Iowa Caucus
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Kim Reynolds ‘diminished’ after trying to beat Trump following years of defending him to Iowa
After years of enabling Donald Trump and his abhorrent behavior, some of Iowa’s most prominent Republicans—including Gov. Kim Reynolds—staked their reputations and clout on other caucus candidates in an attempt to move on from the former president. On Monday, they learned how deeply they failed to convince the base of their party to move on.…
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Caucus voters wanted extremism, but they didn’t want Ron DeSantis
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in a distant second place at the Iowa Caucuses, failing to beat former president Donald Trump while running on a similarly extreme platform. Both advocate extreme anti-immigration actions at the US Southern border, are anti-abortion, and love to use government power to go after people who oppose them. On Monday,…
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Trump wins caucus, but cold hampers turnout
Most analysts predicted Donald Trump would win the Iowa GOP caucus on Monday, but the question was by how much? With about 95% of the results in, the former president was up 30 points over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who are battling it out for second place, as…
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Original, heels or boots: Pritzker says leading Republicans are all MAGA
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said all three leading candidates in the Iowa GOP caucus—Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, and Ron DeSantis—represent the same extreme ideas and policy priorities but in different formats. “Tonight’s contest is simply a question of whether you like your MAGA Trump agenda wrapped in the original packaging, or with high heels or…
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Trump tells supporters it is worth dying to caucus for him
Former President Donald Trump continues to encourage his massive base to turn out in droves for him during Monday’s Republican caucus and told an Indianola crowd on Sunday it is worth dying if they can support him. “We got to do it, we got to do it big—you can’t sit home,” Trump told a capacity…
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Climate change protesters disrupt Ron DeSantis event
Climate protesters disrupted a Gov. Ron DeSantis campaign event in Ames on Thursday night. Three protesters were escorted out of the room at Jethro’s BBQ after asking the presidential candidate about the money he takes from the oil industry. Paul, one of the protestors, confirmed to Starting Line that all three are members of the…
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Evangelical leaders predict huge caucus turnout, downplay endorsements
Iowa caucus candidates have racked up big-name endorsements—including a notable last-minute flip flop—but one evangelical leader said none of that will matter come Monday. “We think endorsements are overrated generally, but they’re particularly overrated in Iowa,” said Ralph Reed, the founder and chairman of the national Faith & Freedom Coalition and a senior advisor on…
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We went to Vivek Ramaswamy’s ‘Vektoberfest.’ Here’s what we saw
As I sat on a park bench eating a bacon-grilled cheese sandwich, drinking an Exile Ruthie straight from the tap, and chit-chatting with a few folks, I almost forgot I was at a campaign event, which might have been the point. Ohio businessman turned rising GOP star Vivek Ramaswamy hosted “Vektoberfest” on Thursday at the…
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Tim Scott says kids need more exposure to conservatism
While many Republicans across the country have spent the last few years arguing that public schools are being used to indoctrinate kids into leftist viewpoints and that politics should kept out of schools, US Sen. Tim Scott suggests conservatives should get their own political philosophies into those spaces. “Protecting our kids and encouraging our kids…
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IDP Chair Ross Wilburn Talks Party Building, Voter Outreach, Caucus
It had been a while since a sitting chair of the Iowa Democratic Party visited the state’s most northwestern and conservative corner, so Ross Wilburn’s recent stop was noticeable. “We don’t always get a lot of attention up here in Red Country,” said O’Brien County Democratic Party chair Karen Sterk. Wilburn was the guest of…
