Both the Iowa Senate and House are in play this cycle. Although Bush won this state, Democrats have continued to make gains at the state legislative level with a localized message and strong operations on the ground. In 2004, we picked up 4 seats in the Iowa Senate to push the chamber to a tie, and we picked up 3 seats in the Iowa House; we are now within one seat of taking the chamber.
Here's an
ad for one of our great candidates,
Eric Palmer.
More on why this is a key race and these are key chambers below.
Eric is running against Danny Carroll. Carroll is Speaker Pro-Tempore and he served as floor manager of the bill to create a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in Iowa. He's as ambitious as he is conservative; he's talked about running for statewide office in the past. Eric lost to Carroll in 2004 by 314 votes; we think he can get over the top this year.
When you support Democratic state legislators and candidates, you're not only supporting and training future Democratic leaders, but you're draining the pool of future Republicans before they get the chance to become the next Marilyn Musgrave.
Please help us get over the top in this important state. Your donation goes the farthest in these smaller races.
If Democrats win the majority, it would mean a positive agenda:
House Democrats pledge --- if they're handed the majority --- to raise Iowa's minimum wage, boost teacher salaries even higher and focus on making Iowa a "green state" by developing renewable energies.
"That's all focused on what we have to do to grow this state to make it a stronger state," [Minority Leader Pat] Murphy [D-Dubuque] said.
What a fantastic framework that would be for the 2008 presidential primaries. Instead of debating Republicans' favorite topics--gay rights and abortion--we could be asking presidential candidates about building infrastructure for sustainable energy, improving education by attracting and keeping the best teachers, and supporting rural America.
We've got a great shot, with strong caucus operations and great candidates who know their districts well.
A local paper points out our advantage:
To many observers, the raw numbers appear to favor Democrats claiming the Senate for the first time in a decade. This year, the GOP must defend six seats and pick off one sitting Democrat to earn the majority. No Democrats are retiring their positions this year.
The Des Moines Register says the outcome "is more difficult to predict in Iowa this year than most, and more than any other state."
In this article, Tim Storey, of the National Conference of State Legislatures, calls it "the swingiest of the swing states."
And The Rothenberg Political Report has it as a toss up.
We know the Republicans won't give up without a fight. They're trotting out the same old attacks...
Republicans are hitting all the hot buttons --- charging Democrats will raise taxes, scrap a law making English the state's official language and repeal measures that rein in the power of unions.
regardless of the facts:
Democrats have had to contend with outside political groups working for the GOP running ad campaigns against some Democratic incumbents. One, the Republican State Leadership Committee based in Washington, D.C., sent out flyers accusing two Democratic House members of taking votes to aid illegal immigrants --- a vote taken before the lawmakers were even in office.
Here is a list of the races that will determine control of both chambers.
And winning state legislative chambers has four long-term effects.
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