Week in Iowa: Recap of news from across the state

Trump to campaign in Iowa: Former President Donald Trump will return to Iowa on Thursday, just five days out from Election Day, to campaign with Gov. Kim Reynolds and Sen. Chuck Grassley. A little over a year since he was last in the state, Trump will rally Iowans in Sioux City, the home of Grassley’s Democratic challenger, Mike Franken.

Republicans welcomed the former president back to the state and Grassley said he would take the opportunity to get his message across to thousands of Trump’s supporters. Democrats, meanwhile, said it suggested Grassley is vulnerable and criticized Republicans for appearing alongside Trump.

Iowa Republicans will host the first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses in 2024, and Trump is among several national Republicans who have made campaign swings through the state in the last year, setting up a potential run for president.

Iowa Poll finds AG Miller with healthy lead: A Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll found Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller leads Republican challenger Brenna Bird by 16 percentage points among likely voters. According to the poll, 49 percent of likely voters said they would vote for Miller, compared to Bird’s 33 percent support.

Miller has 93 percent of support among Democrats, while Bird has 66 percent among Republicans. Miller pulled a majority of support among independents, with 52 percent to Bird’s 23 percent. Miller had 42 percent of respondents view him very or mostly favorably. Twenty-three percent of respondents had a mostly or very unfavorable view of him. For Bird, her favorability was evenly split among those who had an opinion, with about 20 percent each viewing her favorably and unfavorably.

Jobless benefits went to ineligible recipients: The state of Iowa paid more than $238,000 in improper unemployment benefits to deceased and incarcerated people in 2020, according to a state audit.

In the height of the pandemic, Iowa Workforce Development received a flood of claims as most businesses temporarily closed because of public health measures. During that time, six people who were dead received close to $125,000 in unemployment benefits, while eight incarcerated people, who were ineligible for benefits, received more than $113,000. State Auditor Rob Sand recommended the department improve its methods of checking claims against the state’s prisoner database and checking for Social Security numbers of deceased people.

New veterans affairs head named: Gov. Kim Reynolds named Todd Jacobus, a retired colonel of the U.S. Army and National Guard, to head the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs and the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown.

Jacobus served for more than 30 years in the Army and National Guard and served in three overseas missions. He has served on the Iowa Commission of Veterans Affairs for six years and has been the group’s chair for two years. His appointment begins Nov. 7 and will require confirmation by the Iowa Senate.

They said ...

“I think this has been one of those candidacies that has built momentum over and over. And now, there’s a wave coming here. You can just feel it out there, where it is not just Democrats. It is Republicans. It is independents that are coming over to support this candidate, because they believe Iowa is ready for a change.” — Former Democratic U.S. Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama, campaigning with Democrat Mike Franken for Senate

“He really does take that wisdom that you all share with them and he takes that Iowa to D.C. and that's exactly what you want out of the elected representative, to be certain that they are taking your thoughts and your hopes and your desires to D.C.” — Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn while campaigning with Sen. Chuck Grassley

Odds and ends

Grassley, Franken campaign across state: With less than two weeks to Election Day, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley and Democratic challenger Mike Franken both campaigned across Iowa this past week. Grassley held a rally highlighting his work for maternal health care and sexual assault survivors. Franken campaigned alongside former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama, who said he thinks Franken will be able to upset Grassley and bring over independents and Republicans to his side.

Nikki Haley campaigns with Republicans: Former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley campaigned with Iowa Republicans in Cedar Rapids and Davenport this past week, celebrating Gov. Kim Reynolds. Haley has made several trips to Iowa in recent years, and she has hinted she is considering running for president in 2024, when Iowa will host the first-in-the-nation caucuses.

Water cooler

COVID cases rise: Iowa’s COVID-19 cases increased by more than 25 percent this past week, after seven consecutive weeks of falling rates. In the week ending Wednesday, the state reported 1,915 cases, up from 1,508 the previous week. The number of people hospitalized with the virus also increased, to 153 from 144 the previous week.

State looks to tackle food insecurity: The state announced two new programs aimed at addressing food insecurity this past week. Iowa Stops Hunger is an informational initiative that will launch a pilot program targeting young women who are food insecure but may not qualify for federal assistance. The state health department also announced $265,000 in grants to 15 counties through the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count! program, which aims to encourage young Iowans to live healthy lifestyles.