Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Former Republican state Rep. Sandy Greiner of Washington has launched a political action committee aimed at convincing former Gov. Terry Branstad to enter the race to take on current Gov. Chet Culver in 2010.
Conservative news aggregator TheBeanWalker.com first reported Wednesday morning that Greiner, who served 16 years in the Iowa House, started the Draft Branstad PAC and an accompanying Web site, www.DraftBranstad.com.
“Like so many Iowans, I desire experienced leadership in these challenging times our state faces,” she said. “Therefore, I decided to organize an effort to encourage Gov. Branstad to run.”
Six men are currently seeking the Republican nomination for governor in 2010: Bob Vander Plaats, Chris Rants, Christian Fong, Paul McKinley, Rod Roberts and Jerry Behn. Branstad has hinted that he is interested in joining the race for months, going so far as to ask former Republican state chair Rich Schwarm to assess the fundraising and staffing he might need for a fifth run for governor.
The Draft Branstad movement also comes after a series of anonymous attacks were launched against the former governor, including fliers distributed around the Des Moines area and a Web ad attacking his 16 years in office.
Greiner attempts to counter some of those attacks, which question his social conservative credentials by, among other things, pointing to his appointment of a the Supreme Court Justice who penned the ruling legalizing same-sex marriage and increasing the state’s sales tax.
“Gov. Branstad, a Catholic, was a staunch supporter of school choice during his governorship, believing that parents make the best decisions about their children’s education,” Greiner said. “He also is a real pro‐life leader, having signed a parental notification bill into law – even gaining Democrat support to pass this pro‐life legislation. Also, in 1998, Governor Branstad signed SF 2073 into law, a bill that banned partial birth abortions.”
Branstad also worked to gain passage of the Defense of Marriage Act, Greiner points out, although that was the law struck down by the Iowa Supreme Court in April.
A potential Branstad candidacy has sparked a whirlwind of opinions on the former governor’s likely chances should he enter the race. Some social conservative activists fear his campaign would start a civil war in the party, pitting moderate Republicans in Polk County against conservative activists around the state. Others believe Branstad may be the only figure who can successfully unseat an incumbent governor, pointing to recent polling that shows Culver defeating all currently active Republican candidates.
Culver said recently that Branstad’s potential candidacy has helped his campaign by energizing the base and increasing fundraising. A poll released Monday by Survey USA shows Culver with an approval rating of 36 percent, down fro 44 percent in July and down from 57 percent in December.
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