Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Fundraising in nine Iowa House battleground districts suggests that GOP candidates might be in a stronger position than once thought, but the Democrats still have the upper hand, according to reports filed last month with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board.
Democrats hold a cash-on-hand advantage in five of the nine districts the Iowa Independent has identified as battlegrounds. The total cash on hand for the Democrats in the battleground districts is $145,888.92, slightly more than the $144,046.88 collected by GOP candidates in the same districts.
Iowa's state capitol building in Des Moines.
The Democrats hold a 53-to-47 seat advantage in the House, but Republicans hope they can close the gap.
“We are in a very solid position right now,†said House Republican Leader Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City. “If fund raising stays at the pace we expect, then our chances look very good to win the seats necessary to take back the majority in the Iowa House.â€
Despite Rants’ optimism, retaking the House is an uphill battle for the GOP. All signs point to 2008 being a strong year for Democratic candidates up and down the ticket. And despite fund-raising reports that show GOP House candidates with a slight advantage in overall cash on hand, those figures don’t take into account huge donations to the Iowa Democratic Party from the party’s leadership, such as the $50,000 apiece from Speaker of the House Pat Murphy, D-Dubuque, and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, D-Des Moines.
Here is a look at fund raising in a few of the battleground districts, according to the most recent filings with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board:
District 9
Incumbent McKinley Bailey, D-Webster City, is taking on talk radio host Jamie Johnson. In 2006 Bailey beat three-term incumbent George Eichhorn by 1,100 votes. Now the GOP is determined to take the seat back. But Bailey has a 3-to-1 advantage in cash on hand, with $31,470 to Johnson’s $10,666.
District 21
Incumbent Tami Wiencek, R-Waterloo, is facing off against former Iowa Hawkeye football star Kerry Burt. Wiencek, a former television anchor, upset longtime incumbent Don Shoultz in 2006, one of the few Republican bright spots of a yearin which Democrats gained control of the House and maintained control of the Senate and governor’s mansion. Wiencek has a sizable advantage in cash on hand, with $27,846 to Burt’s $3,003.
District 36
This is the race to replace Swati Dandekar, D-Marion, who is running for state Senate. The Democrats are putting up teacher Gretchen Lawyer, while the Republicans are running Marion City Councilman Nick Wagner, who garnered 47 percent of the vote against Dandekar in 2006. The two are neck and neck in cash on hand, as Lawyer has $14,336 to Wagner’s $13,122.
District 39
Incumbent Dawn Pettengill, R-Mt. Auburn, bolted from the Democratic Party at the conclusion of the 2007 session, citing disagreements with her party on issues like Fair Share. This is her first challenge since that move, and she will face off against Democrat Terry Hertle of Vinton. Pettengill has $15,154 cash on hand compared with Hertle’s $7,723.
District 44
Incumbent Polly Granzow, R-Eldora, is retiring. Former Eldora Mayor Tim Hoy, who was just 206 votes short of defeating Granzow in 2006, will face off against Republican Annette Sweeney of Alden. Fund raising between the two is neck-and-neck, as Sweeney has cash on hand totaling $6,585 compared with Hoy’s $6,290.
District 75
In what could be the most hotly contested legislative race of the year, incumbent Eric Palmer, D-Oskaloosa, and the man he defeated in 2006, Danny Carroll, R-Grinnell, will once again face off. Palmer defeated the six-term incumbent by building a margin on the Grinnell College campus and in the rest of Poweshiek County, garnering 53 percent of the vote district-wide. So far this year, Palmer has $40,735 cash on hand compared to Carroll’s $33,447.
District 80
Incumbent Nathan Reichert, D-Muscatine, will face off with Muscatine City Councilman Robert Howard in a traditionally Republican district that in recent years has begun trending blue. This was a seat held at one time by David Stanley of Iowans for Tax Relief, but in 2006 Democrats took control of the county Board of Supervisors. Fund raising is somewhat close, but Reichert is winning with $11,098 on hand compared to $8,505 for Howard.
District 84
Incumbent Elesha Gayman, D-Davenport, will face off with farmer Ross Paulstian, R-Walcott. Gayman, the youngest female legislator in state history, upset Republican incumbent Jim Van Fossen in 2006 by 273 votes. Paulstian has $25,588 cash on hand compared to Gayman’s $16,225.
District 89
Incumbent Sandy Greiner, R-Keota, is retiring. The GOP is running farmer Jarad Klein of Keota against Democrat Larry Marek, a farmer and community activist from Riverside in a district that includes Washington County and a portion of Johnson and Jefferson counties. Marek has a sizable advantage in cash on hand, with $14,924 compared to Klein’s $3,130.
Follow Jason Hancock on Twitter
Do you know where to vote on Election Day? Do you know what to bring with you? Get comprehensive voter information for your state here.
Sign up for our email newsletter