“Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate proposed legislation yesterday that he said would work to ensure the integrity of Iowa’s elections by requiring things like voter ID at polling places and creating an electronic poll book for every Iowa precinct, with voters scanning state-issued IDs or voter registration cards when checking in to polling places. But for some, the move didn’t jibe with Iowa’s already impressive track record for election integrity.”
Category: elections
Election 2016: The Good, the Bad and the Trumpy
Well, the most contentious election of my lifetime is in the books. Let’s take a look at how it affected three political parties.
The Libertarian Party
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| Governor Gary Johnson |
Governor Gary Johnson received 4,123,115 votes nationwide, or about 3% of the total. That was less than the 5% needed to qualify for public campaign funding assistance, but it was the highest third party presidential vote total since Ross Perot in 1996.
In Iowa, Johnson got 58,796 votes (3.8%). This obviously passed the 2% threshold to secure major party status from the state of Iowa. This will present many advantages to the party. They explain in a recent press release:
“’Voters ask us why they don’t hear about Libertarian candidates until late in an election,’ said Campaigns and Elections Chair James Schneider. ‘Our candidates have been campaigning for months, but they have not been allowed to file their candidacy papers until August – and often the media and polls do not acknowledge a candidate until papers are filed.’ As a Political Party, Libertarians will now be able to file for office before primary elections [in June].”
Besides the presidential race, the party ran Chuck Aldrich for U.S. Senate and Bryan Jack Holder for U.S. Representative District 3. By my unofficial count the Libertarians had 6 candidates for Iowa Senate, 12 candidates for Iowa House and 3 candidates for county offices. There are also 6 Libertarians currently holding office in the state.
The party will continue to grow and build its organization throughout the state in preparation for its first primary election in 2018. If your willing to help, either as a candidate or volunteer, please contact james@lpia.org or keith@lpia.org. Oh, and don’t forget to change your voter registration to Libertarian.
The Democrat Party
Going into the final stretch the presidential race appeared to be Hillary Clinton’s to lose and lose it she did! Given the high unfavorability ratings of both candidates, I don’t think this can be seen so much as an endorsement of Trump as merely a repudiation of Clinton.
Polling from the final days of the campaign showed that most voters thought Trump would be terrible, but Clinton would be slightly worse. Add in the fact that Hillary and the Democrats are quickly becoming personae non gratae in much of flyover country and add months of leaked emails showing that she’s corrupt and dishonest and you’ve got a recipe for electoral defeat.
Obama won Iowa with 822,000 votes in 2012. If Hillary could have held onto those votes she would have beat Trump’s 798,000 votes. Instead, Hillary ran off 172,000 Iowa Obama voters and ended the night with 650,000 votes.
Hillary apologists have blamed third parties, FBI director James Comey, the bigoted electorate and other things for Hillary’s defeat. But think: Her name was booed during an opening prayer at her own party’s convention. People were chanting “Lock her up!” at her own party’s convention. If large factions of her own party hate her, why on Earth should independents and cross-over voters line up to support her? If the Democrats had nominated a candidate that wasn’t universally reviled, that candidate could have mopped the floor with Donald Trump (who is largely reviled). It’s natural for the Democrats to spend some time crying in their beer. But, in the long run, unless they’re willing to really examine the shit stains in their own laundry bag they’ll probably keep losing big elections.
Before I let go of the Democrats, let me make one final point: The party really needs to get it’s mind right on Second Amendment issues. One big reason voters in rural America lean Republican is because of the Democrats’ support of gun control. This even helped the Dems lose control of the state senate in Iowa, where Iowa Firearms Coalition’s PAC set up a special fund for the sole purpose of flipping that house.
Supporting the right to keep and bear arms needn’t be a partisan issue. I recall during a Democrat primary debate, Jim Webb spoke in defense of the Second Amendment. Most of the other Democrats acted like he was from Pluto, except Bernie Sanders from Vermont who at least acknowledged that “the views on gun control in rural states are different than in urban states.” (Then Hillary and the DNC torpedoed his campaign.)
Of course Hillary always says she supports the Second Amendment but also supports every imaginable restriction or ban upon gun ownership, so what the hell? Gun owners don’t care that she now calls it “common sense gun safety” rather than “gun control.” Trump might call it a “romantic interlude” when he’s shoving someone down a couch; that doesn’t change what it is.
The Republican Party
It was a pretty good election for the GOP despite (or perhaps because of) low voter turnout. Trump took the Whitehouse and the party retained its control of the U.S. House and Senate. While Hillary’s numbers were down 172,000 in Iowa compared to Obama’s, Trump got 68,000 more votes in Iowa than Romney did in 2012. (Romney: 730,000 Trump: 798,000) The GOP retained the Iowa State House and took over the State Senate. (Republican Terry Branstad still holds the governor’s mansion, which was not up for grabs this year.)
A lot of folks are freaking out over Trump’s election. I listed some of my problems with him here, namely that he’ll ride roughshod over the Constitution and continue to swell the national debt. Also he’ll be an aggressive nativist on immigration and totally anti-free trade. If you want a list of his personal faults, flip on a TV.
But there are some rays of hope for libertarians. He’s promising a lot of nice-sounding Republicany-type stuff: term limits on Congress, reducing the federal workforce, reducing federal regulation, canceling Obama’s unconstitutional executive orders, and perhaps eliminating the federal Department of Education. Ironically, Trump may be less hawkish than his opponent from the supposedly dovish Democrat Party. Lastly, I have fewer visions of my gun being pried from my cold, dead hands under a Trump administration
I’m not too optimistic, but we’ll see what happens. Trump is the president; I don’t have to like it, but I do have to deal it. Whatever happens it promises to be interesting and entertaining. Buckle up and try to enjoy the ride, folks.
Constitutionalists/Fiscal Conservatives: Dump Trump; Vote Johnson!
If you believe in limited government and strict constitutionalism, as I do, voting for statist poster child Hillary Clinton is probably a nonstarter. But you’ve heard the Republican Party mouth some pretty words about those principles in the past, so you might feel that voting for their candidate Donald Trump is your only option. I hope you don’t and I hope you’ll consider voting for the Libertarian Party candidate, Governor Gary Johnson, instead. (No, it’s not wasting your vote, I’ll explain why in a minute.) First, why shouldn’t you vote for Trump?
Our $19+ trillion nation debt is killing us with higher costs of living, slower wage growth, reduced fiscal flexibility, interest payments eating up more and more of the federal budget, and is a ticking time bomb. Trump (like Hillary) would only make it worse. When Clinton proposed $275 billion in new federal infrastructure spending, Trump said he would double those spending hikes (outbidding his own previous proposal). A recent analysis said that Trump’s tax plan would jack the national debt up another $7.2 trillion over 10 years. Fiscal conservatism?
And how does Trump view the Constitution? Last December he vowed that, if elected, he would sign an executive order mandating the death penalty for cop killers. Killing a police officer is terrible, to be sure; but that doesn’t give the executive branch authority to create brand new capital crimes out of whole cloth. Many of us decried Obama’s use of his “pen and phone” to try to circumvent the Constitutional legislative process. Trump would make Obama look like a piker.
Even though most of Trump’s ideas involve gorilla-stomping all over the Constitution, constitutionalists are told they MUST vote for Trump because he says he’ll nominate originalist judges who will defend the Constitution. It seems counter-intuitive to me that Trump would nominate judges that would thwart his own agenda at every turn. It seems more likely he will merely lead the party (and the country) further from its Constitutional moorings.
Someone who knows plenty about the federal courts and the Constitution is Alan Gura. He is the litigator who led America’s gun owners to victory in two landmark Second Amendment cases before the United States Supreme Court: DC v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago. Here is what Gura thinks about supporting Trump because of his potential Supreme Court nominees:
“I have no illusions about what Hillary would do to the federal bench. Sad! But there is something deeply contradictory about the notion of electing a power-hungry strongman on the theory that he’ll appoint judges that respect and enforce constitutional limits on government. Did Hugo Chavez appoint great judges? Did Putin, Mussolini, or Erdogan? Would it have mattered had they sort-of kinda suggested that they would?
“As much as I care about the courts, worrying about jurisprudential doctrine is a luxury for people living under basically free and stable governments, for people who have access to food and toilet paper. And absolutely nothing in Trump’s history suggests that he’d honor his proposed judge list or otherwise pick decent judges, while each of his proclamations indicates that the Supreme Court would be among the least of our concerns under his regime. True, the Trump gamble—that he’d be a figurehead who’d delegate authority to responsible people, or be resisted by the bureaucracy and media (or, laughably, by that stiffest-spined creature, the Republican Congress), while hewing to a judicial selection principle anathema to his personal brand—mightpay off. Should Trump win, I’d at least delight in Hillary’s loss, and fervently hope that he’d prove me wrong on every count. But I wouldn’t bet my country on it.”
What about Governor Gary Johnson? He was a successful entrepreneur who became a two-term Republican governor of heavily Democrat New Mexico. During his time in office he vetoed over 750 bills, cut taxes 14 times (and never raised them), balanced the budget and left the state with a billion-dollar surplus. His VP candidate, Bill Weld, was also a two-term Republican governor in a blue state (Massachusetts). According to the Cato Institute: “Weld cut spending, balanced the budget, improved the state’s bond rating, and cut numerous taxes. Even with a Democratic legislature, Weld has a stunningly successful fiscal record.” Now as Libertarians, the Johnson/Weld Team would bring those same small government principles to DC. Johnson has said one of his first priorities would be submitting a balanced budget to Congress.
So fiscal conservatives and other advocates of limited government could certainly support Gary Johnson. But since it’s nigh on impossible for a third-party candidate to win, isn’t that wasting your vote? I don’t think voting your conscience should ever be considered a “waste.” If you need more though, how about this: If we can help Governor Johnson get 2% of the vote here in Iowa then the Libertarian Party will become officially recognized as a “major party” by the state. That means Libertarian candidates would no longer have to waste time and resources gathering signatures in each race just to get on the ballot. If we can help Governor Johnson get 5% nationally, the party would get similar recognition from the federal government. This all would mean a more active and competitive third-party in future elections.
As we know from the private market, competition is a good thing. With a little competition from a stronger third-party maybe the two old broke down parties might have to run candidates for high office that people WANT to vote for, rather than candidates they HAVE TO vote for. But that will never happen as long as they can reliably harvest your vote no matter how God-awful their candidates are. Vote for a change: vote Gary Johnson for president.
That’s the Ticket!
Unless you’ve had your telephone and television unhooked for the past four months, you know that the election is Tuesday. Like a growing number of Iowans I already voted by mail. Here are some of the people I was proud to vote for:
U.S. Senate:
Dr. Doug Butzier (L.)
Sadly, Doctor Doug passed away at the age of 59, Monday October 13, when the light plane he was piloting crashed. The good doctor was an emergency room physician and leader at Mercy Hospital in Dubuque.
Given his position, it might not be surprising that flaws in Obamacare and government interference in medicine are what helped convince Butzier to run for U.S. Senate. He believed that there should be a free market for healthcare, not “free” healthcare. He pointed out: “When you receive anything for ‘free,’ that means that someone else paid for it. You should not be forced to pay for or subsidize someone else’s healthcare. Government involvement only lowers the quality for everyone and drives up the costs.”Butzier also wanted America’s veterans to receive quality healthcare in their own communities rather than going off to shoddy government run VA hospitals.
Dr. Doug also believed in extending the free market into the education system as well. He believed in curtailing the Constitutional usurpation of the federal government and was a supporter of Americans’ Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Although largely ignored by the media until his death, Dr. Doug Butzier stood out from his two mudslinging rivals for the Senate seat.
U.S. House Dist. 1
Rod Blum (R.)
Blum is owner of Digital Canal Software. He is also a student pilot, real estate developer, and has written a conservative column for the Telegraph Herald. Blum is active with Liberty Iowa, a leading “Constitutional conservative” group, and is endorsed by the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America.
The five “cornerstones” of Blum’s campaign are: 1. Personal Responsibility 2. Constitutionally Limited Government 3. Fiscal Sanity 4. Free Markets and Competition 5. Sanctity of Life.
Iowa Governor
Dr. Lee Hieb (L.)
Dr. Hieb is a long time orthopaedic surgeon who served as an officer in the U.S. Navy. See has written numerous articles in professional journals, political columns and has a forthcoming book, Surviving the Medical Meltdown.
Hieb states she will use the following principles in governing Iowa: “1. I shall always vote to increase individual liberty. 2. I shall sign and vote to restrain the power and scope and size of state government. 3. I will fight to eliminate any tax which compels citizens to pay for things they find morally objectionable. 4. I will legislate to push back the Federal Government from our border and exercise (for a change) our Tenth Amendment rights to state sovereignty.”
Iowa Secretary of State
Jake Porter (L.)
Porter is a business and non-profit manager who has served on non-profit boards, managed several political campaigns, and has retail management experience running multi-million dollar department stores. One of the Secretary of State’s most important duties is to oversee the state’s elections. Says Porter: “We need someone who is independent of the two major political parties to act as a referee and that is the type of candidate I am.” In addition to keeping the Secretary’s office independent and transparent, Jake wants to make starting a business in Iowa easier.
Iowa Candidate Gun Grades 2014
Here are the candidate grades for Iowa’s office seekers. The first grade is from Gun Owners of America, the second is from the National Rifle Association. I personally put more weight in the GOA grade. If GOA or NRA is in UNDERLINED BOLD type, that means that candidate is endorsed by that organization. NRA does not grade independent or third party candidates. An asterisk denotes an incumbent. Libertarians Party candidates are in red because they kick ass.
Federal Office
U.S. Senate:
Braley (D) GOA: F NRA: F
Butzier (L) GOA: NR
Ernst (R) GOA: A NRA: A
Smith (I) GOA: NR
Congressional District 1:
Blum (R) GOA: A NRA: AQ
Murphy (D) GOA: D NRA: D
Congressional District 2:
*Loebsack (D) GOA: F NRA: F
Miller-Meeks (R) GOA: B NRA: AQ
Congressional District 3:
Appel (D) GOA: F NRA: C-
Holder (I) GOA: NR
Wright (L) GOA: A
Young (R) GOA: NR NRA: AQ
Congressional District 4:
*King (R) GOA: A NRA: A
Mowrer (D) NR NRA: C-
Explanation of GOA Grades:
WHAT THE NRA GRADES MEAN
IGO & Iowa Right To Life Primary Voting Guides
On Tuesday, June 3rd Iowa’s two big-box political parties will hold their primary elections to determine who will represent them on the November general election ballot. As usual, interest groups are beginning to rate the candidates. Here are some key ratings from Iowa Gun Owners and Iowa Right to Life.
Iowa Gun Owners, which bills itself as “Iowa’s ONLY no compromise gun lobby,” recently emailed its “2014 Iowa Gun Rights Primary Voter Guide!” to supporters. This guide included the candidate survey results in the key State House and State Senate races that IGO is focusing on across the state. Here is the relevant portions in IGO’s words:
State Senate Races:
In Senate District 19 (Ankeny) Senator Jack Whitver is in a primary with Brett Nelson. Senator Whitver has surveyed 100% in this race promising to co-sponsor all of Iowa Gun Owners’ legislative priorities if re-elected.
In Senate District 19 (Ankeny) Senator Jack Whitver is in a primary with Brett Nelson. Senator Whitver has surveyed 100% in this race promising to co-sponsor all of Iowa Gun Owners’ legislative priorities if re-elected.
Brett Nelson has refused his survey. We don’t know if he’s willing to support gun control or not but we do know where Senator Whitver stands.
In Senate District 27 (Hampton area) we’ve received signed surveys from both candidates seeking the GOP nomination. Sadly, both Shawn Dietz AND Timothy Junker have put down at least one anti-gun answer on their surveys.
Dietz refuses to help fix Iowa’s pre-emption problem, thus allowing you to get criminally charged for carrying a firearm in parts of Iowa that prohibit your carrying them there (i.e. Iowa City and many cities in Eastern Iowa.)
Junker is adamantly opposed to the idea of doing away with Iowa’s unconstitutional permit to purchase handguns, a relic of a bygone era of “Jim Crow” laws that have been largely phased out across the county.
In Senate District 29 (Dyersville area), long time IGO member James Budde has surveyed 100% pro-gun! More, Budde has pledged to LEAD in the gun rights fight by sponsoring gun rights legislation in Des Moines.
Budde’s going to adamantly fight against Bloomberg’s Universal Registration too.
However, despite our best efforts, James Heavens, also from District 29, simply won’t fill out the survey. We have no idea if he’s planning to ‘make a deal’ with gun-grabbers in Des Moines or not – since he’s unwilling to tell gun owners where he stands.
Senate District 39 (Washington area) is a three-way primary as Senator Sandy Greiner is retiring. IGO members in this district have been busily trying to get a survey from all three candidates for some time.
But as of this writing, Royce Phillips is the only candidate in this race who is willing to tell gun owners where he stands.
Not only did Phillips answer the survey but he did so with 100% pro-gun answers – giving us a reason to believe that he’ll fight to stop gun control at every corner if elected. Michael Moore and Bob Anderson have refused to survey at all. We simply don’t know if they’ll vote pro-gun or anti-gun if elected.
State House:
In House District 15 (Council Bluffs) we have vastly different candidates running.
John Blue has surveyed 100%. No hesitation, no wavering, he’s been clear all along that he’ll fight against gun control and for Constitutional Carry if elected. We’ve talked with John and he seems very serious about the 2nd Amendment in our conversations with him.
Troy Arthur has returned the survey as well, but unlike John Blue, Arthur’s survey was very disturbing.
Troy Arthur will not support Constitutional Carry and he will not support repeal of the unconstitutional ‘permit-to-purchase’ either!
More dangerous, however, was Arthur’s answer on mental health legislation. Gun grabbers are using mental health legislation to come after gun owners, especially vets, by having them declared unfit to possess a firearm.
The key is the word ‘declared.’ This can be done by virtually anyone. Hundreds of thousands of vets have lost their rights this way according to Gun Owners of America. Hundreds of thousands!
On the other hand, if someone is ‘adjudicated’ defective it means that the individual was given a chance to appear in a court of law, have counsel present, produce evidence, confront the opposition’s evidence, and more.
In other words, adjudication implies you have rights, declaration means someone can arbitrarily decide to seize your gun rights. Troy Arthur supports the idea of you simply being declared prohibited. No due process, no lawyer, no rights, just the end of your gun rights.
Thankfully, John Blue is opposed to this radical attack on the 2nd Amendment!
In House District 39 (Johnston area) we have received multiple surveys as this is a 3-way primary. Representative Jake Highfill and Taylor Egly have surveyed 100% pro-gun. Jerry Kinder has REFUSED to survey in this race at all.
It’s important to note that Rep. Highfill, in his two years in the House, has co-sponsored all of the legislation put forth by Iowa Gun Owners.
In House District 47 (Boone) we have a Democratic primary with a reportable difference that voters should know about.
Hans Erickson has surveyed 100% in favor of your gun rights. Constitutional Carry, Stand Your Ground, Pre-Emption reform – Hans Erickson supports all of these concepts and more.
Mark Trueblood has not returned our survey, although IGO members in the district say that he may have dropped out of the race, which may explain this.
In House District 60, Rep. Walt Rogers has failed to return his survey. We’ve spoken to Walt about gun rights, at length, this past legislative session. You see, when Constitutional Carry legislation came to the House for a vote in 2011 Walt voted “NO!”
Now Walt is in a leadership position in the House, and insiders have reported that Walt’s more concerned about maintaining that leadership position that he is about fighting for your gun rights. This pattern of behavior is what makes his refusal to survey this time around all the more concerning.
Thankfully, Jason Welch, who is running against Rogers, has surveyed 100% pro-gun. More, Jason Welch has promised to SPONSOR key pieces of legislation for IGO. We appreciate his support for the 2nd Amendment.
In House District 61 (Waterloo area) we have a 3-way Democratic primary that you should know about as Brad Condon answered 6 out of 9 questions with arrogantly anti-gun answers. He wasn’t just anti-gun, he’s proud of it!
Andrew Miller answered the survey too, but thinks it’s ok for a single ‘mental health professional’ to take gun rights away from Iowa’s veterans on their own volition without any basic due process rights!
Miller actually called our office wanting to make sure we highlighted how ‘good’ he is on the 2nd Amendment and basically argued that anyone who’s even accused of being ‘mental’ should have their gun yanked immediately. Andrew, consider your race “highlighted.”
Timi Brown-Powers refused to survey in this race.
In House District 84 (Mt. Pleasant area) incumbent Dave Heaton is hoping that the voters will forget about his vote against Constitutional Carry in 2011 as Ralph Holmstrom is primarying him to be the GOP nominee in this district.
Heaton has refused to complete his candidate survey whereas Ralph Holmstrom has surveyed 100% pro-gun!
Finally, in District 91, Rep. Mark Lofgren, no friend to the 2nd Amendment whatsoever, is retiring from that seat to run for Congress (voters beware, Lofgren is ducking his federal survey while Matt Waldren has answered 100%) creating an open seat race between Mark Cisneros and Gary Carlson.
While Gary Carlson is refusing to tell gun owners where he stands on the 2nd Amendment, Mark Cisneros has been extremely up front about his pro-gun views in signing his survey 100% pro-gun.
(Cisneros actually surveyed twice for us, as his original survey was misplaced by a volunteer in our office. Cisneros was very sincere in his support of the 2nd Amendment when we spoke to him.)
Iowa Right to Life describes itself as “the largest pro-life organization in the state of Iowa united in our value for human life and the common belief in each individual’s fundamental right to be treated with dignity and respect.” Here is their voter guide:
The Entire List of Candidates Iowa Right to Life Believes Best Meet Evaluation Criteria:
(Where multiple candidates are listed for a particular race, they are in alphabetical order)
Governor and Lieutenant Governor
Governor Terry Branstad
Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds
U.S Senate
Sam Clovis
Senator Joni Ernst
Matt Whitaker
U.S. Representative District 1
Rod Blum
Steve Rathje
U.S. Representative District 2
Matthew Waldren
U.S. Representative District 3
Robert Cramer
Joe Grandanette
Matt Schultz
Monte Shaw
David Young
Senator Brad Zaun
U.S. Representative District 4
Congressman Steve King
State Senator
District 1: Senator David Johnson
District 3: Senator Bill Anderson
District 5: Tim Kraayenbrink
District 7: Senator Rick Bertrand
District 9: Jason Schultz
District 11: Art Hill
District 13: Senator Julian Garrett
District 15: Crystal Bruntz
District 19: Senator Jack Whitver
District 23: Jeremy Davis
District 25: Senator Bill Dix
District 27: Shawn Dietz AND Timothy Junker
District 29: James Budde AND James Heavens
District 39: Royce Phillips
District 41: Senator Mark Chelgren
District 47: Senator Roby Smith
State Representative
District 1: John Wills
District 2: Rep. Megan Hess
District 3: Rep. Daniel Huseman
District 4: Rep. Dwayne Alons
District 5: Rep. Chuck Soderberg
District 6: Rep. Ron Jorgensen
District 7: Rep. Tedd Gassman
District 10: Mike Sexton
District 12: Brian Best
District 15: Troy Arthur AND John Blue
District 16: Rep. Mary Ann Hanusa
District 17: Rep. Matt Windschitl
District 18: Steven Holt AND Dillon Malone
District 19: Rep. Ralph Watts
District 20: Rep. Clel Baudler
District 21: Rep. Jack Drake
District 22: Rep. Greg Forristall
District 23: Rep. Mark Costello
District 24: Rep. Cecil Dolecheck
District 25: Rep. Stan Gustafson
District 26: James Butler AND Eric Durbin
District 27: Rep. Joel Fry
District 28: Rep. Greg Heartsill
District 29: Patrick Payton
District 30: Zach Nunn
District 37: Rep. John Landon
District 38: Rep. Kevin Koester
District 39: Rep. Jake Highfill
District 43: Rep. Chris Hagenow
District 47: Rep. Chip Baltimore
District 54: Rep. Linda Upmeyer
District 55: Darrel Branhagen
District 57: Ryan Kilburg
District 60: Rep. Walt Rogers
District 63: Rep. Sandy Salmon
District 64: Craig Johnson
District 67: Rep. Kraig Paulsen
District 68: Ken Rizer
District 71: Jane Jech
District 72: Rep. Dean Fisher
District 75: Rep. Dawn Pettengill
District 79: Rep. Guy Vander Linden
District 80: Rep. Larry Sheets
District 82: Jeff Shipley
District 84: Rep. David Heaton AND Ralph Holmstrom
District 91: Mark Cisneros
District 92: Ross Paustian
District 94: Rep. Linda Miller
District 95: Rep. Quentin Stanerson
District 96: Rep. Lee Hein
District 97: Norlin Mommsen
Jake Porter for Iowa Secretary of State
About 31% of Iowa’s registered voters are Democrats and 31% are Republicans. However, 38% are aligned with neither party. So why is it that our state’s elections are always overseen by an Iowa Secretary of State who is in league with one of the two major parties? Such an official will obviously always “have a dog in the hunt” in any major election. In fact, we’ve seen our state’s current top election official endorse a candidate in the election he was officiating. It’s like having a referee always wearing one team’s jersey.
Isn’t it time we had anindependent voice in the Iowa Secretary of State’s office? Jake Porter is such a candidate. Porter is not beholden to either major party which would make him an independent arbiter in our state’s elections. He pledged not endorse any candidate as Secretary. Porter wants to “keep the Secretary of State’s office non-partisan and make it easy for all Iowans to participate in the election process.” He does not believe in “disenfranchising voters through intimidation and voter suppression tactics.”
Porter also wants to make it easier for Iowa business owners to file state forms online. He believes in reducing red tape and bureaucracy and understands “the need to follow the Iowa Code and Iowa Constitution.” You can read more about him at JakePorter.org.
It’s time for an independent leader as Iowa Secretary of State. It’s time for Jake Porter.
IA Libertarian Candidates Oct 2013
The Libertarian Party of Iowa has given their website a much-needed overhaul. Among the information that can now be found on there is the current slate of candidates that the party is running for office.
2013 Elections:
Ajai Dittmar is running for Cedar Rapids City Council District 1.
Dittmar tells me the following about herself: “I am a 42 year old mother of four who is tired of crony capitalism running for public office for the first time. I am a local activist critical of the overreach in our local government. The only way to get the government out of our business and back to the basics is to get in office and bring these policies to the table.”
Alan Modracek is running for Cedar Rapids City Council District 3.
Alan is running for Cedar Rapids City Council, District 3. A family man, he has lived and worked in Cedar Rapids all his life except for a brief 6 years in the Navy.
Modracek’s Facebook page says: “I am running for Cedar Rapids City Council, District 3, to end the ‘tax and spend’ mentality of our local government. I will never vote in favor of a tax increase, and will fight tooth and nail to reduce the tax burden suffered by the people of Cedar Rapids. We can still fix our roads, have first class schools, and even flood protection. I want to make Cedar Rapids the most business friendly city in the Mid-West.”
Ariel Echevarria is running for Humboldt City Council At-Large as a write-in candidate.
Echevarria described himself to me thusly:
“I’m a 28 year old married man with a degree in Business Administration. I am currently running for Humboldt City Council. I recently moved to Iowa 6 months ago from Klamath Falls, OR. That town was about the size of Fort Dodge but I saw a lot of things that needed to change to make the city better. When I got to Humboldt I noticed some of the same things. For example, lack of business growth and things for young people to participate in. I believe that in order to have a healthy city we have to include the voice of the younger population (18-39 range). I believe city property taxes are very high in comparison to other near by cities and would like to see that change. I also feel like we need to strive to attract more small business in the local area.
“A few weeks ago a young woman wanted to place a cross in memory of her son on roadside property that was owned by a private company but the rights were given to the city for city purposes. She was initially denied her request. I do not believe that she should have been denied right off the bat. If I’m elected I will do everything within my power to make compromises between the city, it’s public and the private sector that operates within city limits. I also want to limit and change some of the city ordinances that tread on private residences. I want to see a dedicated dog park built within city limits as well.”
Nick Taiber is running for reelection to Cedar Falls City Council At-Large.
Taiber has served as a Councilman since 2010. He lives in the community with his wife and two children.
Says Taiber’s website: “Cedar Falls is a great place to live, and keeping it great requires initiative, fresh thinking, and a willingness to be bold. I bring unique perspective, bountiful energy, and careful leadership to Cedar Falls City Council.”
2014 Elections:
Jake Porter will seek the nomination to run as the Party’s candidate for Iowa Secretary of State in 2014.
Porter resides in Council Bluffs, Iowa and works for a large Internet corporation in Omaha, Nebraska.
Porter’s website states: “Jake Porter is the only candidate who has policies that will not increase the size of government. While Porter’s opponent wants to create additional rules and bureaucracy and in the past has suggested bringing economic development into the Secretary of State’s office, Porter understands the importance of having a small but efficient Secretary of State’s office and the need to follow the Iowa Code and Iowa Constitution. […] Jake wants to keep the Secretary of State’s office non-partisan and make it easy for all Iowans to participate in the election process. […] Jake believes in keeping government from disenfranchising voters through intimidation and voter suppression tactics.”
Elected Libertarians:
Roger Fritz-Mayor of Roland
Nick Taiber-Cedar Falls City Council At-Large (See above.)
Jake Porter Back in the Ring
Jake Porter has once again declared his intention to run for Iowa Secretary of State as a Libertarian. Porter was the party’s nominee in 2010 and received 33,854 votes, covering the margin of Republican Matt Schultz’s victory over Democrat Michael Mauro.
One of the Secretary of State’s most important duties is overseeing the state’s elections. As I’ve pointed out before, it would be nice to have a third-party official in that post who wouldn’t be tempted to tip the electoral scales for the Democrats or Republicans. Porter addressed that very notion in his announcement of intention.
“As Secretary of State, I would not endorse any political candidate like Matt Schultz did when he supported Rick Santorum for President. Additionally, I do not have ties to one of the two major political parties like Brad Anderson does. Unlike Anderson, I have never advised or worked for John Edwards or President Obama. We need someone who is independent of the two major political parties to act as a referee and that is the type of candidate I am.” said Porter.
Porter will be getting my support and my vote. You can read more about him at http://jakeporter.org
Iowa Right To Life "Preferred Candidates" List
Here is Iowa Right To Life’s “Preferred Candidate List.” According to that organization: “Inclusion on this list does not necessarily equal an unqualified endorsement, but is meant to be a guide for Iowans looking to support candidates in their area that will help advance the cause for life as we continue the struggle to end all abortion in Iowa.”
Iowa Right to Life Preferred Candidate List
Congressional Candidates
District 1 – Ben Lange
District 2 – John Archer
District 3 – Tom Latham
District 4 – Steve King
Senate Candidates
SD 2 Randy Feenstra
SD 4 Dennis Guth
SD 6 Mark Segebart
SD 8 Col. Al Ringgenberg
SD 10 Jake Chapman
SD 12 Joni Ernst
SD 14 Amy Sinclair
SD 16 David Scott Edwards
SD 18 Vicki Stogdill
SD 22 Pat Ward
SD 24 Jerry Behn
SD 26 Merlin Bartz
SD 28 Michael Breitbach
SD 34 Ryan Flood
SD 36 Jane Jech
SD 38 Tim Kapucian
SD 40 Ken Rozenboom
SD 42 Larry Kruse
SD 44 Brad Bourn
SD 46 Shawn Hamerlinck
SD 49 Andrew Naeve
House Candidates
HD 1 Jeff Smith
HD 2 Megan Hess
HD 3 Dan Huseman
HD 4 Dwayne Alons
HD 5 Chuck Soderberg
HD 6 Ron Jorgensen
HD 7 Ted Gassman
HD 8 Henry Rayhons
HD 11 Gary Worthan
HD 12 Barney Bornhoft
HD 13 Jeremy Taylor
HD 15 Mark Brandenburg
HD 16 Mary Ann Hanusa
HD 17 Matt Windschitl
HD 18 Jason Schultz
HD 19 Ralph Watts
HD 20 Clel Baudler
HD 21 Jack Drake
HD 22 Greg Forristall
HD 23 Mark Costello
HD 24 Cecil Dolecheck
HD 25 Julian Garrett
HD 26 Steve McCoy
HD 27 Joel Fry
HD 28 Greg Heartsill
HD 29 Gabe Swersie
HD 30 Jim Carley
HD 33 Daniel LeRette
HD 34 Patti Branco
HD 35 Terrance Williams
HD 36 Jeff Ibbotson
HD 37 John Landon
HD 38 Kevin Koester
HD 40 Mike Brown
HD 43 Chris Hagenow
HD 47 Chip Baltimore
HD 48 Robert Bacon
HD 49 Dave Deyoe
HD 50 Patrick Grassley
HD 54 Linda Upmeyer
HD 56 Bob Hager
HD 58 Brian Moore
HD 61 Lyn Tackett
HD 63 Sandy Salmon
HD 64 Jim Givant
HD 67 Kraig Paulsen
HD 71 Allen Burt
HD 72 Dean Fisher
HD 75 Dawn Pettengill
HD 76 David Maxwell
HD 77 Steve Sherman
HD 79 Guy Vander Linden
HD 80 Larry Sheets
HD 81 Blake Smith
HD 82 James Johnson
HD 83 James Steffen
HD 84 Dave Heaton
HD 89 Bill Edmond
HD 90 Mark Riley
HD 92 Ross Paustian
HD 93 Mark Nelson
HD 94 Linda Miller
HD 96 Lee Hein
HD 99 Paul Kern
For More Information:
Jenifer Bowen, Executive Director
Iowa Right to Life
515.244.1012 Office
877.595.9406 Toll Free
Cold Hard Cashner 