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.
Responding to speculation that Bob Vander Plaats might run as an independent if he loses in the Republican gubernatorial primary, Linn County Supervisor Brent Oleson may ask his county’s Republican Central Committee to pass a resolution demanding GOP candidates “support the duly elected nominee that is produced” from the primary process.
Republcan Bob Vander Plaats addresses the crowd at the state Capitol after being endorsed by the Iowa Family Policy Center last week (photo by Jason Hancock/Iowa Independent).
“What do you think, should we ask each GOP candidate for governor to support the election process and to not oppose the eventual GOP nominee?” Oleson asked on his personal blog.
He is reacting to the recent endorsement of Vander Plaats by influential social conservative group the Iowa Family Policy Center. In announcing the endorsement, the organization vowed that it would sit out the fall campaign if former Gov. Terry Branstad gets the Republican nomination.
Response to the anti-endorsement of Branstad was quick, with many Republicans fearing the move could splinter the party and guarantee Democratic Gov. Chet Culver a second term in office. Oleson, who has formally endorsed Branstad’s campaign for a fifth term as governor, said the conservatives who push this strategy are a “jihadist sleeper cell of so-called GOP leaders” that is “refusing to work towards post-primary unity.”
The Des Moines Register reports that a poll conducted by longtime Branstad pollster David Hill of Texas shows the former governor leading Vander Plaats 63 percent to 18 percent among likely primary voters. A poll conducted last summer by the conservative blog The Iowa Republican found Vander Plaats leading the rest of the GOP field by 30 percentage points, but Branstad was not considered a candidate at that time.
A Vander Plaats aide refused to say whether the Sioux City Republican would support the eventual nominee or if he would consider a third-party or independent candidacy.
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