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.
After Iowa Independent investigated rumors that surfaced Monday that the International Association of Firefighters would endorse Sen. Chris Dodd in the 2008 presidential race, the Dodd campaign officially announced it Tuesday afternoon.
Dodd will then embark on an announcement tour which, according to Dodd’s Iowa Press Secretary Taylor West, will bring him through Iowa City, Des Moines and Council Bluffs Thursday.
Because Iowa labor does not always work hard to support the candidates who are endorsed by their national or international counterparts, Iowa Independent on Monday contacted Wayne Sawtelle, IAFF’s political director for Iowa. Sawtelle said he “hadn’t heard” whether Iowa firefighters would unite behind Dodd. They have a meeting Thursday, he said, and the Dodd endorsement was likely to come up there. Wednesday, Sawtelle contacted Iowa Independent to confirm that “The state association will follow the international and will probably make that official tomorrow at the meeting.”
The IAFF’s endorsement is highly coveted because of the influence it had in the 2004 presidential race. In September 2003 when the IAFF endorsed Sen. John Kerry, that candidate’s Iowa poll numbers hovered around the low teens. After Kerry went on to win the 2004 Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire primary, columnists and pundits credited the IAFF’s endorsement, which was Kerry’s largest endorsement before he won Iowa, with much of the Massachusetts senator’s success.The IAFF will hold its official endorsement event at 11AM eastern Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
Dodd, who occupies a similar space to Sen. Kerry in the 2008 race, struggles to break through in a field crowded by three “rock star” candidates — Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Barack Obama and former Sen. John Edwards. Dodd’s poll numbers remain in the single digits as Richardson’s trend upward.
Still, the Dodd campaign is upbeat as news of the endorsement sets in.
Other campaigns — notably, Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign — appear to be less enthusiastic. Today, the Clinton campaign released news that the United Transportation Union, representing about 1,000 Iowans who mostly work on the railroad, endorsed Sen. Clinton. Because the IAFF endorsement had been rumored in advance of its announcement, the UTU announcement came at a convenient time.
And, although all labor endorsements carry some weight, few unions have as much influence on the ground in Iowa and New Hampshire as the IAFF. With their endorsement, Dodd’s chances improve.
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