Recent Articles

by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch
October 30, 2026

Iowa Farmers Union has not endorsed federal candidates for at least 14 years, but is urging farmers to vote for Josh Turek in the race for U.S. Senate, and the rest of the Democrats running to represent Iowa in Congress. 

Aaron Lehman, Iowa Farmers Union president said Friday “the time demands it” as farmers look at record high diesel prices, multiple years with rising input prices, “chaotic” trade deals and overall slim bottom lines. 

“The times demand that we step forward and say we need a loud voice standing up for farmers and for Iowa values,” Lehman said. 

Turek, a state representative from Council Bluffs, is running against U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson to fill the Senate seat left open by Sen. Joni Ernst’s decision to not run for reelection. 

Turek’s platform includes calls for right to repair legislation, mandatory country of origin labeling, cracking down on agribusiness consolidation that has driven up input costs and undoing Republican and Trump administration policies related to trade and healthcare cuts. 

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch
October 16, 2026

Iowa is expected to spend over $1 billion more than it raises in revenues in the current fiscal year, the Revenue Estimating Conference found Friday — but Iowa Department of Management Director Kraig Paulsen said this prediction remains in line with Republicans’ expectations about the initial impacts of income tax cuts.

The Revenue Estimating Conference, a three-member panel, met Friday to discuss the state’s expected economic outlook. When the conference last met in March, the members projected state revenues would decline by 9.3% in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2026, but that the state would see a 4.4% increase in revenue growth in fiscal year 2027.

With the books closed for FY 2026, Iowa saw a 7.1% decrease in revenue compared to the previous year — a drop of just under $635 million. Jennifer Acton, the director of the Fiscal Services division of the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency, said this figure means revenues for the year were $205 million higher than the REC projected. But, she said, the year was still significant for being “the third year in a row with a net revenue decrease after 90 straight years of net revenue increases.”

by Jonathan Shorman, Iowa Capital Dispatch
September 29, 2026

President Donald Trump is tapping $20 million in Homeland Security funding to pay for TV ads that heavily feature him ahead of the midterm elections, Democrats said Tuesday as the promos critics call propaganda come under bipartisan attack.

The Trump administration recently moved the funds into a U.S. Customs and Border Protection budget line intended for “commemorative events” related to border security, according to federal records. Congressional Democrats said the dollars appear to be funding the ad campaign.