October 17 edition of "Capitol Week" is online
New Iowa Poll, candidate fundraising, the IA-02 debate, and more
The timing could have been better!
Dennis Hart and I are live on KHOI Radio every Monday night at 7:00 pm. Tonight, that put us opposite the only scheduled debate between Governor Kim Reynolds and her Democratic challenger Deidre DeJear. (Iowa PBS did not invite Libertarian candidate Rick Stewart to participate.)
I’ll watch the governor’s candidate debate online later this evening.
Meanwhile, here’s the rundown of “Capitol Week” for October 17 (audio file):
The new Iowa Poll of the U.S. Senate race by Selzer & Co for the Des Moines Register and Mediacom (click here for the Des Moines Register’s write-up, and here for Dan Guild’s take at Bleeding Heartland);
Why political observers were so struck by Selzer’s findings on support for Senator Chuck Grassley and his Democratic challenger Mike Franken;
The latest fundraising and spending numbers for Franken and Grassley;
The Selzer poll findings on the governor’s race, where Reynolds has a large lead over DeJear, but is barely above 50 percent;
The Des Moines Register’s endorsement of DeJear’s vision for Iowa, and critique of how Reynolds “neglects Iowa’s real problems”;
My reporting on how Iowans who qualify for federal food assistance lost some $141 million in benefits from April through August, due to Reynolds ending the COVID-19 public health emergency (more details on that are at Bleeding Heartland);
Third-quarter fundraising totals for Iowa’s U.S. House races, where incumbents have an advantage, but the challengers have the capacity to run district-wide;
Why it’s easier for Democrat Liz Mathis to blanket the second Congressional district (covering much of northeast Iowa) with paid television advertising, and more challenging for Christina Bohannan, the Democrat in the first district (southeast Iowa);
U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson’s hospitalization with a kidney infection, which forced the cancellation of her second scheduled debate with Mathis;
A recap of last week’s Hinson/Mathis debate on KCRG-TV, the station where they both used to work (Dennis was impressed by the candidates but not by the moderators);
Whether the January 6 committee’s decision to subpoena Donald Trump will affect any of Iowa’s upcoming elections;
The latest New York Times/Siena polling of the generic Congressional ballot, which suggested better prospects for Republicans as the economy eclipses abortion rights as a voting issue;
What Iowans need to know to vote early by mail or in person, as the state’s early voting period is set to begin on October 19.
Final note for those who missed the earlier announcement: the Iowa Writers Collaborative is introducing a special feature. Every month, paid subscribers to any of our newsletters will be invited to a Zoom gathering of the Iowa Writer’s Collaborative members. The “Office Lounge” call will be on the last Friday of the month, unless that’s a holiday.
This month the call is scheduled for October 28 from noon to 1 p.m. There’s no need to RSVP. The week before, all paid subscribers (to this Substack, or to any others in the collaborative) will receive the Zoom link. If you feel like logging on, you can listen in or join the conversation on October 28.
All posts on my Substack will remain free for all readers. But if you’d like to attend the “Office Lounge” gatherings, you will need to become a paid subscriber to at least one of the Iowa Writers Collaborative authors:
Just listened to your discussion with Dennis Hart. I learned a lot. The projection that Franken has only a million dollars of cash on hand surprised me. Also your discussion of Ann Selzer clarified for me why her poll is so important. I just found another one of Franken’s ads (attacking Grassley on ag issues). That’s two moderately tough attacks, one on abortion and one on ag policy). This makes me feel better. I’ve always said I’m not a political media person. My instincts are to hit Grassley harder but I quickly concede that Franken’s media people know much more than I do about this than I do. I just hope they are relentless on the attacks. I was also surprised and disappointed that Bohannan is going to be seriously outspent. Very informative discussion. You and Mr. Hart make a great team. Thank you!