Articles Tagged: Zach Wahls

Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds’ campaign reported raising nearly $4.8 million in donations in 2021. Her highest profile Democratic challenger, Deidre DeJear, reported raising nearly $287,000.

Educators in Iowa have been relaying their concerns with opening-day remarks made by Republican Iowa Senate President Jake Chapman, who accused teachers of having a “sinister agenda” regarding books in school libraries, Democratic legislative leaders said Thursday.

Judging by the opening-day remarks delivered Monday by leaders in the Iowa Legislature, Republicans and Democrats have decidedly different views about how to attract more workers and people to Iowa, whose population has been stagnant for a decade.

“I think there's going to be an effort to push for everything that's on the agenda,” University of Northern Iowa political scientist Chris Larimer said. “I think they're going to push on tax cuts, maybe more easing of gun restrictions and kind of waiting and seeing what they're going to do on abortion” in anticipation of a United States Supreme Court decision on a Mississippi abortion law.

Along the way, however, there are any number of ideas and issues that can disrupt, delay and derail the familiar routine of a legislative session. Often, they are the same issues from year-to-year: abortion; gun rights; traffic cameras; gambling.

Democrats repeated the party’s demand last week that Gov. Reynolds reverse her earlier decision to reject $95 million in federal funds that could be used for COVID-19 mitigation in schools.

The delayed release is creating uncertainty over whether the exacting process of drawing new boundaries for the state’s 50 Senate and 100 House districts can be completed ahead of a constitutional deadline.

Gov. Reynolds’ inaction, which makes it impossible for the board to meet because of a lack of a quorum, is unacceptable to Iowa Democratic legislative leaders.

Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, said Republican leaders may be reading into a statement made by the Iowa Supreme Court about the redistricting process.

Legislators are waiting on the Census Bureau to provide the granular data needed to complete redistricting, the redrawing of congressional and legislative district boundaries based on the decennial census.

Republicans celebrate ‘great day,’ while Democrats see missed opportunities

Legislative Democrats say it’s unfortunate they’ve been frozen out of end-of-session negotiations because there are some elements of Republican plans they could support.