Category: LEAD

Analysis: Democratic Retirements Could Help the House GOP Grow Its Majority in 2024

Iowa Star Staff Reporter

House Republicans appear to be in a better position to capitalize off of a wave of congressional retirements, as there are more Democratic-held open seats in swing districts that pose an opportunity for the GOP to flip in 2024.

There are currently 31 House members who are not seeking another term in the lower chamber, including 20 Democrats and 11 Republicans — nearly all of whom hold seats that are considered safe for the GOP. Four Democratic-held open seats in battleground districts in Michigan, Virginia and California are most likely to flip red, while several other seats are also up for grabs by the GOP in 2024, according to political analysts and electoral rankings.

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Major Publisher, Education Association Sue Iowa to Keep Sexually Explicit Books on School Shelves

Iowa Star Staff Reporter
Students in Library

Penguin Random House, authors and teachers with the Iowa State Education Association filed a lawsuit against Iowa State Board of Education officials on Thursday, claiming that a law banning pornographic books in schools is unconstitutional, according to court documents.

Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the law, SF496, in May, which bars books discussing gender identity in kindergarten through sixth-grade classrooms and requires educators to keep parents informed if their child expresses a desire to change their gender identity, according to the Associated Press. The plaintiffs, however, argued in the lawsuit that the ban is “unconstitutionally vague.”

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Koch-Backed Group Endorses Nikki Haley

Iowa Star Staff Reporter

A Koch-backed group endorsed former Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for president, according to a memorandum released by Americans for Prosperity Action (AFP).

Charles Koch and his late brother, David Koch, are the billionaire sons of Fred Koch, who founded Koch Industries, a multibillion-dollar holding company that is the second-largest private corporation in the United States. Known for their heavy funding of Republican candidates, the Koch network’s AFP Action signaled on Tuesday that it would endorseHaley’s campaign, calling her “a candidate who can turn the page and win.”

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Trump Widens Lead over Biden in New 2024 Poll

Iowa Star Staff Reporter

Former President Donald Trump has widened his lead over President Joe Biden by 5 points for a 2024 head-to-head matchup, according to a Tuesday poll.

Trump is beating Biden 47% to 40% among registered voters, with 13% remaining undecided, according to a Messenger/HarrisX poll. The former president’s margin of victory grew from his 2-point lead reflected in a previous Messenger/HarrisX survey released on Nov. 1, when 12% of registered voters were not sure of their choice.

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Analysis: Trump Leads Biden 47 – 41 Percent in Swing States; Wins Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Nevada

Iowa Star Staff Reporter

Former President Donald Trump continues to lead incumbent President Joe Biden in the most important battleground states in the latest Morning Consult-Bloomberg poll taken Oct. 30 to Nov. 3 with an overall 47 percent to 41 percent margin.

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DeSantis, Haley Bring in Big Money After Third GOP Primary Debate

Iowa Star Staff Reporter

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley both brought in over $1 million in the first 24 hours following the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) third GOP primary debate on Wednesday, the Daily Caller News Foundation confirmed Friday.

Haley’s fundraising haul marks the campaign’s best single day of small-dollar donations after she and DeSantis sparred over foreign policy, energy and other issues on stage in Miami, Florida, according to the former ambassador’s team. DeSantis and Haley maintain either the second- or third-place lane in most national and key early state surveys as they vie to take on former President Donald Trump, who’s leading the crowded field of GOP hopefuls by roughly 44 points.

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Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ Pre-Caucus Endorsement of DeSantis Could Prove Costly to Kickoff Caucus State

M.D. Kittle

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ endorsement this week of Ron DeSantis for president a little more than two months before the Iowa caucuses could give the Florida governor a bit of a lift, but it very well could hurt the state GOP’s future prospects.

Former President Donald Trump, who leads DeSantis by nearly 30 percentage points in the latest Iowa poll, has clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with Reynolds’ rallying around DeSantis — especially after he accused Iowa’s popular governor of playing political footsie with DeSantis earlier this year.

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RFK Jr. at 22 Percent in Three-Way Race with Biden, Trump: Poll

Just the News

Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has emerged as a formidable, and potentially race-defining, contender in the 2024 presidential contest.

In a hypothetical three-way contest between himself, former President Donald Trump, and President Joe Biden, Kennedy earned 22% support in the latest Quinnipiac survey. Biden and Trump earned 39% and 36%, respectively. Kennedy led with independent voters with 36%, while Trump placed second with 31%, and 30% backed Biden.

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GOP Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s Campaign Launches 8-Figure Ad Buy in Iowa and New Hampshire

M.D. Kittle

Ohio entrepreneur and Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign is announcing the launch of an 8-figure ad buy in early nominating states Iowa and New Hampshire.

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