politics
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After my 15-hour shift as a poll worker I was too agitated to sleep. I stayed up until I knew the results of the main races I was following, about another 60 minutes after arriving home. These are the main results in which I was interested: The numbers are such that Republicans don’t stand a… Read more
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Republican Representative Ashley Hinson’s first U.S. Senate television ad, “Believe,” makes claims voters should question. She says “veterans deserve a hell of a lot better.” They do. Yet in 2022 she voted against the EVEST Act, which automatically enrolls eligible discharged veterans in VA health care (HR 4673, Roll Call 14). She also opposed the… Read more
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Faith Wilmot died on Jan. 10, 2026 in Coralville, and her Celebration of Life was on Saturday, May 25, at the Unitarian Universalist Society. Faith was one of our small gang of locals who did politics. We met during the 2004 John Kerry campaign for president. Faith was for Howard Dean. She was a lot… Read more
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Last week I worked three six and a half hour shifts as a poll worker for the Johnson County Auditor, helping with drive-through voting. This operation is conducted in a parking ramp located next to the county administration building. If a person is sociable, the work interacting with voters can be engaging. If less so,… Read more
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The primary season has been a prelude to an important election in the history of our state. Since Republicans gained majorities in the Iowa House and Senate in 2016, along with the governorship, they have been hammering away at our freedoms. Energy is building to reverse policies created since then. 2026 may be a decisive… Read more
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Early voting for the June 2, 2026 primary election began on Wednesday, May 13. I voted early because I am working on election day. Early voting feels almost like a non-event this year compared to the role it played in the Obama presidential campaigns of 2008 and 2012. Republican opposition to President Obama emerged quickly.… Read more
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When Governor Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 75 into law on April 11, 2025, the legislative fight gave way to an organized implementation that changed the politics of affected counties. The law requires Johnson, Story, and Black Hawk counties—those with public universities—to shift from at-large to district-based elections for county supervisors, with changes taking effect… Read more
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When the legislature adjourned sine die at 7:08 p.m. last Sunday, the governor responded with a press release hitting my inbox at 7:12 p.m., proclaiming the 2026 session was a success. Long story short, “Republicans are delivering big for Iowans,” Governor Reynolds asserted in a statement. If you believe that, stand on your head. Republican… Read more
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The saturated news coverage of Wednesday’s U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Louisiana vs. Callais makes it difficult to say anything useful about its impact. Simply put, this is about Chief Justice John Roberts’ long-time goal—four decades in the making—to gut the Voting Rights Act. In 2016, I asked, “Who is a progressive? Who is a… Read more
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Jon Green should be re-elected in the newly created Johnson County Supervisor District 2. He was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2021. As board chair, Green led the process of gaining consensus on a jail proposal. When you see the jail referendum on the November ballot, Jon’s fingerprints will be all over… Read more
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