Erin Murphy

Former candidate Sage endorses Turek, criticizes Wahls in Iowa Democrats' U.S. Senate primary Sage, who withdrew from the election Sunday, said he trusts Turek and appreciates his authenticity while saying he feels Wahls is 'artificial' and a 'career politician'

www.thegazette.com/campaigns-el...

Iowa Democrat Sage suspends campaign for U.S. Senate Sage's exit leaves 2 Democrats — state legislators Zach Wahls and Josh Turek — vying for the party's nomination in Iowa's open-seat U.S. Senate election

And then there were two:
Democrat Nathan Sage suspends his campaign for the U.S. Senate in Iowa, leaving state legislators Zach Wahls and Josh Turek vying for the party’s nomination. www.thegazette.com/campaigns-el...

YouTube video by The Gazette On Iowa Politics Podcast: Unpacking controversial bills at the Iowa Capitol

Another great episode, a must-watch/listen.
* Althea's column on a sensitive topic
* A key Iowa political figure stepping back
* Controversial bills in the Legislature
* Da Bears da Bears da Bears
* A note about a colleague that I'd like y'all to hear
youtu.be/krlsMK_DBxQ?...

a man with a mustache is laughing with his mouth open in a blue shirt . ALT: a man with a mustache is laughing with his mouth open in a blue shirt .

Iowa statehouse journalists irl this morning looking at today's cartoonishly hectic legislative schedule at the end of this cartoonishly hectic legislative week:

Iowa VA facilities to be named in honor of National Guard soldiers killed in Syria Iowa U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, a former Iowa National Guard officer, is introducing legislation that will name facilities in the soldiers' hometowns of Des Moines and Marshalltown.

VA facilities in Des Moines and Marshalltown will be named in honor of 2 Iowa National Guard soldiers killed in action in Syria last year under legislation introduced by Iowa U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst.

www.thegazette.com/federal-gove...

On Iowa Politics Podcast: Congressional Race Fundraising, Straw Polls and Iowa Legislature Edition This week on the On Iowa Politics podcast, we discuss Congressional fundraising, caucus intrigue for both parties, news from the Iowa Legislature and more.

Last night, the On Iowa Politics podcast was named best news podcast by the Iowa Newspaper Association. Awards are not why I do this, but the honor gives me an excuse to praise our team, of which I am immensely proud to be a part, and thank our listeners. www.thegazette.com/on-iowa-poli...

New UI research on Iowa's high cancer rate reveals troubled counties, high lung cancer rates Linn County is among roughly a dozen Iowa counties with significantly higher overall cancer rates, and advanced stage lung cancer is particularly problematic statewide, according to preliminary snapsh...

Yesterday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and UI Public Health researchers revealed preliminary findings from their search for the drivers of Iowa's abnormally high cancer rates. The early findings are fascinating, and there is a lot of good info here. www.thegazette.com/state-govern...

Future legal path for Trump's lawsuit against Iowa paper, pollster debated, judge pledges ruling soon A Polk County judge will determine whether the case should proceed to discovery, be paused until President Trump is out of office, or dismissed

Lawyers argued Friday how the trial in President Trump's lawsuit against the Register and former pollster Ann Selzer over a pre-2024 election Iowa Poll should continue (if at all). My report from the Polk Co. Courthouse summarizes the arguments. www.thegazette.com/crime-courts...

The crowd beginning to file in for President Donald Trump’s event today in suburban Des Moines. Trump is scheduled to speak at 3 p.m. Was already a significant protest presence outside the venue a short while ago.

Some reading prep while you wait:
www.thegazette.com/nation-world...

Pulitzer-Prize winning editor joins Gazette as president, publisher The new president & publisher will oversee The Gazette and 11 community newspapers for Adams MultiMedia in Iowa.

www.thegazette.com/news/pulitze...

And that's it! You are now fully caught up on the annual Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau's legislative preview series. It's all you could possibly want to know about what to expect in the 2026 session and more. (Probably much more.)

Thanks for reading, and follow us all session!

Iowa public schools press for 5% funding boost as lawmakers signal resistance Educators are again asking for an increase of 5 percent in funding for Iowa public schools, saying it's crucial for keeping up with inflation, managing increased operating costs and making up for deca...

More and more public schools are asking for a 5% state funding increase; majority Republicans are signaling it will be a fraction of that. Gazette K-12 education reporter Grace King reports: www.thegazette.com/k/iowa-publi...

Iowa GOP lawmakers signal renewed scrutiny of public universities in 2026 session With higher education coming under a more permanent and scrutinizing legislative gaze last session with the establishment of a new standing committee in the Iowa House, chair Taylor Collins promised s...

Iowa Rep. Taylor Collins told The Gazette's @vanessamiller12.bsky.social that he'll introduce a series of secondary education bills, among them one that will address what qualifies as core curriculum at Iowa’s public universities. www.thegazette.com/higher-educa...

Will restrictions on medication abortion in Iowa emerge during the 2026 legislative session? After altering Iowa's reproductive health care landscape in recent years through enacting a law restricting abortion access, state lawmakers will now see a new push to focus on the next target of anti...

Statehouse Republicans have restricted abortion access in recent years. Next on anti-abortion advocates' agenda: medication abortion. @mmarchelhoff.bsky.social reports: www.thegazette.com/state-govern...

How will the Iowa Legislature address cancer in 2026? The American Cancer Society supported five bills aimed at cancer prevention and treatment in 2025, but only one passed. Lawmakers and advocates say they expect to see many of them resurface this year....

You guys ... Condition of the State is in, like, 6+ hours. Maybe now's a good time to finish this 🧵?!

We know well Iowa's high and rising cancer rates. How will the Iowa Legislature address it this year? The Gazette's Fern Alling explores: www.thegazette.com/state-govern...

Water quality, pesticide policy loom ahead of 2026 Iowa legislative session With the 2026 Iowa legislative session just days away, renewed debate is expected over water quality, nitrate runoff and pesticide policy. Lawmakers, along with environmental and agricultural leaders,...

State funding for water quality projects and the pesticide liability bill figure prominently in this legislative preview series entry from Gazette reporter Olivia Cohen reports: www.thegazette.com/government-p...

New proposal from new leader adds wrinkle to Iowa lawmakers' property rights debate New Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh, R-Spillville, is introducing a new proposal in an attempt to break a 5-year legislative deadlock over eminent domain, carbon dioxide pipelines and landown...

If property taxes are Issue 1 this session, eminent domain/property rights is 1A.

My story explores whether House and Senate Republican leaders are headed for another standoff or whether a new Senate GOP leader with a new approach will bridge the divide. www.thegazette.com/state-govern...

Iowa Republicans eye 'three-strikes' law, bail reform in 2026 Iowa House Republicans say they want to act proactively in 2026 with a "tough on crime" package aimed at repeat offenders, bail reform and sentencing — even as recent data show Iowa crime trending dow...

Iowa House Republicans say they plan to introduce a series of "tough on crime" bills this session. What are they proposing? What do local law enforcement officials say? What does Iowa's crime data look like? @tjbarton83.bsky.social has it all: www.thegazette.com/state-govern...

Is Iowa's budget on solid ground? Lawmakers clash over tax cuts and shrinking reserves Republicans insist the state's finances are in good health and everything is proceeding as they planned when they lowered Iowans' state income taxes. Democrats are sounding alarms over the state spend...

Next up, yours truly dives into the state of the state's finances. With income tax cuts in effect, the state is spending more than it's taking in. Hear, but also break through the political arguments and get the basic facts from my story: www.thegazette.com/state-govern...

Property tax relief takes center stage as Iowa lawmakers return for 2026 session This year, Iowa lawmakers will return to the drawing board on providing property tax relief to Iowans, which is expected to be a main focal point of the 2026 legislative session after last year's effo...

This year's series starts off the only way it could: on property taxes. Majority Republicans couldn't reach an agreement last year. Will they this year? How will it approach property tax relief? How will it impact local governments? From @mmarchelhoff.bsky.social: www.thegazette.com/state-govern...

the joker is standing in the dark with the word and glowing in the background ALT: the joker is standing in the dark with the word and glowing in the background

I'm more than a little disappointed nobody has been begging for, or even simply observing the absence of, my annual thread of links to the Gazette-Lee Bureau's legislative preview series.

Despite that, because I'm not petty, I'm going to bring it to you now, anyway.

Johnson Co., UI among 10 entities to receive state grants for opioid addiction treatment Ten Iowa entities have been notified they will receive grants of up to $1 million each for opioid addiction prevention and treatment, according to state documentation provided to The Gazette on Tuesda...

Ten Iowa organizations have been selected to receive opioid settlement-funded state grants up to $1M, according to an Iowa HHS notification of intent to award. www.thegazette.com/state-govern...

Iowa National Guard soldiers killed in Syria return home The remains of Staff Sgts. Edgar Torres-Tovar and William Howard were flown to Des Moines on Wednesday, then taken to the soldiers' hometowns

www.thegazette.com/state-govern...

Iowa returns to Summer EBT after pilot program reached far fewer children this year Iowa announced on Monday that it will return to a federal summer food assistance program. The announcement came on the same day a report made available to The Gazette showed Iowa's program in 2025 fel...

Iowa announces it will return to the federal summer food assistance program for low-income children - with an Iowa healthy foods twist - as a new state report shows the state's 2025 program reached a small % of eligible kids. w/ @mmarchelhoff.bsky.social www.thegazette.com/state-govern...

Who wore it better?

Join us for holiday merriment and our review of a momentous year in Iowa politics and government on the latest episode of the On Iowa Politics podcast.
#ChristmasVacation #jellyofthemonthclub #wheresthetylenol #4alarmholidayemergency www.thegazette.com/on-iowa-poli...

U.S. Army identifies Iowa Guard soldiers killed in Syria Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown; and Sgt. Edgar Brian Torrestovar, 25, of Grimes were killed Saturday during what Iowa National Guard leaders described as an ambush

The U.S. Army has identified the 2 Iowa National Guard soldiers killed in an attack Saturday in Syria: www.thegazette.com/federal-gove...

State agencies tee up policy changes ahead of 2026 Iowa legislative session State agencies are pre-filing bills ahead of the 2026 Iowa legislative session, signaling debates over kratom regulation, prison safety, election ads and a renewed fight over the future of Iowa's hist...

omg u guys did u see it? did you see what @tjbarton83.bsky.social wrote today? do u no what this means?

it's almost #ialegis szn www.thegazette.com/state-govern...

On Iowa Politics Podcast: Democrats are divided over the caucuses This week on the podcast, Iowa Democrats are divided over the caucuses, yet another multi-candidate event without Randy Feenstra, the Iowa Supreme Court sides with Rob Sand, and more.

As always, you also can listen to the podcast every week almost any place you stream audio, or at your preferred Gazette or Lee newspaper website ... like this: www.thegazette.com/on-iowa-poli...

Watch the latest On Iowa Politics podcast, and when I ... um ... say the thing, tell me which fellow podcaster your reaction most closely matched.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVVN...

The dome of the Iowa Capitol Building in Des Moines on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. (Erin Murphy/The Gazette)

Providers of and advocates for services like speech therapy are expressing concern that a pending state rule change for Medicaid billing could weaken those services. www.thegazette.com/state-govern...