GOP debate recap, Iowa poll findings, new IA-04 candidate, and more

August 28 "Capitol Week" is online

I admit that most of the time, I don’t love covering the Iowa caucuses. I’d much rather be writing about state government and state legislative issues. But as a former high school debater, I do enjoy watching presidential candidate debates. Dennis Hart and I spent quite a bit of this week’s KHOI radio show talking about the first Republican debate in Milwaukee.

If you missed the event last Wednesday and want to watch it for yourself, here’s the full video on the Fox News site. Be warned: the moderators lost control of the discussion early.

On to our latest show. Remember, all past episodes of “Capitol Week” are available on KHOI’s website. Here’s the August 28 edition:

Here’s the rundown:

• We went through our impressions of each candidate, starting with Vivek Ramaswamy, who put on quite a show and took some barbs from several rival candidates;

• Many commentators (including myself) weren’t impressed with Ron DeSantis, but a couple of post-debate polls of Republican primary voters showed the Florida governor gained some ground;

• Conversely, Mike Pence impressed lots of people in the pundit class, but the GOP primary voters didn’t think the vice president won the debate;

• I found Nikki Haley’s performance to be the most interesting and wrote more about it at Bleeding Heartland. She seemed to pick up a little support in the post-debate polling;

• Chris Christie didn’t go over well with the live audience or in the post-debate polling. I felt he was trying to show he’s not in the race solely to bash Donald Trump;

• If anyone was a debate loser, it was Tim Scott, who missed an opportunity to stand out. He delivered some of his prepared lines but wasn’t part of any memorable exchanges;

• Asa Hutchinson and Doug Burgum were mostly on the sidelines and will struggle to qualify for the next debate, which will have higher polling thresholds;

• Who won the debate? It depends which audience you’re talking about;

• Trump taped an interview with former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson, which was supposed to overshadow the debate last Wednesday. Trump did his usual name-calling and conspiracy mongering, egged on by Carlson. I don’t have the sense that it made a big impression;

• Trump was booked in Georgia last week on state criminal charges, and on August 28, a federal judge scheduled his trial in a different criminal case for March 4 (that federal case also stems from his attempt to overturn the 2020 election);

• Dennis and I talked about whether it matters that Trump’s trial may begin the day before the “Super Tuesday” primaries;

• We went over some additional findings from Selzer’s latest Iowa Poll for the Des Moines Register, NBC News, and Mediacom. You should click over to the Register’s site to read the full stories on these findings. Nearly half of likely GOP caucus-goers describe themselves as “MAGA Republicans,” and a majority believe Trump won the 2020 presidential election;

• Also, nearly two-thirds say it’s more important for a candidate to be closest to them on the issues, as opposed to best positioned to beat President Joe Biden. Additionally, many who think electability is important believe Trump is the strongest candidate against Biden;

• I heard from some knowledgeable Iowa Republicans last week who believe that despite Trump’s big current lead (42 percent, with DeSantis a distant second at 19 percent), the Iowa Poll shows some signs of weakness for Trump, and there’s plenty of time for another candidate to consolidate support and overtake Trump;

• DeSantis came to Iowa to visit the “Field of Dreams,” on the same day of Trump’s booking in Georgia. Ramaswamy was also in the state after the debate and filled rooms in Pella and Newton;

• We finally shifted to some other topics with about seven minutes left in the show. Last week, the Iowa Utilities Board began a hearing on Summit Carbon Solutions’ application to build a CO2 pipeline. It’s a very contentious process. Jared Strong has been covering this story well for Iowa Capital Dispatch, and Nancy Dugan has written some interesting guest posts about the pipeline for Bleeding Heartland;

• Last week, Dr. Jay Brown of Ames launched his campaign as a Democrat in Iowa’s fourth Congressional district. At Bleeding Heartland, I provided more background on him and Ryan Melton, who was the 2022 nominee in IA-04 and is seeking the Democratic nomination as well. Disclosure: Jay Brown grew up in the house literally next door to my family’s home in Windsor Heights, and our families have been close friends for decades. I’m not endorsing in this primary;

• Sac County officials have refused to release body cam and dashboard camera footage related to State Senator Adrian Dickey’s arrest during RAGBRAI last month. I wrote more at Bleeding Heartland on my public records request and why I believe this footage should be released. Unrelated to this case, Dickey is also facing a civil lawsuit filed by his daughter and others, and he has filed counterclaims against the plaintiffs;

• Warren County voters will elect a new county auditor on August 29. I’m working on a Bleeding Heartland post about that race and its importance, which goes beyond election administration in one county. The early voting numbers favor Democrats, but Republicans do tend to turn out at higher rates on election day, and the trend lines in Warren County favor the GOP.

Dennis and I will have much more to say about the Warren County election next Monday. Even though it’s Labor Day, we will be on the air at the usual time: 7 PM Central.

Bonus content I wish I’d seen before we did tonight’s show: video of Vivek Ramaswamy as a college student in 2004, asking Democratic presidential contender Al Sharpton why he should vote for the candidate with the least political experience.

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Current roster of the Iowa Writers Collaborative, in alphabetical order:

Laura Belin: Iowa Politics with Laura Belin, Windsor Heights

Doug Burns: The Iowa Mercury, Carroll

Dave Busiek: Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines

Steph Copley: It Was Never a Dress, Johnston

Art Cullen: Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake

Suzanna de Baca: Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley

Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County

Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji

Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames

Jody Gifford: Benign Inspiration, West Des Moines

Nik Heftman: The Seven Times, Los Angeles and Iowa

Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilia

Dana James: New Black Iowa, Des Moines

Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo

Fern Kupfer: Fern and Joe, Ames

Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey

Letters from Iowans, Iowa

Tar Macias: Hola Iowa, Iowa

Alison McGaughey, The Inquisitive Quad Citizen, Quad Cities

Kurt Meyer: Showing Up, St. Ansgar

Wini Moranville, Wini’s Food Stories, Des Moines

Jeff Morrison: Between Two Rivers, Cedar Rapids

Kyle Munson, Kyle Munson’s Main Street, Des Moines

Jane Nguyen, The Asian Iowan, West Des Moines

John Naughton: My Life, in Color, Des Moines

Chuck Offenburger: Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson and Des Moines

Barry Piatt: Piatt on Politics Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C.

Dave Price: Dave Price’s Perspective, Des Moines

Macey Spensley: The Midwest Creative, Iowa

Larry Stone: Listening to the Land, Elkader

Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona

Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Emerging Voices, Kalona

Cheryl Tevis: Unfinished Business, Boone County

Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport

Teresa Zilk: Talking Good, Des Moines

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