Posts Tagged ‘Iowa’
IA: Offices Republicans Can’t Ignore
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 01:26 Written by rslcpol Thursday, 6 May 2010 01:13
From the Iowa Republican:
State Treasurer. Secretary of State. Two important offices. Two ignored offices.
While Iowa’s political reporters are fixated on the 2010 gubernatorial race, history has taught us that he who holds the purse and he who counts the votes are powerful players in the political process. Thus, Republicans cannot afford to ignore them.
For nearly four years, Republican State Auditor David Vaudt has been warning about reckless spending by the Democrat legislature and governor. Yet he has been virtually ignored because State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald has been silent on the issue.
Television, radio, and print media outlets have paid little attention to Auditor Vaudt’s constant warnings of a rising sea of red ink. Beyond their periodic mentions of “possible inconsistencies” in the state budget, these traditional news mediums have been spiking this very newsworthy story.
Tags: Iowa | Posted under Secretaries of State | No Comments
Iowa Secretary of State Announces Re-election bid
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 01:26 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 5 May 2010 10:05
From Quad City Times:
Mauro, a first-term Democrat announced his re-election campaign at the Capitol in Des Moines, Mauro met with supporters at the Blue Strawberry Coffee Co. in downtown Cedar Rapids. He also visited Davenport Tuesday afternoon.
Mauro, accompanied by former Linn County Auditor Linda Langenberg, who is his elections deputy, said he’ll run on his record of accomplishment.
“We’ve accomplished a great deal over the past three years and now is the time to continue moving forward,” he said. “I’m running for re-election because this is an important office, and I believe I have the background, qualifications and experience to continue making it work for all Iowans.”
Tags: Iowa | Posted under Secretaries of State | No Comments
IA: Potential Conflict means a Review
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 01:37 Written by rslcpol Monday, 26 April 2010 01:15
From DesMoinesRegister.com:
Gov. Chet Culver isn’t the only politician facing fallout from the ongoing investigation into campaign cash from casino backers. Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat up for re-election, also will be under scrutiny for how his office conducts the probe.
Miller, first elected in 1978, generally coasts to re-election.
This year, Republicans are pinning their hopes on Brenna Findley of Dexter, a 34-year-old former staffer of U.S. Rep. Steve King. She brings some beltway fundraising ability into the race.
Findley says it’s a conflict of interest that Culver’s new campaign manager, Donn Stanley, is on leave from the attorney general’s office.
Tags: Iowa | Posted under Blog | No Comments
Lt. Governor Challenge in Iowa
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 01:39 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 21 April 2010 09:07
From DesMoinesRegister:
“I am taking this opportunity to represent the progressive, grassroots base of the Democratic Party who feels the issues that they have put forward have been ignored at the state level,” Kalbach said this morning.
A message for Abby Curran, Culver’s campaign manger, wasn’t immediately returned this morning.
Kalbach and her husband Jim farm roughly 1,200 acres near Dexter. She also works as a registered nurse in Winterset. They have three grown Children.
Tags: Iowa | Posted under Lieutenant Governor News | No Comments
Iowa: Control of Statehouse Comes Down to Numbers
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 01:41 Written by rslcpol Tuesday, 20 April 2010 02:05
From GazetteOnline.com:
Republicans note that the party that holds the White House generally loses ground in the first midterm election as voters suffer a bit of buyer’s remorse. But McCarthy disagreed, arguing there will be 100 separate elections decided by local issues and the connections the candidates have to their community.
“Everything is about individual candidates and individual races,” said McCarthy. “That’s far more effective than trying to nationalize these campaigns. We’ve tried that before and it hasn’t worked.”
McKinley noted, however, that control of the Legislature inevitably comes down to a handful of hard-fought races, usually decided by narrow margins. In that environment the larger political climate can make a difference, even if it only sways a small percentage of voters, he said.
“Of course they’re saying that climate doesn’t make a difference,” said McKinley. “That’s what I’d be saying if I were in their position to play down the mess they’ve made of things. Absolutely, climate makes a difference.”
Tags: Iowa | Posted under State Legislature News | No Comments
IA: GOP Candidates for Governor Back ObamaCare Suit
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 01:54 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 7 April 2010 12:38
From DesMoinesRegister.com:
The three Republicans running for governor want to steer Iowa toward the column of states pushing to overturn key aspects of the new federal health care law.
They differ slightly in approach, which could come up today in their first debate. But all three break sharply on the issue with Gov. Chet Culver, a Democrat who wholeheartedly endorses the federal law. Democrats pushed the new health care law through Congress, and President Barack Obama, also a Democrat, signed it.
States face a steep climb in exerting authority to reject parts of the law, even if Iowa voters sweep into office elected representatives supporting that view, constitutional scholars say.
An Iowa governor has little authority on the issue, other than to use his office to advocate. The elected official with the real say in whether the state should sue in an attempt to opt out of the law is Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat who has ruled out a court challenge. His Republican challenger this fall, Brenna Findley, has said she would file a lawsuit if elected.
Tags: Iowa | Posted under Blog | No Comments
IA: Three Republican Candidates Say State Should Opt Out of Health Care Plan
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 02:19 Written by rslcpol Tuesday, 23 March 2010 01:28
From Radio Iowa:
The three Republican candidates for governor say Iowa’s governor and attorney general should launch a legal challenge of the new, national health care reform plan President Obama will sign into law tomorrow. Governor Culver and Attorney General Tom Miller are Democrats, however, and neither plans to file such a lawsuit.
Two of the three Republican candidates for governor say the State of Iowa should invoke the 10th amendment of the U.S. Constitution and assert state sovereignty to avoid having the national health care plan go into effect in Iowa. Bob Vander Plaats says the U.S. Constitution doesn’t give the federal government authority to run the health care system.
Tags: Iowa | Posted under State Legislature News | No Comments
Iowa Republicans Target Democrats’ Majorities
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 02:22 Written by rslcpol Monday, 22 March 2010 12:37
From DesMoinesRegister.com:
Republicans are competing in more Iowa House races than Democrats are this year with the hope an anti-incumbent wave can lift them into the majority in November, GOP leaders said Friday.
The climb for Republicans is taller in the Iowa Senate, where Democrats’ 14-seat edge is a historic high for the party. Still, Republicans see chances for Senate gains, in light of the names and numbers of candidates that emerged after Friday’s deadline for getting on the June primary election ballot.
Democrats, for their part, also see potential pickups in the House, and they expect to hold the Senate, where they are defending more seats than Republicans are this fall. If they do, they will have held their majorities for a second time, something their party has not done in more than 40 years.
Tags: Iowa | Posted under State Legislature News | No Comments
Is Iowa’s Democrat AG Tom Miller at risk of finally losing?
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 02:33 Written by rslcpol Tuesday, 16 March 2010 10:24
From LegalNewsLine:
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller has found himself in the Republican Party’s crosshairs, with the GOP trying hard this year to unseat the longtime Democratic stalwart.
This year, Miller is seeking an eighth term as the Hawkeye State’s chief legal officer. Miller, 65, is being challenged by Republican Brenna Findley of Dexter, a 33-year-old attorney and congressional staffer.
Iowa Republican Party Chairman Matthew Strawn told Legal Newsline that the GOP is definitely vying to unseat Miller, and their party’s nominee will have “no shortage of resources” needed to do just that.
“We’re very excited about giving Mr. Miller a competitive election for the first time in a few years,” Strawn said.
Tags: Iowa | Posted under Blog | No Comments
Iowa Legislature to Focus on Budget
Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 03:02 Written by rslcpol Monday, 22 February 2010 02:43
From cnbc.com:
– The Iowa Legislature will continue its focus on the budget this week but likely will find time for a few other topics, ranging from cell phone texting to sex offender registration.
After emphasizing work on the budget for weeks, both the House and the Senate have approved sweeping plans to restructure state government. The House version would save about $125 million, roughly $7 million more than a plan approved in the Senate.
Tags: Iowa | Posted under State Legislature News | No Comments