Iowa
Election 2024: How changes to Iowa education could drive voter turnout
DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Television Iowa Capitol Bureau) – Since the last election, Iowa lawmakers have passed sweeping changes to education. That includes creating private school vouchers, banning books that depict sex acts from school libraries, and restructuring of the Area Education Agency system.
Democrats are trying to use these changes to try and win back seats in the legislature.
At the Iowa Democratic Party’s Liberty and Justice Celebration Saturday, Democrats centered their speeches mainly around education and abortion.
Retiring Iowa Senate Minority Leader Pam Jochum said, “I know first-hand how important the Area Education Agencies are to every child and every family who has a child with special needs. You never mess with Mama Bear.”
Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst said, “Iowans hate vouchers and we’re going to make ‘em pay.”
IDP Chair Rita Hart said, “Iowa Democrats value our educators and we are ready to go to bat for you.”
University of Iowa Political Science Professor Tim Hagle says in this election, No Party voters will make the difference. “Those No Party voters by and large tend to focus on, you know, the kitchen table issues. Jobs, the economy, healthcare but also kids. And especially if you’re talking about how their kids are going to be doing in school,” Hagle said.
Hagle says he expects Democrats to make the case that due to these changes passed by Republicans, schools are in tough shape. If voters buy that message, he says they could have some success.
But – Hagle says Republicans will try to appeal to No Party voters as well. “Republicans are going to make counter argument saying, ‘Well, the reorganization of the AEAs was needed and the voucher program provides education opportunities for, you know, kids that may be in schools that don’t aren’t a good fit for them for whatever reason,” Hagle said.
Hagle says 40% of Iowans are registered as Republican, 30% are registered as Democrat, and another 30% are no party.
Hagle says Republicans are doing a better job at registering new voters than Democrats. “The last couple cycles, Republicans have done very well in terms of new party registrations and party switches which is why they have the plurality at this time,” Hagle said.
Hagle also adds that Iowans like incumbent lawmakers and aren’t likely to vote them out unless they’ve done something wrong.
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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.
What are your chances of winning any prize on the Powerball game?
Powerball is a popular lottery game around the U.S. but winning isn’t easy.
The Powerball Jackpot keeps getting bigger. No one was the winner on Wednesday, Dec. 17, which means $1.5 billion is now up for grabs.
This is now the fifth-largest jackpot in the game’s history.
How many Iowa Lottery tickets won prizes in latest Powerball drawing?
Iowa Lottery players won 28,677 prizes in Wednesday’s drawing, and this time, no one got close to winning the grand prize. Prizes ranged from $4 to $400.
What were the winning Powerball numbers in Wednesday’s drawing?
The winning numbers in Wednesday’s drawing were 25-33-53-62-66 and Powerball 17. The Power Playmultiplier was 4.
When is the next Powerball drawing?
The next Powerball drawing will be on Saturday, Dec. 20. The game has drawings on Mondays, Wednesday and Saturdays each week.
The Powerball jackpot has been growing since early September, and Saturday’s drawing will mark the 45th in the current jackpot run, a record for most drawings in a single jackpot cycle, according to the news release.
How many Iowa Lottery Powerball tickets were sold?
Iowa Lottery players bought nearly $1.75 million in Powerball tickets for last night’s drawing, including $1.24 million in tickets on Wednesday alone. But the average Powerball purchase in Iowa for Wednesday’s drawing remained around $6, or about three plays per ticket.
Lucia Cheng is a service and trending reporter at the Des Moines Register. Contact her at lcheng@gannett.com or 515-284-8132.
Arizona got caught up in the swirl of college baseball coaches leaving for professional jobs this offseason, losing pitching coach John DeRouin to a coordinator position with the New York Mets organization. But the Wildcats didn’t take long finding a replacement, one with a strong pedigree in the collegiate ranks.
Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com is reporting the UA will hire Iowa’s Sean Kenny as pitching coach. Kenny will techincally be Arizona’s fourth pitching coach in five seasons under Chip Hale, though DeRouin only served in that role during the offseason following Kevin Vance’s departure in June to become San Diego State’s head coach.
Kenny, 53, spent the 2025 season at Iowa where his staff ranked 16th in the country in ERA and 11th in strikeouts per nine innings. The Hawkeyes went 33-22-1 but missed the NCAA Tournament.
Prior to Iowa, Kenny spent the 2023 season at Iowa and before that was at Georgia from 2018-23. He’s also coached at Michigan, Maryland, Pepperdine and San Diego. The 2026 season will be his 30th in college baseball.
Arizona, which is coming off a trip to the College World Series, returns weekend starters Owen Kramkowski and Smith Bailey and NCBWA Stopper of the Year Tony Pluta among several other pitchers from the team that went 44-21.
The UA opens the 2026 season on Feb. 13 in Surprise against former Pac-12 foe Stanford, part of a tournament that also includes Oregon State and Michigan. The home opener is Feb. 17 vs. Omaha at Hi Corbett Field.
President Donald Trump, Gov. Kim Reynolds, members of Iowa’s congressional delegation and families are receiving the bodies of fallen Iowa National Guard soldiers Sgt. William Nathaniel “Nate” Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, and Sgt. Edgar Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines and a civilian interpreter, Ayad Mansoor Sakat, of Michigan.
The dignified transfer ceremony is expected to happen this afternoon at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
All three were killed Saturday, Dec. 13, by an attacker who targeted a convoy of American and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria, before being shot dead.
Their caskets will be transferred from the plane to an awaiting vehicle and taken to the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations building at the Dover base “for positive identification by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System and preparation for their final resting place.”
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