Week in Iowa, Sept. 15, 2024: Recap of news from across the state

Iowa Poll shows Trump ahead in tighter race: The latest Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll showed former President Donald Trump leading in the state by just 4 percentage points. The poll was released last weekend and surveyed 811 Iowans on Sept. 8-11. Of 656 likely voters, 47 percent said they would vote for Trump, and 43 percent said they would vote for Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.

The results show a tighter race than the June poll, when President Joe Biden still was the presumptive Democratic nominee. In that poll, Trump had an 18 point advantage, 50 percent to 32 percent.

Shadowy group recruits far-right candidates: An Associated Press report this past week revealed a group called the Patriots Run Program had recruited far-right, pro-Trump candidates to run in several key U.S. House races, seemingly as spoiler candidates for the Republican nominees. The group, which appears to have ties to Democratic consulting firms, targeted congressional districts in which the election is likely to be close. That included Iowa’s 1st and 3rd districts, though neither of the recruited candidates will be on the ballot.

The candidates, who were recruited to run as independents or Libertarians, said they were contacted online and had limited in-person contact with the people encouraging them to run.

FAFSA: Iowa’s state university officials are hopeful going into the next federal student aid cycle this winter. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, was delayed and faced other issues this past cycle. It caused difficulties for schools and families, especially for low-income and first-generation students. Officials expect a smoother, though again delayed, roll-out this year.

UNI development: The University of Northern Iowa plans to create a Center for Civic Education. The center would provide services such as professional development, civic engagement events and learning opportunities for teachers. Iowa State University and the University of Iowa also plan civic education initiatives.

Suspicious packages: The Iowa Secretary of State’s Office was among election officials in more than a dozen states that received suspicious packages this past week. The Lucas State Office Building in Des Moines was evacuated Monday as a result. Several states said a white powder was found in envelopes sent to the officials. Testing in some of the states found it to be harmless.

They said ...

“Despite Democrat fearmongering, IVF access is not in jeopardy. It’s legal in all 50 states, and all Senate Republicans support nationwide access, including me.” -- Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, on his vote against a bill that would establish a federal right to access fertility treatments.

“Today, Iowa Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst showed once again that Republicans have no interest in creating exceptions to their extreme abortion laws and that they don’t care about the effects that these harmful laws have on Iowans.” -- Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart on Iowa’s U.S. senators’ votes against a bill that would establish a federal right to access fertility treatments.

Odds and ends

Des Moines shooting: Two police officers were injured and the suspect killed in a shootout Monday in Des Moines. A driver fled a traffic stop around 1:40 a.m. and crashed. During a struggle when police removed him from his car after using a Taser on him, he pulled out a handgun and started shooting. Three officers returned fire and killed him.

Nursing homes: Iowa’s auditor issued a report Monday claiming the state is failing to meet federal requirements for the frequency of nursing home inspections. Democrat Rob Sand’s report said 85 percent of the state’s certified nursing homes went longer than the federally required 15.9 months between inspections. The director of the state’s inspection agency disputes Sand’s claims.

Water cooler

IVF legislation: Iowa U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, both Republicans, joined most of their GOP colleagues to vote against a bill that would have established a federal right to access fertility treatments. Republican senators have their own bill that would ban states from Medicaid funding if they bar in vitro fertilization, but it does not guarantee a right to those services.

Political endorsements: Former President Donald Trump has endorsed incumbent U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson in Eastern Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. Hinson, a Republican, is running against Cedar Falls’ Sarah Corkery. In addition, Republican incumbent U.S. Reps. Zach Nunn and Randy Feenstra announced they had been endorsed by the political arm of the Iowa Farm Bureau.