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.
If Tim Pawlenty decides to run for president, Eric Woolson — the man who led Mike Huckabee‘s successful 2008 Iowa Caucus campaign — will support him. But Woolson said reports that he’s already been hired are false, since the former Minnesota governor has not officially entered the 2012 campaign.
“I am not an employee of the PAC that I believe Gov. Pawlenty has,” Woolson told The Iowa Independent. “He has not said he’s running for president and has not created an exploratory or formal committee so, in that sense, I have not ‘signed on.’”
However, Woolson says he does hope that Pawlenty runs, “and would hope to have a role if he does run. As I said to him, he has a terrific story to tell and I’d like to help him tell it here in Iowa.”
The Washington Post report that Woolson had been hired by Pawlenty was heralded by political observers as a sign that the Minnesota Republican was not only serious about a presidential run but was also ready to make Iowa a priority. Woolson, who has a long track record in Hawkeye State politics dating back to his time as communications director during Gov. Terry Branstad’s fourth term in office, led Huckabee’s campaign to a surprise victory in the 2008 Iowa Caucuses. The victory put Woolson’s name at the top of the list of coveted campaign strategists in 2012.
Many believe Woolson’s support of Pawlenty is also a sign that Huckabee isn’t considering a second run for the White House in 2012. Politico reports that Woolson met privately with Huckabee last week during his book tour’s stops in Iowa. Woolson told The Des Moines Register that he didn’t know if Huckabee would run or not, but he did believe that Huckabee’s plan to wait and decide this summer may be too late.
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