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.
CQ Politics has moved the campaign for the U.S. Senate seat of incumbent Republican Chuck Grassley from “Likely Republican” to its least competitive category, “Safe Republican.”
Grassley, who is facing a challenge from Democrat Roxanne Conlin, likely won’t be targeted by national Democrats, CQ says, because so many incumbent Democrats could be in danger this fall.
Finally, CQ Politics is moving the Iowa and Georgia Senate races that feature GOP Sens. Chuck Grassley and Johnny Isakson from Likely Republican to the least competitive category of Safe Republican. Democrats may have once held dreams of challenging Isakson and Grassley but in a cycle where a dozen Democratic-held Senate seats are now in play the national party will be hard pressed to devote time and effort to longshots like Georgia and Iowa. What resources Democrats do have to go on the attack will likely be spent on four competitive GOP open seat contests in Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire and Ohio that represent their best chances of picking up seats this cycle — and possibly avoiding a Republican takeover of the Senate.
Conlin has long been considered the toughest challenger Grassley has faced since winning his seat in 1980. In an interview with The Iowa Independent, Conlin said she still believes the race is close, despite the fact that the only pollster that had the race competitive has drawn widespread criticism for allegedly fabricating stats.
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