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Election 2024: How libertarians could affect Iowa congressional races

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Election 2024: How libertarians could affect Iowa congressional races


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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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Iowa student reflects on years away from home as Russia & Ukraine war reaches third year

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Iowa student reflects on years away from home as Russia & Ukraine war reaches third year


CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (KCRG) – Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 millions of people have fled the country, as fighting continues many of them have been unable to return home.

It’s been more than three years since Ukrainian student Iryna Hodun last saw her family in person. She was 16 years old when she originally came to the United States as part of an exchange program, just months later Russia’s invasion began.

Today she’s a a student at the University of Northern Iowa and studies interior design. She keeps up with her family and speaks with her mother every day on the phone, but she misses her home.

”It’s challenging, the reality has changed a lot,” Hodun said. “Whenever you grow up living a peaceful life, a lot of people take it for granted.”

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None of her family has been harmed. They live in the western part of Ukraine, away from most of the fighting; however, they have still had to take shelter multiple times for bombings. She’s found a great community of friends in Cedar Falls but she’s excited to one day being able to return to Ukraine.

“Specifically in Cedar Falls, people are very nice and very welcoming,” Hodun said. “I would be very excited to see my mom, my dad and my grandparents and I would just love to go back to my city.”

The last two months have brought developments with major talks around ending the war but with the U.S. and Russia excluding Ukraine from the bargaining table.

“If it’s the peace that we are going to agree to terms of the aggressor and imperialist who supports war crimes, land taking, it’s not peacemaking, that’s surrender,” Hodun said.

Ultimately she is staying optimistic about the days ahead.

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“I’m always hopeful that we will get what we deserve,” Hodun said. “The people who lost their families, who lost friends and, lost things from the war, they will get the justice they deserve because those people need it the most.”



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Pittsburgh Steelers Becoming Possible Suitor for Iowa Hawkeyes Star

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Pittsburgh Steelers Becoming Possible Suitor for Iowa Hawkeyes Star


The Iowa Hawkeyes have a few key players heading off into the 2025 NFL Draft. Headlined by running back Kaleb Johnson, fans will have more players to continue rooting on at the professional level.

Johnson saw his draft stock skyrocket throughout the 2024 season. He is now in a position where he should end up being a second round lock, if not ending up being selected late in the first round.

Plenty of teams around the league need help at running back. Fans are now anxious to see where he ends up going.

An intriguing name has been brought up as a potential suitor. That team is the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Adam Hulse of SportsKeeda has named the Steelers as one of the top landing spots for Johnson in the draft.

“The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently considering what to do with both of their running backs, Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, pending free agents,” Hulse wrote. “It’s unclear if they will bring either of them back, but it’s unlikely that they will re-sign both. They could pivot to the 2025 NFL draft to address the position, so Johnson makes a ton of sense for them.”

During the 2024 college football season, Johnson was the main driving force of the Hawkeyes’ offense. He carried the football 240 times for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns. Those numbers average out to an elite 6.4 yards per carry. He also chipped in 22 catches for 188 yards and two more scores.

Those numbers would look awfully good in the Pittsburgh backfield. Johnson could end up becoming a long-term workhorse for whoever ends up landing him.

No one knows who the Steelers’ quarterback will be in 2025. Justin Fields and Russell Wilson are two options, with Aaron Rodgers being a name that has been connected quite a bit to Pittsburgh as well.

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Whoever ends up being the quarterback, the presence of Johnson could help take a lot of pressure off of the passing game.

READ MORE: Iowa Hawkeyes Should Consider Calling Rick Pitino

READ MORE: Iowa Hawkeyes Linked to Big Ten Coach as Fran McCaffery Replacement

READ MORE: Iowa Hawkeyes Star Working Out with Aaron Rodgers Before Draft

READ MORE: Fran McCaffery Has Heartbreaking Reaction to Iowa Hawkeyes Loss to Oregon

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READ MORE: Former Iowa Hawkeyes Star Could Land with New England Patriots



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Cryer’s 28 leads No. 5 Houston past No. 8 ISU

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Cryer’s 28 leads No. 5 Houston past No. 8 ISU


HOUSTON — L.J. Cryer scored 28 points, Milos Uzan added 19 points and No. 5 Houston held on to beat No. 8 Iowa State 68-59 on Saturday.

Cryer and Uzan combined to shoot 18 of 27, including 8 of 12 on 3-pointers. Emanuel Sharp added 11 points for Houston (23-4, 15-1 Big 12), which won its sixth straight.

Milan Momcilovic scored all 16 of his points in the second half to lead a furious rally for the Cyclones (21-6, 11-5). Nate Heise added 12 points, and Tamin Lipsey scored 11.

Trailing by 16 midway through the second half, the Cyclones used an 18-3 run to cut the lead to 48-47 on a 3-pointer by Heise with eight minutes remaining. Houston responded with four straight points to push the lead back to five.

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The Cyclones struggled offensively at times without their two leading scorers — Keshon Gilbert was out with a muscle strain and Curtis Jones missed the game due to illness — but they did well defensively forcing Houston into a season-high 17 turnovers.

Houston shot 53% and went 10 of 17 from distance, while Iowa State shot 39%, including 8 of 20 behind the arc.

With the win, the Cougars inched closer to a second straight Big 12 regular-season title. They currently lead second-place Arizona by 2 ½ games with four games left. Houston is 30-4 in the Big 12 in its two seasons in the league.

Houston travels to No. 9 Texas Tech on Monday while Iowa State takes on Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Tuesday.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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