Pat Rynard

Later this evening, thousands of dedicated Iowa Democrats will trudge through the snow and the cold to attend their local precinct caucus. It’s expected to see the largest attendance ever for a non-presidential year caucus, but the stakes involved with the gubernatorial primary alone don’t ensure people turn out. Phone calls, meetings, trainings and door-knocking…

Federal candidates’ campaign finance reports for 2017’s 4th quarter were due this past week, and they once again give us a sense of where the money aspect of Iowa’s congressional races stand. The dynamics of the 1st District primary largely stays the same, while the numbers cast a slightly new light on the 3rd and…

Theresa Greenfield’s days start early – and for good reason. As the president of a real estate business and a Democratic candidate for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, she has a lot to get done in any given week. “I’m a farm kid, so I get up with the sun,” Greenfield, who grew up in tiny…

Democrats will have a strong contender for the secretary of agriculture race this year: Tim Gannon, a former USDA staffer who farms on his parent’s Century Farm in Mingo. He announced his run for the office today, and should bring considerable policy knowledge and a helpful political network to the race. It’s still unclear what…

The next governor of Iowa and member of Congress from the state’s 3rd District could be determined by what happens on Monday when Democrats gather for their off-year caucus. Attendees at the February 5th Iowa Caucus will kick off the caucus-to-convention delegate process, one that chooses who the party’s nominee is if no candidate receives…

Senator Matt McCoy set off a Polk County political earthquake today, one whose aftershocks will impact other major races up and down the ballot. McCoy made official this afternoon what many had speculated for most of the past year: he’s challenging incumbent Johnny Mauro for a Polk County supervisor seat. The Des Moines legislator made…

Secretary of State Paul Pate has been using a shell game to hide how little money he’s raised for his reelection, and it’s not clear if he’ll even use the money he has in the bank. Pate reported that his 2017 fundraising numbers ended with $238,791 cash-on-hand. But he also had $283,500 in outstanding loans. He raised…