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Raising the state gas tax should be part of broader tax reform that could actually decrease what Iowans pay in taxes and fees, Gov. Terry Branstad said May 18. “I think next year’s the year to do it,” Branstad said on Iowa Public Television’s Iowa Press. Branstad has recognized the need for more revenue to meet [...]

A roundup of campaign-related news items of interest for Friday, May 18, 2012: LINN AUDITOR FORUM: The Linn County Democratic Party will host a forum at 7 p.m. May 23 for the candidates for county auditor. Incumbent Joel Miller is being challenged by former Linn County Supervisor Jim Houser. The winner of the June 5 Democratic primary will [...]

By Ed Tibbetts /Quad-City Times Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney released his first general election television ad Friday, listing a menu of things he would do on his first day in office. He said he would approve the Keystone XL pipeline project, propose “tax cuts and reform that reward job creators” and issue orders replacing President [...]

MOUNT VERNON – Karl Rove would be sleeping better if Hillary Clinton was president. Rove, widely considered the architect of George W. Bush’s presidential victories in 2000 and 2004 and nemesis of all things Democratic, offered a spirited endorsement of a Clinton presidency – as long as the choice is an Obama presidency. Not only is [...]

President Obama will return to Iowa May 24 to meet with supporters as well as deliver an economic address in Newton and, perhaps, an announcement about wind energy production. Few details have been released other than Obama will make a presidential visit to Newton and a campaign stop in Des Moines. It will be the president’s [...]

A pair of Republicans who hope to challenge Rep. Bruce Braley are calling his support for a balanced budget amendment an election-year conversion. Braley, who is seeking a fourth term in the U.S. House, announced May 16 he is signing on to a Republican-authored plan to amend the Constitution to require a balanced budget. He called [...]

A roundup of campaign-related news items of interest for Thursday, May 17, 2012: TEA PARTY ENDORSER: Michael Hereen, the co-founder of the Dubuque Tea Party, has endorsed Rod Blum in his bid for the Republican nomination in Iowa’s U.S. House 1 st District. Blum, a Dubuque businessman, faces Ben Lange, an Independence attorney, in the June 5 primary election. [...]

Sen. Chuck Grassley isn’t alarmed by “what some might call upheavals” in Republican politics in Indiana, Nebraska and Iowa. He sees the recent victories by Tea Party-backed candidates in GOP Senate primaries in Indiana and Nebraska as well as the success of Texas U.S. Rep. Ron Paul supporters in Iowa in electing a majority of [...]

The Republican Party of Iowa caught heat from news organizations for reneging on its own plan for releasing certified presidential precinct caucus results by giving them to the Des Moines Register before any other media outlets. One of the party’s critics at a public hearing hosted by the GOP in Des Moines May 15 was quick [...]

CHANGE IN LOCATION Mitt Romney will deliver what’s being billed as a major policy address May 15 in Des Moines on the “out-of-control spending and debt” under the Obama administration, according to Iowa U.S. Rep. Steve King. Romney, who is hitting back on a new round of attack ads by President Obama’s re-election campaign, will speak [...]

Iowa House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, has announced that former state lawmaker Doug Struyk will become his executive officer. Struyk will replace Matt Hinch, who is leaving the speaker’s staff to join the Des Moines Partnership. Struyk, 41, served in the Iowa House from 2003 to 2011, including a stint as assistant minority leader. His time [...]

UPDATED CEDAR RAPIDS – The founder of the Cedar Rapids Tea Party has endorsed Dubuque businessman Rod Blum in the U.S. House 1 st District Republican primary. Blum is facing Independence attorney Ben Lange, who was the GOP challenger to Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley of Waterloo in 2010. Despite of Lange coming within 2 percentage points of [...]

Jobs and the economy, property tax relief, lower spending and education reform were winning issues for Iowa Republicans two years ago when they took a 60-40 majority in the House and picked up six seats in the Senate. “Thematically, not a lot has changed since 2010,” said House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha. “That’s still what’s on [...]

A roundup of legislative and Capitol news items of interest for Wednesday, May 9, 2012: VICTORY DIRECTOR: Ryan Gough, who was the Republican Party of Iowa 2012 caucus coordinator, has been tapped by Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus to be the 2012 Iowa Victory director. Priebus said Iowa will play a pivotal role in the 2012 election [...]

DES MOINES – Passage of a redesign of Iowa’s county-based mental health system is only the starting point, according to floor managers of a bill aimed at making access to mental health services more equitable and not dependent on where someone lives. “Next year, we’ll start working on the children’s system and the transition for the [...]

DES MOINES – An Iowa legislative conference committee has reached an agreement on a mental health redesign policy, but details of how it will be funded have been left to another House-Senate conference committee. The conference committee report on Senate File 2315 must be approved by both chambers, but the committee chairs, Rep. Renee Schulte, R-Cedar [...]

DES MOINES – “Sharp differences” remain, but Iowa Legislative leaders say the end of their overtime session is in sight. Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, is predicting the Iowa Legislature can finish its work this week, including approval of a historic commercial property tax relief package that includes a break for renters and increases [...]

A roundup of legislative and Capitol news items of interest for Wednesday, May 2, 2012: STATE MAP GOES QR: In addition to showing roadways, rivers, rail lines and more, the 2012 Iowa Transportation Map includes two Quick Response (QR) codes that can be scanned with a QR reader on a smartphone or other mobile device to provide [...]

Two Republicans running for their party’s nomination in Iowa 1 st District will meet in a debate May 21 in Cedar Rapids. Rod Blum, a Dubuque businessman, and Independence attorney Ben Lange will debate at 7 p.m. at Kirkwood Community College, room 234 in Cedar Hall, 6301 Kirkwood Blvd. SW. The debate will be sponsored by Five [...]

DES MOINES – The only official action by the Iowa Legislature Wednesday was approval of House Resolution 148 honoring the 1937 Melrose High School boys’ basketball state championship team. Like that Melrose team that became known as the “Iron Men” after playing two consecutive state tournament games without substitution, it appears lawmakers’ mettle will be tested [...]