News from Congress, Iowa angles on the Olympics, and more
August 5 "Capitol Week" is online
Good morning! I wrote this newsletter before Kamala Harris announced her choice of a running mate, but by the time you read this, we may know whether Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro or Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (or someone else) will be nominated for vice president. What do you think of her choice? And who do you think she should have picked? I’m on team Walz but felt everyone on her short list brought strengths to the ticket.
I’ll be speaking and answering questions about Iowa politics in Chicago on Wednesday, August 14 from 4-7 pm at the Iowa Building in Jackson Park (Hyde Park neighborhood). Here’s a pdf of the invitation and here’s the Facebook event page. Although this event is a fundraiser to support my work, donations are not required to attend. All are welcome!
Contributions help me keep all of my reporting and commentary available with no paywalls, so thanks to those who have become paid subscribers on Substack, or have donated by credit card, PayPal, Venmo, or personal check (message me for the mailing address).
Spencer Dirks and I had a little time this week to catch up on stories we couldn’t fit into any show in July. The audio from our August 5 program is at the top of this message, or you can find it on podcast platforms and smart speakers as “KHOI’s Capitol Week.” Our full archive (going back to February 2021) is available on KHOI’s website.
Here’s the rundown, for those who would rather read than listen:
We began with the Kamala Harris veep-stakes. At this writing, Shapiro and Walz look like the leading contenders. I don’t think the choice will affect the outcome in Iowa much, although conventional wisdom would suggest the governor from a neighboring state could give the Democratic ticket more of a boost here;
I haven’t seen any polls testing Harris against Donald Trump yet. Welcome to life in a non-swing state with no race for Senate or governor on the ballot in November;
The last Iowa Poll for the Des Moines Register and Mediacom showed Trump leading President Joe Biden by 50 percent to 32 percent—before the disastrous debate in late June;
Does it matter whether Trump wins Iowa by around 8 points (as in 2020) or by closer to 18 points (as the Iowa Poll indicated)? It sure does if you are a down-ballot Democrat. For example, an 8-point win statewide would suggest a nearly tied race in the third Congressional district, which would be great news for Democratic challenger Lanon Baccam;
On a related note, Attorney General Brenna Bird told a Republican crowd at a Saturday fundraiser, “Do everything you can to turn people out for President Trump this fall … Don't take it for granted even though he's so popular here in Iowa. Make sure everybody goes and votes that's so important." I think that’s because Bird knows down-ballot races may depend on the margin in the presidential race;
The Harris campaign released a long list of prominent Republican endorsers over the weekend. Alas, there were no Iowa names. Trump has the Iowa GOP completely locked down;
Why did Bird have a big fundraiser when she’s not on the ballot this year? Holding a large annual event is a relatively new trend for Republican office-holders in Iowa. Think of Senator Joni Ernst’s “Roast and Ride” fundraisers in June. Longtime Democratic Senator Tom Harkin pioneered this idea with his annual Steak Fry;
Although Bird won’t be up for re-election until 2026, raising a lot of money will be helpful, especially since Bird may end up running for governor instead of attorney general;
On that note, Governor Kim Reynolds hasn’t clarified whether she intends to seek another term in 2026. I expect she will keep everyone guessing until the summer or fall of 2025;
U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson (IA-02) brought in a couple of heavy hitters for her annual “BBQ Bash” in Cedar Rapids. Getting both House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer to come to this kind of event is another sign that GOP leaders see Hinson as a rising star;
Hinson has had good committee assignments ever since her first term in Congress, and I see her as the most likely successor to Senator Chuck Grassley if he is unable to serve out his current term;
Turning to Congressional news: The House and Senate are on a long summer recess now. The last votes in the House happened on July 25, and senators took their last votes on August 1. Neither chamber is scheduled to have any floor votes until September 9 (the Monday after Labor Day);
Here’s a story we planned to cover weeks ago, which we had to push back following the Trump assassination attempt, the Republican National Convention, and Biden’s decision to step aside: Biden signed the Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act. Michaela Ramm covered the origins of this law in the Des Moines Register in early July;
There were a couple of Iowa connections. First, the Clive-based non-profit Healthy Birth Day (founded by five women, including State Senator Janet Petersen, who experienced stillbirth or late pregnancy loss) had advocated for legislation for years. Second, Hinson was one of the legislators who introduced this bill last year. The law clarifies that states can use federal funds from Title V of the Social Security Act for evidence-based stillbirth prevention efforts;
I’m continually amazed by how long it can take to get an uncontroversial bill through Congress (or the Iowa legislature for that matter). The stillbirth prevention law is just the latest example;
Before adjourning for the long summer recess, the Senate approved by unanimous consent a proposal that “would be the first major expansion of the judiciary since 1990.” One of the 25 new District Court judgeships, which would be phased in over ten years, would be in the Northern District of Iowa;
I’m skeptical the House will take up the bill expanding the federal bench before November. But if Trump wins the presidential election, the House may approve it during the lame-duck session to give a Republican a chance to appoint more federal judges;
Also on the last day of Senate action before the summer break, Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst joined other Republicans to block debate on a tax bill that the House approved by a large bipartisan majority in January. All four Iowans in the House supported that bill, which combines provisions Democrats want (expanding the child tax credit) with some business tax breaks Republicans favor;
Last week, Senator Grassley demanded more answers about the failures of the Secret Service to adequately protect Trump at that Pennsylvania rally last month. Tom Barton covered this story for the Cedar Rapids Gazette, and his article includes a mind-blowing list of missed opportunities to stop the shooter. I can’t believe Trump was allowed to go on stage more than 20 minutes after local law enforcement officers were sharing photos of the shooter on a group chat;
Hot off the presses: I broke the news that Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn, who was the first Libertarian elected to a partisan office in Iowa, is seriously considering running for U.S. Senate in 2026. I interviewed Laehn last month, and you can read more about his policy stances and thoughts about the campaign at Bleeding Heartland;
It would be extremely unlikely for any third-party candidate to win a statewide election. But a Libertarian contender in the field could be important, especially if Ernst faces competition for the GOP nomination. (Remember, Ernst seems to be on the outs with Trump.) Republicans who are unhappy about the outcome of that primary election may appreciate some of Laehn’s ideas;
I haven’t heard about any Democrats seriously thinking about Iowa’s U.S. Senate race, but please give me a buzz if you know differently;
Time for some Olympics news! Spencer and I are both heavy consumers of Olympics coverage, and I wanted to give a shout out to some of the athletes with Iowa connections;
Senator Grassley wrote to USA Gymnastics and SafeSport last week to demand more information about what’s being done about coaches and trainers who are accused of abuse. The Washington Post published a damning article about this ongoing problem in late July;
We touched on the Iowa Republicans who weighed in on the women’s boxing controversy. I avoid editorializing on the radio show, but I had more to say at Bleeding Heartland about GOP politicians jumping on the Olympics rage bandwagon. It’s disgusting how quick they were to seize a chance to push their anti-trans agenda (the Algerian boxer is not transgender, and it hasn’t been confirmed whether she is intersex);
Last week, Michaela Ramm profiled Aiden Vasquez, a transgender Iowan who sued the state (twice) after Medicaid declined to cover his gender-affirming surgery. Five years later, he finally had bottom surgery in Minnesota. I covered this litigation extensively, so wanted to spend a few minutes explaining the background. When the Iowa Supreme Court ruled on the case last year, I hadn’t been able to confirm whether Vasquez received the care he and his doctors agreed was essential. The lawsuit Vasquez and Mika Covington filed and pursued for years has now helped an estimated 190 Iowans receive Medicaid coverage for their surgery.
Thanks for reading or listening! We didn’t get to every topic on our format, so Spencer and I will have plenty to discuss next Monday, August 12.
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I like these points about Tim Walz (from Forbes): Walz is seen as an appealing option for independents and moderate Democrats as a working-class politician with a rural background, who exudes the appearance of “someone with a lived experience that is so comparable to so many of the people in rural America,” former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., told The New York Times last week.
Before running for office, Walz, a graduate of Chadron State College in Nebraska, served in the Army National Guard, and then worked as a teacher, first on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where he met his wife Gwen, a fellow teacher, and then in China and later as a high school teacher in Mankato, Minnesota, south of Minneapolis.