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.
Only a few months ago, Iowa politicos were questioning whether U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa) would face a tough primary challenge by Christie Vilsack, the wife of former Iowa Governor turned U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Now it’s clear Boswell has a challenge from another direction, by U.S. Rep. Tom Latham (R-Iowa).
Latham, the current incumbent for Iowa’s 4th District, announced Friday he would move to the 3rd District to square off against Democratic incumbent Boswell.
Latham would thus avoid facing U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), a conservative firebrand and favorite in Iowa’s 5th District. The new redistricting, approved by the Iowa legislature this week, had to deal with a cut to Iowa’s Congressional seats and placed Latham and King in the same district.
Boswell began holding private fundraisers immediately after the 2010 elections and is said to have deep pockets. However, Latham has been close with Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) and is no stranger to political fundraising.
Boswell’s base is in Des Moines, while Latham resides in Ames. The new redistricting pairs Ames with Sioux City, and Des Moines with Council Bluffs.
Latham held his current district in 2008, although Barack Obama carried it in the presidential election.
The Washington Post reports “Gov. Terry Branstad (R) would have carried the [new] district with 52 percent in his successful 2010 campaign, while Obama would have won the seat with 52 percent back in 2008.”
Boswell offered insight concerning his 2012 race to The Hill:
“I would just say that I’ve had a tough race every time and that’s what I expect,” said Boswell, adding that his new district will have “half the counties I’ve served before anyway.”
“The one thing [Latham] would have to think about, or even King for that matter, if he were to move south, is that if you’re going to represent the capital city, you better be ready for a tough competition every year,” Boswell said. “So they’ll have to really think about that. Whereas if one of them wins that new 4th district, they could probably coast a little bit by comparison.”
The Iowa Legislature approved the redistricting plan overwhelmingly on Thursday, which now only requires Branstad’s signature. Branstad tweeted Friday that his approval would be forthcoming.
Boswell released the following statement in response to Latham’s announcement:
“I respect Tom’s right to run in the newly-drawn 3rd District. The 2012 election is still a year and a half away, and while my campaign operation is humming, my focus is locked on delivering and fighting for the people of Iowa, and serving in my current committee roles which are of great relevance to every Iowa constituent.
“It continues to be exciting to represent Polk County and this urban area of Iowa, but I also look forward to serving new-old constituents. Growing up and raising a family in southern Iowa, this area has always held a special place in my heart and many of these future constituents are Iowans who know me as a farmer and a veteran, not just a congressman. I have served nearly 70 percent of the people in the new 3rd District during my time in public service.”
(Editor’s Note: Updated at 3:15 pm CST to include Boswell’s statement.)
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