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.
The Washington Posts’ Chris Cillizza wrote Thursday about the increasing signs that the winner of the 2008 Iowa Caucuses, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, is getting serious about another run for president in 2012. But it’s a statement from Hogan Gidley, who runs Huckabee’s political action committee (HUCK PAC), that will likely garner the most attention here in the Hawkeye State.
Gildey was asked about the likelihood that Huckabee would endorse the Republican Party of Iowa’s nominee for governor, Terry Branstad. Huckabee was an early supporter of Bob Vander Plaats, who is withholding his support for Branstad and flirting with the idea of an independent campaign for governor this fall. Vander Plaats also served as Huckabee’s state chair in 2008, and the two are reportedly close friends.
“It would be disrespectful to Mr. Vander Plaats and to many of Gov. Huckabee’s friends and supporters in Iowa if he were to endorse Gov. Branstad without Mr. Vander Plaat’s having already done so,” said Gidley today when asked whether Huckabee had any plans to get behind the GOP gubernatorial nominee.
As Cillizza notes, Huckabee is in a difficult position. Endorsing Branstad could alienate Vander Plaats and many of his supporters. Those supporters made up the base of Huckabee’s winning coalition from the 2008 Caucuses — social and evangelical conservatives. But failing to come out in favor of the party’s gubernatorial nominee could alienate the party’s leadership and, if Branstad is victorious this fall, the sitting governor in the nation’s first presidential contest.
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