were on such issues as the separation of church and state; employee rights; voting rights; and due process.

Labels: Dawn Pettengill, state House

... While gaining a house seat in a good district for Republicans is nice, Pettengill's defection is an excellent illustration of how out-of-touch the Speaker Murphy and Thug Leader McCarthy are. ... I think Democrats are making a huge mistake by taking the 2006 election results as a mandate for their social and economic agenda. Were the voters upset with Republicans in 2006? Absolutely. Were the voters tired of the war in Iraq? Absolutely. Were Iowans voting for civil rights to be extended to gays and lesbians? No. Were Iowans voting to give students who are gay and lesbian special protections? No. Were Iowans voting to increase state government spending by more than 10%? No. Were Iowans voting to gut our election laws and open the door for fraud? No. I think that the Democrats have overplayed their hand. It's so bad that they are already have a legislator switching parties to join the minority party.

Labels: Dawn Pettengill, state House

Big Tobacco's Major Player, House Minority Leader Christopher Rants, used his behind the scenes charm* to seduce Dawn Pettengill to the Dark Side of the Minority Force. Dawn's supporters are hailing her defection as courageous. Meanwhile, her opponents are calling her move an act of betrayal, while Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Leader of the Democratic Empire dismissed her move as "...more of a shift on paper..." ... Mark Twain once said, "There are several good protections against temptation, but the surest is cowardice." Tempted by the loss of power, it looks like Dawn may have succumbed to Rants's Svengali powers. (Extracted from George du Maurier's 1894 novel, Trilby, the word "Svengali" means a person who, with evil intent, manipulates another into what is desired.) Sounds like we have the ingredients for shooting another adaptation of Tribly here in Iowa. Now all we have to do is woo Hollywood, manipulating them with Iowa's new film tax exemption.

Labels: Christopher Rants, Dawn Pettengill, state House

The big news under the dome ... was the defection of State Rep. Dawn Pettingill ... to the GOP. This raises several questions: ... How long ago was this planned? Was it before or after Pettingill started going to Democratic caucuses again, and what kinds of conversations was she having? Will she be giving back the $38,611 (43% of her fundraising) that she got in direct donations from the Iowa Democratic Party, not to mention any other money from disgruntled Dems?

Labels: Dawn Pettengill, state House

............................ welcomes its newest member, Rep. Dawn Pettengill of Benton County. Dawn officially changed parties this week. ... Notwithstanding the lofty statement of goals embodied in the Democrat agenda, and the utterly disingenuous representations of an intent to govern from the middle, Iowa Democrats grew government, pillaged the taxpayers and promoted the most special interest dominated radical changes in Iowa culture and economics that Iowa voters have seen in generations. The entire Democrat campaign was, as it always is, near complete deception. Only this time, for a change, it worked. ... For all our faults, including our lack of party discipline, we GOPers remain the party of free speech. Almost our entire party culture is built around the spirit of individualism.

Labels: Dawn Pettengill, state House

This is going to make progressives -- particularly the ones I know who knocked doors for her during the last campaign -- pretty unhappy. Pettengill is known for her emotional outbursts, and my sense is that she perceives her district to be more conservative than it actually is. I posted a while back about why I didn't think Pettengill was going to defect. It turns out I was wrong. This kind of transition, from the majority to the minority (particularly when it looks like the Republicans will likely remain in the minority through next campaign cycle) is surprising, but Pettengill planted the seed for a defection months ago.

Labels: Dawn Pettengill, state House

............ reality defines as a special interest extravaganza. The Democrat Majority Leader in the Iowa House recently gave his description of the new Democrat majority's accomplishments in their first shot at legislative power. ... Let's take a look at who the Democrats REALLY benefited with this orgy of taxing and spending. ... PRESCHOOLS ... who does it really benefit? A small number of children who don't already have access to preschools, in and of itself of questionable value, can now access government run preschools. Who works in government run preschools? AFSCME members, of course. Even more government jobs in a state that already has six percent of the nation's public employees for one percent of the population. ... STEM CELLS. It's hard to tell who this Frankensteinien legislation benefits other than the pro-abortion lobby. Virtually no scientific data supports the proposition that embryonic stem cells offer more promising human benefit than other form of stem cell research. Certainly no private laboratories are willing to invest their own money in it but what the hell, why not hit and hope from the rough with someone else's money, eh?

Labels: state House, state Senate

... here is my report card on these fine women and men who earn between $50,180 and $65,180 a year to serve us.
+++ Anti-gouging legislation around payday and car title loans. ... Grade: A + ...
+++ The anti-discrimination bill and anti-bullying bill are great legislation and the legislature should be commended for putting aside partisanship to address inequities in our state. ... Grade: A ...
+ Increasing the state minimum wage is half a victory because future increases are not tied to cost of living factors--translated this could mean another 10 years before the minimum wage increases. ... Grade: B
= - Some in the progressive community may disagree with me on this point, but the $100 million fund to "grow our bio-economy, create new jobs and help make Iowa the renewable energy capital of the world" may be a boondoogle, particularly if it ends up mainly supporting the likes of ADM, Mid-American and Alliant Energy. ... Grade: C

Labels: state House, state Senate

... I went back to the State Capitol to hear the House debate on a Standings Appropriations bill (SF 601). Rep. Oldson (D-Polk) began by asking Representives to withdraw ammendments to this bill that are policy based and don't have anything to do with appopriations. This led one Republican Representives to comment that there is so much pork on this bill that he could hear it squeel when it came in. ... The hottest debate was on an ammendment by Rep. Griener (R-Washington) about wild boars and feral swine. I never realized this was such a big issue, but then again I don't live on a farm. The bill would outlaw two breeds of boars and outlaw feral swine. The reasoning is that they spread disease, harm the environment, and damage ecosystems. ... The ammendment ended up passing 50-42. The overall appropriations bill passed in the House 52-39 and later in the Senate 30-19.

Labels: state House, state Senate

Being an ex-intern for the Iowa Senate Democrats and their team cheerleader/critic :-) , it sort of annoys me the inference that the Senate was the last to get this bill and finally approve when it was the first and consistent legislative house that has introduced this bill and got the votes to pass it but it died repeatedly in the House. It has been the House that was the stick in the mud, even with the new Democratic majority and needed the final prodding and concession to the extremely conservative Republican Leaders to include the amendment not undermine the DOMA(Defense of Marriage Act) laws on Iowa's books.

Labels: state House, state Senate

Janelle Rettig with an update on the civil rights bill: Things are looking good for a vote tomorrow (Weds 4/25). All of the contacts we've been making have really been helpful. I'm reminded of all the people that have worked for this day for over 20 years. Many of the people who have worked for this issue are no longer with us, but I bet they will be with us in spirit tomorrow. I hope you might find a moment to remember the civil rights activists that came before us and to those that have dedicated decades to this issue. The victory is not guaranteed and there are some amendments that are problematic, so if you have a story of discrimination to tell or some positive comments to make, please continue to keep making those calls and sending emails. You never know what story might make someone change their mind and vote for civil rights protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual, AND transgendered people. Dig through your address book and contacts looking for anyone from these counties asking them to help: Polk, Winneshiek, Scott, Kossuth, Benton, Chickasaw, Union, Cerro Gordo, Pottawattamie, Black Hawk. Write these Democrats telling stories of discrimination, fears, hopes and dreams of a better state.

Labels: state House

While key legislation hangs in the balance of the DMZ (Democrat Majority Zone), where bills such as VOICE, CAFO, and Civil Rights have been sentenced to solitary confinement, our legislators find refuge in mindless games, such as computer solitaire, on the House and Senate floors. Why engage in meaningful debate, when you can play by yourself? ... In the meantime, since our freshmen lawmakers aren't allowed to pariticpate in the political games, maybe we should put them to work, or give them something to do while killing time. List of Seven Things Freshmen Lawmakers Can Do While Their Leaders Are Off Killing Bills in Committee: 7. Gather holy oils for ceremonial anointment of congressional leaders' feet when they descend upon the den of slackdom and impart their representative wisdom 6. Download music, ring tones, and games before the tax hammer falls ...

Labels: state House, state Senate

The Iowa House is preparing to duck a debate on legislation extending civil rights protections to gays and lesbians. I could be wrong, but with just a week or so left in the scheduled 2007 session, the issue is showing very few signs of life. House Democrats say they don't have enough majority votes to pass the bill. A few Republicans support it, but they're not ready or willing to contribute yes votes to help Democrats, who reportedly have been mean to the GOP all session long. Evidently the desire for civil rights expansion is weaker than the desire to make Democrats look inept. ... Republicans have mastered the art of ginning up conservatives' during even-numbered years without actually delivering much of their agenda. Democrats are learning fast. ... some liberals are wondering why it was they worked so hard for a Democratic trifecta. They may not work so hard next time. Just ask the GOP pros about 2006.

Labels: state House

Obviously Christopher Rants is the biggest impediment to extending the civil rights code to cover the GLBT community, but there isn't much we can do about him (other than send even fewer Republicans back to the state house next year). There are some legislators that need to hear from concerned Iowans about their opposition or indecision on the bill currently bottled up in the house. ... This is urgent - if anything is going to happen on this bill, it is going to happen in the next couple of days. GLBTers have been a model team players for Iowa Democrats, supporting our candidates without hesitation and with very little demanded in return. While Democrats have been successful in the minority at stopping a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, now that we are in the majority we ought to be working to make Iowa a more equal state.

Labels: state House

Dear Members of the Iowa General Assembly, The 32,000 members of the Iowa State Education Association would like to thank you for the landmark piece of legislation, Senate File 277. This bill at long last fulfills the promises made in the Teacher Quality law of 2001, creates a new collaborative professional development system, and improves the accountability system so all educators are focused on increasing student achievement. ... Thank you for including area education agency professionals and school nurses in the teacher salary increases. ... Thank you for creating pilot projects that will study pay-for-performance and career ladders instead of implementing them immediately. ... Thank you for developing an administrator improvement and accountability system similar to the system for teachers. And finally, thanks to all of you for truly making a difference for children and public education in Iowa.

Labels: ISEA, state House, state Senate

In an email to supporters last night, 2006 Iowa House candidate Mark Nolte announces he's not running again in `08, citing family time needs - and taking a little shot at the IDP: "It was very disheartening to me to learn that the party leadership is only supportive of candidates who are willing to accept special interest money and who serve to feed the larger machine. I didn't get into this to be a fund raiser, I got into this to serve my state and spread the message that special interest groups are stealing our democracy. ... "

Labels: state House

I teach 2nd grade and occasionally have to settle arguments that take place on the playground. The incidents usually begin with 2 students disagreeing with each other over little things. Then the students will say they don't want to be friends with each other and one says the other can't play with them anymore. This is basically what happened in the Iowa House last week when Minority Leader Christopher Rants (R-Sioux City) kicked out Walt Tomenga (R-Johnston) from the Republican Caucus debate on raising the cigarette tax. Tomenga favors a $1 per pack increase in the cigarette tax, a move that Rants has been working hard to stop.

Labels: Christopher Rants, state House

The Republicans will be gearing up for 2008 determined to take back the majority under their leader, Chris Rants. But the Democrats have quite a few opportunities to pick up seats too. Here are our five best chances to gain seats: 1. Tami Wiencek (Waterloo) This is the only seat the Republicans picked up in 2006 and one they never should have picked up in the first place. ... 2. Chuck Gipp (Allamakee and part of Winneshiek County) Over half the registered voters in Oklahoma are Democrats, however the state hasn't voted for a Democratic candidate for President since 1964. ... 3. Dan Rasmussen (Buchanan and parts of Black Hawk and Fayette) Rasmussen is a three term incumbent from a strongly Democratic district. Despite receiving only 30% of the vote when he first ran for the State House as a sacrificial lamb, Rasmussen has quickly entrenched himself as a popular incumbent in Buchanan County. ... 4. David Deyoe (Story County outside of Ames and part of Hamilton County) ... 5. Doug Struyk (Council Bluffs)

Labels: state House