Pat Rynard founded Iowa Starting Line in 2015. He still keeps a close eye on Iowa politics, his dog’s name is Frank, and football season is his favorite time of year.
Pat Rynard
Latest from Pat Rynard
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The Other Part Of Steve King’s Event Was Just As Revealing
The week-long controversy over Steve King’s views on race and diversity came to a head yesterday during a candidate forum in Des Moines. Pressed by a member of the public over whether King’s ideology aligns with the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter, King exploded in anger, shouted at the man and had him tossed from the room.…
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Major Water Polluter Funding Pro-Mike Naig Effort
A major hog confinement company that’s notorious for their record on water and air pollution is putting $25,000 into the dark money agribusiness group that’s trying to swing the Secretary of Agriculture race to Mike Naig. As Starting Line reported last week, the Iowa Farm Bureau organized a 527 organization named Iowans For Agriculture to…
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“It’s Game On.” Can Late Surge Topple Steve King?
J.D. Scholten couldn’t sleep Monday night. A new poll came out around 11 p.m. that showed Scholten down only a single point to Steve King. It sent him and his team into a flurry of late-night activity, readying a new fundraising push and spreading the news. The next day didn’t slow down any. Tuesday saw…
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Ep67: IPERS, Mike Fitzgerald, Amy Klobuchar & Martin O’Malley
Iowa Starting Line Podcast host Pat Rynard talks about all the recent IPERS controversy with State Treasurer Mike Fitzgerald. And we interview Senator Amy Klobuchar and Governor Martin O’Malley during their visits to Iowa.
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Amy Klobuchar: Midwest Dems Won’t Be Left Behind Again
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar made a swing through Iowa this weekend to help boost some of her fellow Midwestern Democrats in important races. She noted at a canvass kick-off event with Cindy Axne that the party needed to refocus their attention to the region. “The other lesson we learned over the past two years is…
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Meet The 29-Year-Old Farm Girl Who Could Flip The Iowa House
As Democrats look to rebound in Iowa in 2018, one of their toughest tasks is winning back the rural voters that abandoned them for Donald Trump two years ago. Taking back the Iowa Legislature all but requires it, as several key swing districts are mostly rural. To accomplish that on the local level, the party…
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Kim Reynolds Took $50,000 From Top Public Pension Enemy
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds received $50,000 in a campaign contribution from Rex Sinquefield, a wealthy Missouri Republican who has waged an all-out war against that state’s public pension system. The Reynolds donation was the only contribution to an Iowa candidate Sinquefield has ever made, and only six individuals in total have given more than $50,000…
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Why Local Iowa Democratic Campaign Ads Look So Good This Year
When you’re a candidate running for the state legislature in Iowa, your campaign budget is always tight. There’s only so many places you can raise money from, the districts are relatively small and your official campaign team may mostly be volunteers. If you’re a “targeted” race, you get more help from the state party, but…
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Julian Garrett Confirms He’d Make 14-Year-Old Rape Victims Carry Pregnancy
State Senator Julian Garrett doubled down on the most extreme consequences of an abortion bill he voted for last year during a forum in Indianola on Monday night. Answering a question from his Democratic challenger Vicky Brenner, Garrett confirmed he supports a scenario in which a 14-year-old girl who was raped by a family member…
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Kamala Harris Helps Take Deidre DeJear To The Finish Line
California Senator Kamala Harris made her big Iowa debut this week, barnstorming Central and Eastern Iowa over two days to boost Democratic candidates up and down the ticket. Among those candidates getting some help were Cindy Axne, Amber Gustafson and Heather Matson, but one Iowa Democrat got a lot of extra attention: Deidre DeJear. Democrats’…
