Blog

As the date of the caucus nears, it’s time to consider the long-standing criticisms associated with the closed contests. For those who advocate in favor of the caucuses, it’s usually on the grounds of party involvement and ideology. The argument is that those who set aside time to attend and pre-register with their party are […]

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to talk with my friend and 2019 Drake graduate, Josh Cook, about his experience working in the media during caucus season. Working for Iowa Starting Line, Cook has had the opportunity to cover various campaign events throughout the state. In his opinion, the most difficult aspect of reporting […]

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Brown and Black Forum, hosted and televised by Vice News, was an event that I was really looking forward to. However, from the second that I walked in the door, the event seemed disorganized and designed against the retail-politics that the Iowa caucuses command. It all started at 3:34 am […]

DES MOINES, Iowa — If you were a senior at Drake University four years ago, you may remember that Governor Martin O’Malley won the caucus held at Drake University. This was the only district that Gov. O’Malley had won, and he was fondly referred to as MoM (Martin O’Malley). However, what happened with Gov. O’Malley, […]

ALTOONA, Iowa — Amidst news coverage of candidates all around, I decided to sit down and talk with a group of my family members about what they had to say about the candidates. My aunt, sister, and I took a drive to get lunch one day and had a political discussion about the nomination process. […]

One by one, eight Democratic candidates crossed the stage at the Brown and Black Forum in downtown Des Moines earlier this week. The forum, which is the oldest of its kind dealing with minority-focused issues, has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1976. When former state representative Wayne Ford first organized the […]

DES MOINES, Iowa – Former Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh, currently running a long-shot campaign against President Donald Trump for the Republican Party nomination, sharply criticized the Republican Party and President Trump at an agriculture forum in Des Moines. Walsh participated in the Farmers, Soil and Climate 2020 Presidential Forum Saturday at Franklin Jr. High School […]

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa State Historical Museum was lit up after hours for a mock caucus on a Thursday night with freezing rain and an accompanying weather advisory. But what’s new for Des Moines in mid-January?  Out front of the venue was the ever patriotic C-SPAN bus. Decked out in red, white and […]

On Jan. 18, I attended the Urban Dreams Block Party, where Senator Elizabeth Warren gave her stump speech and answered questions. The event was co-hosted by Creative Visions, NAACP Des Moines branch, and Urban Dreams, focusing on things like housing rights, health care, and criminal justice reform. The room was packed from wall to wall; […]

DES MOINES, Iowa – On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I attended one of the nation’s oldest minority group focused forums, the Brown and Black Forum. This year the organization sought outside help to help run the event from Vice News. The forum began after some jokes about this being a minority forum while Iowa […]