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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Ep38: Primary Results Aftermath & L.G. Speculation
Iowa Starting Line Podcast host Pat Rynard discusses the aftermath of the Iowa primary, including optimism for the exciting Democratic ticket, who Fred Hubbell may pick for Lt. Governor and what Starting Line will be up to during the next two weeks.
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Taking A Two-Week Break From Writing
I’m going to be taking a break from writing on Iowa Starting Line for the next two weeks now that the primary is over and most of my post-election wrap-up pieces are done. That’s not a break from work, though (and I still have two or three stories that I’ll probably get pulled into writing).…
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Polk County Dems’ Turnout Numbers Should Worry GOP Incumbents
One of the best signs for Iowa Democrats coming out of last week’s primary was the sheer turnout numbers for the party across the state. Democrats broke their previous record of 148,000 votes in a statewide gubernatorial primary, producing over 176,000 votes in that race on election night (the total may climb a bit after…
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Digging Into The Data: Fun Numbers From Iowa’s Primary
Now that the dust has settled from Tuesday night’s primaries across Iowa, let’s take a closer look at some of the trends and the county-level turnout numbers. There’s some interesting information there that helps explain what happened, why campaigns end up the way they do and where the Democratic Party is at. Keep in mind,…
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Democrats’ New Generation Of Leaders Win Primaries, Look To November
Many of Democrats’ elected officials at all level of Iowa government will look a lot younger if things go well this November. A new generation of young Democrats won primaries and secured nominations in last night’s primary in key races across the state. Half of Iowa Democrats’ congressional candidates will be under 40. As will half…
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Deidre DeJear Wins Primary, Could Be First Black Statewide Official
Secretary of State candidate Deidre DeJear narrowly defeated Jim Mowrer in the Democratic primary today, propelling her to a matchup with incumbent Republican Paul Pate. Were DeJear to win in November, she would become Iowa’s first black statewide elected official. DeJear’s candidacy for the top elections official post will be a deeply personal effort for…
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What Happened Tonight In Iowa’s Democratic Primary
Iowa held its primaries today and the results in several key races have big implications for the state and national political environment in 2018 and beyond. Here’s Starting Line’s summary of what happened for all you national political watchers. Democrats Smash Turnout Records By far the best news of the night for Democrats was the…
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Abby Finkenauer Wins Primary, Could Be Youngest Woman Elected To Congress
State Representative Abby Finkenauer has won her primary to be the Democratic nominee for Iowa’s 1st Congressional District. If she defeats incumbent Republican Rod Blum in November, at 28 she may well be the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. Another young female candidate in California is running too, but no woman younger than Finkenauer…
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Fred Hubbell Wins Democrats’ Nomination For Governor
Des Moines businessman Fred Hubbell will be Democrats’ nominee for governor in 2018. News outlets called the race early on in the evening as Hubbell jumped out to a healthy lead, garnering 55% of the vote in early returns and an insurmountable lead in places like Polk and Johnson counties. Cathy Glasson was running in…
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Starting Line’s Coverage Of Iowa Primary Results
For this evening’s Democratic primary election results, Starting Line will be using this page to keep you updated on all the major developments. I’ll be filling in results and add a little bit of commentary for the key races below as the numbers come in. I will also have individual stories that I’ll post separately…
