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.
Two candidates hit the airwaves with their first TV ads this week. The spots come from candidates in notably different standings for their respective races — one a presumed nominee, the other mounting a tough primary challenge (watch the ads after the jump).
The first ad comes from Roxanne Conlin, the front-runner in a three-way race for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. The sleek 30-second ad introduces voters to Conlin’s biography as an attorney and quickly touches on a few issues that will be focal points for the campaign. It reflects Conlin’s position in the race — she ignores her primary challengers, bypassing them to provide an introduction for her campaign against incumbent U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley. Conlin avoids going negative in this first spot, opting to start the general election with a positive message about the direction of her candidacy, rather than framing the election in terms of her opponent.
The other new ad airing this week comes from Bob Vander Plaats, a candidate who faces a significantly more difficult political landscape than Conlin. Vander Plaats is in a tough primary battle for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and is presumed to trail former Gov. Terry Branstad. But rather than positioning himself for the primary on June 8, Vander Plaats’ first commercial jumps straight into General Election material. The first third of the ad attacks Democratic Gov. Chet Culver and it finishes by listing conservative talking points that don’t introduce who Vander Plaats is or provide information that would differentiate him from other Republican candidates.
Vander Plaats is far behind Branstad in fundraising. That lack of resources makes the decision not to go after his GOP rival all the more curious.
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