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Chairwoman Dvorsky reacts to the 23rd consecutive month of private sector job growth
by Sam Roecker February 3, 2012DES MOINES – Following the release of the January jobs report this morning, showing the 23rd consecutive month of private sector job growth, Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Sue Dvorsky highlighted this success and credited the leadership of Democrats across the country: “Today’s jobs report showing 243,000 jobs added in January... -
Iowa Democrats encourage participation in state income tax check off program
by Sam Roecker February 1, 2012DES MOINES – Each year Iowans have a chance to become involved in the Iowa Democratic Party, just by checking a box on their Iowa income tax form. This program is a vital resource to Democrats, especially in an election year where all signs indicate that Iowa will be a... -
College Dems: Irresponsible Voter ID Bill Bad for Iowa Students
by Sam Roecker January 31, 2012Voter ID bill to be officially introduced this week DES MOINES – College and Young Democrats of Iowa President Austin Frerick released the following statement today, as Secretary of State Matt Schultz’s irresponsible voter ID bill is expected to be officially introduced in the Legislature this week: “Restrictive voter ID... -
Branstad tries to build support for voter ID, alleges non-existent voter fraud
by Sam Roecker January 30, 2012Governor teams up with Secretary Schultz on voter ID law DES MOINES – Announcing his support for Secretary of State Matt Schultz’s voter ID bill today, Governor Branstad tried to build the case for such a law by alleging that voter fraud has happened in the state, while failing to... -
Chairwoman Dvorsky thanks Branstad for continuing to support anti-bullying conference
by Sam Roecker January 30, 2012DES MOINES – The chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party today thanked Governor Branstad for reaffirming his support for the Iowa Governor’s Conference on LGBTQ Youth, following reports last week that he was seeking to remove his title from the anti-bullying event: “Governor Branstad has done the right thing by... -
Latham’s Citizens United endorsement nothing to be proud of
by Sam Roecker January 26, 2012Another special interest rushes to Latham’s side DES MOINES – Tom Latham’s popularity among conservative special interest groups with shady funding sources continues to grow, as Citizens United – the namesake behind the Supreme Court case allowing unlimited amounts of undisclosed money into politics – has announced their endorsement. “Tom... -
New voter ID bill ignores cost, places unnecessary barriers to voting
by Sam Roecker January 26, 2012Voter ID’s hidden costs would pile up DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz has introduced a new voter ID bill, which would enact unnecessary barriers to voting and potentially cost taxpayers millions of dollars. “Voter fraud is not and never has been a problem in Iowa, this... -
Is Gov. Branstad distancing himself from an anti-bullying conference?
by Sam Roecker January 25, 2012Administration doesn’t deny reports that they distanced themselves from LGBTQ event DES MOINES – The Branstad administration is not denying a report that it sought to remove its title from the “Iowa Governor’s Conference on LGBTQ Youth,” leading many Iowans to question why the governor would distance himself from an... -
Democratic Leaders React to the State of the Union Address
by Sam Roecker January 24, 2012Officials across Iowa stand by President Obama’s plan DES MOINES – Democratic officials across Iowa reacted to President Obama’s State of the Union Address tonight, showing support for his plan to strengthen the middle class by creating jobs, giving our workers the tools they need, and building industries that will... -
Chairwoman Dvorsky Statement on 2012 State of the Union Address
by Sam Roecker January 24, 2012DES MOINES – Tonight, President Barack Obama delivered the 2012 State of the Union Address, outlining a blueprint to create jobs, strengthen the middle class, and create an America built to last. Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Sue Dvorsky, who attended the address, released this statement supporting President Obama’s plan: “Tonight,...
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Factcheck.org: Unproven Jobs Claim in Pro-Romney Ad
by Sam Roecker December 9, 2011A pro-Romney TV spot running heavily in Iowa touts an unproven claim that the candidate “helped create thousands of jobs” as CEO of an investment firm. When we asked the super PAC sponsoring the ad for proof of its claim, a spokeswoman said: “We aren’t supplying that information.” And so... -
DMR Ed Board: Branstad disregards openness pledge
by Sam Roecker December 6, 2011When Gov. Terry Branstad was sworn into office in January, he listed transparency among the “principles that will guide my days as governor.” It’s time for the governor and his staff to reread this principle. They seem to have forgotten it. -
Ames Tribune: Blueprint or boondoggle?
by Sam Roecker November 30, 2011Underneath a picture of five carefree and smiling children is the tagline: One Unshakable Vision. It’s the cover page of Gov. Terry Branstad’s ambitious education reform plan for Iowa, and while the vision may not be shaken, one major component has been delayed while others have drawn sharp criticism. Jason... -
AP: Legislature to keep tight focus on jobs, economy
by Sam Roecker November 30, 2011Gronstal said he also expected to focus on economic issues and avoid drawn-out arguments of social issues. “Iowans would prefer that we all work on things that would get 100,000 Iowans back to work,” he said. “Kraig and I have talked and he seems to be in agreement that this... -
DMR: Iowa Dems on anti-Romney campaign: We’re educating voters that he’ll say anything to get elected
by Sam Roecker November 29, 2011Iowa Democrats defended a new national campaign that paints Mitt Romney as a flip flopper by saying it’s an effort to educate voters rather than a meaningless political attack. -
Radio Iowa: Iowa Democrats tout “Mitt versus Mitt” effort
by Sam Roecker November 29, 2011Iowa Democrats have joined their national party’s effort to cast Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney as a serial flip-flopper on issues ranging from gays in the military to immigration reform. -
Boswell and friends: Mitt Romney is wrong on veterans care proposal
by Sam Roecker November 16, 2011Democrats are attacking an idea from 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney to privatize veteran’s healthcare. Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, suggested at a stop in South Carolina on Veterans Day that some sort of voucher option be introduced to inject private sector competition into the care of military... -
Congressman Boswell defends veterans against Mitt Romney
by Gregory Hauenstein November 16, 2011Good morning, Iowa! There’s a great piece in today’s Des Moines Register from Congressman Leonard Boswell. He takes on Mitt Romney’s plan to privatize heath care for veterans, saying Romney, “hasn’t done his homework or he’s putting politics ahead of the best interest of our nation’s veterans.” Mitt Romney? Putting... -
AP: Session to focus on jobs, economy
by Sam Roecker November 14, 2011DES MOINES — Now that a closely watched special election is over, Iowa lawmakers have turned to an upcoming legislative session that had been in limbo amid questions about which party would hold a majority in the Senate. Legislators said it’s likely the session that convenes Jan. 9 will largely focus... -
Gazette Editorial Board: Mandate for Mathis
by Sam Roecker November 9, 2011Liz Mathis’ decisive victory in the special Senate District 18 race Tuesday night preserves the Democrats’ 26-24 majority edge. We congratulate her and hope that her election means more than continued gridlock in the state Legislature, as opponent Cindy Golding had warned. Republicans hold the House majority. Mathis gained The...
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Democrats highlight 23rd straight month of private sector job growth
by Sam Roecker February 3, 2012State Treasurer Fitzgerald, State Senator Jack Hatch hold press conference in Des Moines DES MOINES – This morning State Treasurer Mike Fitzgerald and State Senator Jack Hatch (Des Moines) highlighted how the 23rd straight month of private sector job creation shows our economy is on the right track, and how... -
23 Consecutive Months of Job Creation
by Sam Roecker February 3, 2012Numbers don’t lie, check out this chart of President Obama’s progress towards creating an America built to last: Download a high quality PDF of this chart. This graph shows that the Obama administrations swift action to avoid another depression is paying off. For 23 months we’ve been adding jobs to... -
Obama admin. decision latest step forward on women’s health
by Sam Roecker February 2, 2012The White House Blog has outlined the historic leap forward that the Affordable Care Act representing for health care in America, in particular, it’s impact on women’s health. By making preventative services more accessible and affordable, women across the country are benefitting: Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, most health... -
Rep. Glen Massie: Sole vote against tougher domestic violence penalties
by Sam Roecker February 2, 2012This morning the Iowa House passed Senate File 93, a bill to increase the penalty for strangulation in cases of domestic violence. Here’s background on the the bill from the Cedar Rapids Gazette: “ would make it an aggravated misdemeanor to strangle someone during an incident of domestic abuse.... -
Not the reaction to voter ID that Matt Schultz was hoping for
by Sam Roecker January 30, 2012Since introducing his irresponsible and costly voter ID bill, election officials and leaders across the state have been speaking out against this bill. This is a good sign for Iowans who would have a much harder time voting if this bill were signed into law. The Ames Tribune published an... -
2012 State of the Union Address
by Sam Roecker January 24, 2012Tonight, President Obama will deliver the 2012 State of the Union Address. The president will outline a clear plan for moving American forward by announcing plans to strengthen the middle class and build an economy that’s built to last. The speech will begin at 8:00 p.m., you can view the... -
Find a Legislative Forum Near You
by Sam Roecker January 18, 2012With the Legislature back in session, Democrats are once again holding legislative forums across the state. This is an opportunity for you to speak directly to your State Representative or State Senator, share your thoughts and get an update about what they’re working on. Throughout the session we will keep... -
Democratic legislators stand up for health care gains
by Sam Roecker January 12, 2012Across the nation today state legislators are speaking out against Republican attempts to roll back the improvements to our nation’s health care system under the Affordable Care Act. Watch the full press conference, hosted by State Senators Jack Hatch and Joe Bolkom below: Governor Branstad continues to use state resources... -
Democratic Statements on 2012 Legislative Session Opening Day
by Sam Roecker January 9, 2012As the 2012 session of the Iowa Legislature begins, Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal and House Democratic Leader Kevin McCarthy delivered their opening day addresses, calling for a focus on job creation and strengthening families across the state: Opening Day Remarks of Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal Thank you, Mr. President.... -
MTV highlights Iowa Democrats
by Gregory Hauenstein January 5, 2012An MTV video crew came to Des Moines a few days ago to film all the goings on. They caught up with OFA volunteer Kameron Middlebrooks, a student at Grand View University: Get More: Music News