Taking a few days off
…stay tuned
Hey, Potluck team!
I’m going to pause the Monday Zoom podcast calls for two weeks because I’ll be amid the Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat.
We’ll pick up where we left off with State Auditor Rob Sand on September 30.
Last week, we spent an hour with Sarah Corkery, a candidate for Congress in Iowa’s 2nd district. I uploaded the interview before the Des Moines Regiter’s Iowa Poll was released yesterday, which showed a significant shrinkage of support for Donald Trump in Iowa. This would be a good time to take a look at two races thought unwinnable for Democrats in Iowa.
As the saying goes, 24 hours is a long time in politics, and it might be premature to say ‘Iowa is in play’ in the presidential race, but those words are far less outlandish than they were just a few days ago.
I encourage you to get to know the two congressional candidates in Iowa who you probably don’t know much about, Ryan Melton and Sarah Corkery.
Listen to the podcasts:
Could Ryan Melton mount a political upset that would shock pundits?
Ryan Melton is challenging incumbent Congressman Randy Feenstra for the second time. The voter registration margin for Democrats in the Fourth District is about as bleak historically as it is for any race in the country.
See that congressional map above? The purple area is where Ryan Melton is running to defeat Randy Feenstra. The light blue area is where Sarah Corkery is running to defeat Ashley Hinson. If you know someone who lives there, ask them what they think. You might be surprised.
Ryan Melton might not be as long a shot as the registration numbers might suggest. The incumbent faced a primary challenge and it was a doozy. Then, the GOP challenger endorsed the Democrat, Ryan Melton. One of the biggest issues in Northwest Iowa is the move to force landowners to let private enterprise use their land, whether they want them to or not, for a pipeline that is believed to have a potentially detrimental impact on the environment.
The idea that the government could force eminent domain upon landowners is stirring passions that might be undetectable in the current registration numbers. Pundits were sure surprised Feenstra lost 40% of the vote Republican voters in the last primary.
Sarah Corkery’s odds just shot up considerably with the shifting sands the Iowa Poll revealed.
It confirmed what I feel when I drive around the rural parts of the state. And, that was before the former president of the United States made a bizarre, unfounded claim in a debate watched by 67 million people that some immigrants in a small Ohio town are stealing and eating family pets.
Then, just two days ago Donald Trump wrote a social media post:
‘I hate Taylor Swift.’
How do GOP stalwarts, who surely have Swiftie family members tell their loved ones they are going to support that man for the highest office in the world?
Something else about Iowa politics these days. Iowa Democratic Party chair, Rita Hart, is a solid, well-respected leader who has rebuilt a cash-starved infrastructure, ready to catch an emotional wave of joy, hope, and enthusiasm the Harris/Walz ticket is riding.
Coach Walz is the neighbor Iowans prefer over the guy with the ‘Fuck Biden’ sign in front of the house next to the local elementary school.
I have many friends who are a lot smarter than I am, especially when it comes to political analysis. They remain pessimistic that Iowa could go purple as it has in years past. They ARE cautiously optimistic about Lanon Baccam, defeating Zach Nunn, and Christina Bohannon, defeating Mariannette Miller-Meeks. The national party money being targeted in those two races from both sides of the aisle says there could be an upset.
I don’t argue with the logic that party leaders need to target resources and spend those races with the best ROI.
BUT.
In a year when women are facing the reality they no longer have the freedom their mothers and grandmothers had when it comes to reproductive choices, and that access to contraception could be the next basic right to go away, it’s an unprecedented time in politics.
Voters are exhausted by the former president - a felon - whose name appears at the top of the ticket, and nothing says change like Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
So, dear potluckers, give a listen to Ryan Melton and Sarah Corkery. See what you think. They don’t have the money for fancy campaigns, but that doesn’t always determine the outcome.
By the way, have you checked your voter registration? Be like the Swifties and head here:
Did you catch the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Roundup yesterday? If you’re tired of politics, there’s plenty of content to be had, too. Read
’s story about unexpected visitors to the Amish community. And food writer wonders if she should change her policy of not writing negative reviews. Or savor a delightful essay by on observing a tree trimmer in his neighborhood. And ’s keen observations about exploring roads less traveled in Iowa. is a terrific writer and reporter who covers women’s sports like no other. And there’s so much more! is the newest addition to the IWC. He’s such a gift:
Also, do you know that our puppy Dudley has a column?
Correction: Sarah Corkery is running against Ashley Hinson in Iowa's 2nd Congressional District.
In the paragraph that refers to the map, it should be Hinson not Meeks.