DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Television Iowa Capitol Bureau) – Libertarians will be on the ballot statewide for the first time since 2018.

Incumbent Republican Congressman Zach Nunn will face off against a well-funded Democrat, and now a Libertarian entering the field may make it even tougher.

Marco Battaglia says his candidacy gives voters a choice to break away from the two-party system.

“We got Polk County pretty much where people just show up and check, you know, the D next to the name. And we got a lot of the other counties where people just show up and check the R next to the name. A good goal would just to be get people thinking about those three options rather than just knowing they’re going to show up and vote for a color,” Battaglia said.

In 2022, Nunn won by 2,145 votes against Democrat Cindy Axne.

With yet another tight race on the horizon, Battaglia says he’s not worried about being labeled a spoiler.

“I think that’s a really shortsighted way of looking at politics. The sooner that Iowans and the people of the district get used to a multi-party system, a system where someone can just run as no party as an independent and have a fair race the better I think it’ll be for everyone that lives here,” Battaglia said.

Iowa State University Political Science Professor Dave Peterson says if Battaglia has any impact on the race, it would be as a spoiler.

“The margins matter, right? If the Libertarian pulls a couple of points from Nunn – if that takes him from 53 to 51, not a big deal. But if it takes him just over the edge where the Democrat, you know, has slightly more then it matters, but I think that’s unlikely. I think Nunn is likely to win this race,” Peterson said.

Peterson says the effects of a third-party candidate may be muted since Donald Trump being on the ballot will lead to higher Republican turnout.

Battaglia isn’t the only Libertarian running for Congress. In Eastern Iowa, Nicholas Gluba is running in Iowa’s 1st congressional district. In Northwest Iowa, Charles Aldrich is running in the 4th district.

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Conner Hendricks covers state government and politics for Gray Television-owned stations in Iowa. Email him at conner.hendricks@gray.tv; and follow him on Facebook at Conner Hendricks TV or on X/Twitter @ConnerReports.

Copyright 2024 KCRG. All rights reserved.

The Iowa State Cyclones unveiled a fourth new uniform for the 2024 season on Thursday afternoon, which adds to the set of three new unis they unveiled in early May. Although that set did include a white uniform, the numbers, wordmark and sleeve stripes were cardinal and gold. This new uniform is white with only black accoutrements.

As always, lets start with the hype video:

The fourth jersey is here‼️

🌪️🚨🌪️ pic.twitter.com/cF5b3kpYeG

— Iowa State Football (@CycloneFB) June 20, 2024

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Here’s how that compares to the other three sets they unveiled previously:

Ain’t no joke.

🌪️🚨🌪️ pic.twitter.com/adGdmZZNj9

— Iowa State Football (@CycloneFB) May 1, 2024

The new hype video unfortunately doesn’t show any rear views of the uniform, but we can safely assume that both NOB and number will be black.

There are some additional views here:

⚪️⚫️⚪️⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/sBmGS60wRf

— Iowa State Football (@CycloneFB) June 20, 2024

The helmet is white, and it was previously shown with the set released in early May. Clearly this uniform is designed to be worn as part of an “Icy White” or “Stormtrooper” theme. In fact, the video showing players holding what looks to be a lightsaber portends the Star Wars theme. However, Stormtroopers didn’t use lightsabers, so that’s a curious prop. And most Jedi didn’t wear mono white.

The white jersey and helmet were also shown with black pants, so it appears that will be an option.

I donno. Maybe it’s not a lightsaber.

This new uniform is fine, but it also seems completely unnecessary. They already introduced a perfectly good white uniform — in actual school colors — so this feels like overkill. But this is obviously part of the current trend in college football so it is what it is.

Your thoughts?

News

H5N1 in Iowa dairy herds reaches 8 cases

Another case of H5N1 Influenza A has been confirmed in an Iowa dairy herd.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship says the most recent detection occurred in dairy cattle in Sioux County. It’s the eighth detection of the virus within the state’s dairy herds.

State Ag Secretary Mike Naig says supportive care can help dairy cattle recover with little to no mortality association with the disease.

Suspected cases can be reported to the agency at 515-281-5305.