Progress Iowa’s Sinovic sees better way to connect with voters

DES MOINES — Recent elections in Iowa have not gone well, largely speaking, for Iowa Democrats.

Matt Sinovic and the progressive organization he directs, Progress Iowa, is leading a partnership with other similarly liberal organizations to reverse those fortunes by helping Democrats develop messages that better connect with Iowa voters.

Sinovic is a native of Overland Park, Kan., who became Progress Iowa’s executive director in 2012. Over the past decade-plus, Sinovic and Progress Iowa have advocated for liberal policies at the state and federal level. The organization’s annual Corn Feed fundraiser quickly became a popular event for Democratic candidates for office in Iowa, including presidential hopefuls making their way through Iowa caucus campaigns.

Over the course of that decade at Progress Iowa, Sinovic has seen Iowa Democrats’ electoral success plummet. What was once a state where both Democrats and Republicans shared substantial election victories has become a red state, politically speaking: all six of Iowa’s representatives in Congress are Republican, the state’s governor has been a Republican since 2011, and Republicans have expansive majorities in both chambers of the Iowa Legislature, giving the party total control of the state lawmaking process. Also, every statewide elected official in state government — save one — is a Republican, and all seven justices on the Iowa Supreme Court were appointed by Republican governors.

Iowa Democrats are searching for answers to the question of how to respond. And Sinovic, Progress Iowa and their partner groups believe they can provide some answers.

Their goal is to create a self-sustaining system that can serve as a global resource to Iowa Democrats of all stripes, from elected officials to activists, to help them better communicate with their fellow Iowans — especially voters.

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“Everyone willing to use their voice for progressive change should have the resources they need to make it happen,” Sinovic said.

The most visible fruit of Sinovic’s labors so far has been the publication earlier this year of a handbook for liberal messaging. “Winning the Message War: A Handbook for Iowa Progressives” was designed to, in its own words, “help Iowans reclaim our progressive history and advocate for progressive values today.”

The 21-page guide, Sinovic said, was produced after more than a year’s worth of research, polling and conversations with hundreds of Iowans about the policies that impact their lives. The guide provides guidance for Iowans who wish to more effectively communicate progressive ideals to other Iowans, whether they be a legislator or someone who wants to write a letter to the editor to their local newspaper.

According to Sinovic, Progress Iowa has developed a network of 124 volunteers who have had more than 500 letters to the editor published in newspapers across the state, and 118 members of a digital organizing team that shares social media best practices and receives updates on how to combat disinformation online.

Sinovic said in 2023, Progress Iowa has worked with nearly 100 elected officials and organizations, helping them with training, message research, digital and graphic design, and media coverage.

“I’m really proud of our work as a communications hub,” Sinovic said. “Every day, people are working hard and hoping for a fair chance to improve their lives and to be treated with some dignity. When we can connect with someone and provide the tools they need to advocate for their family or community, it’s really empowering.”

Many prominent Iowa Democrats and progressive advocates have lauded the efforts of Sinovic and Progress Iowa. Among them is J.D. Scholten, of Sioux City, who twice ran for Congress in deeply conservative Western Iowa and in 2018 nearly pulled off a monumental upset of Republican former U.S. Rep. Steve King.

Scholten now represents Sioux City in the Iowa Legislature.

“We need to tell our story, share our values, and we need to do that together to work toward common goals. Progressives across Iowa are fighting tooth and nail to help their communities,” Scholten said in a statement to Progress Iowa for the release of its messaging guide. “This handbook is a wonderful resource and reminder: to talk about our values and tell our fellow Iowans exactly what we’re fighting for.”

The work ahead of Sinovic and Iowa progressives is daunting. He said his goal is to create a system that becomes flexible and usable by Iowa progressives for the long-term, regardless of who is running any particular organization or who is sitting in any particular elected office.

“Every time we can help a grassroots organization, local elected official, or even one activist become the best possible storyteller and advocate they can be, that’s a win,” Sinovic said. “And that’s how we can build toward progressive victories and long-lasting, long-term change: one story, one message, one conversation at a time.”

Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com