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 Forces Behind Each Major Democratic Primary Candidate
Back in the old days of Iowa Democratic politics (when the party won a lot more often), political power was typically concentrated among a few statewide elected officials. Party chairs were usually hand-picked by Tom Vilsack, Chet Culver or Tom Harkin, and the type of sprawling primary fields we have for 2018 were very uncommon.…
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Paul Ryan Challenger Cathy Myers Has Deep Iowa Politics Ties
Janesville school board member Cathy Myers hopes to knock off Speaker Paul Ryan in Wisconsin’s 1st District next year, but her story in politics began in Iowa. And just like any good Iowa politics story, it involves Jimmy Carter, motorcycles, national conventions, a legislative legend and some corn detasseling. Cathy Myers is the daughter of…
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Iowa Republicans Should Boot John Thompson From SCC
It was not a good summer for the credibility of Iowa Republicans’ stances on moral values. The lurid details from the Senate Republican sexual harassment trial, along with Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix’s continued refusal to take responsibility for the matter, confirmed what many critics think Republicans actually feel about women in the workplace. That…
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Army Veteran George Ramsey Sees 1st District Race As Patriotic Pursuit
To Cedar Rapid’s George Ramsey III, running for Iowa’s 1st Congressional District is an extension of the service to country he pursued in his recently-ended military career. Ramsey spent 31 years in military service before retiring in 2016, and for much of this summer he’s been traveling around Northeast Iowa in preparation for a congressional…
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Turned Down By Rod Blum, 1st District Voters Meet With Democratic Challengers
Constituents in Iowa’s 1st District couldn’t get an in-person meeting scheduled with their two-term Republican Congressman Rod Blum this summer despite repeated attempts for months. So they set up meetings with the next best thing: the four Democrats running to replace Blum in 2018. The candidates in the 1st District Democratic primary – Abby Finkenauer,…
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Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley Pushes For More Inclusive DSM Schools In Campaign
The elections for school board in Iowa are fast approaching, the first big round of races that are seeing new leaders step up in the wake of the 2016 outcome. One candidate that’s drawing a lot of attention in Central Iowa is Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley, who was recently endorsed by the Des Moines Education Association…
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Campaign Updates: Olson In, Hubbell Endorsers, Boulton Education Push
It’s been a busy couple of days for Iowa campaigns. Here’s a quick look at many of the new developments. Tyler Olson Is Back On The Ballot Former state representative and 2014 gubernatorial candidate Tyler Olson is running for an at-large Cedar Rapids City Council seat. He announced on Tuesday that he would seek the…
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John Delaney Plans Early Investment In Iowa To Help Down-Ballot Democrats
John Delaney isn’t exactly a household name among Iowa Democratic activists. Not yet, anyway. The Maryland congressman who became the first official 2020 presidential candidate last month is planning on making a significant early investment in the lead-off caucus state. That begins with placing staffers as soon as next month, with the hope of having…
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John Delaney, Dems’ 1st 2020 Candidate, Aims To Confront Party’s Biggest Challenges
“I’m a different kind of Democrat,” Maryland Congressman John Delaney gladly admitted to Iowa Democrats on his inaugural trip to the caucus kick-off state this past week. The former co-founder of two successful banking firms, Delaney is also looking to run a different type of presidential campaign than other 2020 hopefuls. He officially announced his…
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Indivisible Iowa Responds To Simon Conway’s Bizarre Attack
Yesterday Simon Conway of I Heart Radio’s WHO AM 1040 irresponsibly posted screenshots from an Indivisible closed Facebook group. The post contained member names and profile pictures and had to be edited to contain the disclaimer, “UPDATE: Any threats of violence will be removed and the poster banned from the page. Period” after Conway’s supporters…
