DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) – Sunday at the Iowa State Fair, one Iowa Libertarian congressional candidate took his turn at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox – and says he’s ready to fight. That’s because some Republicans say he didn’t follow the rules to get on the November ballot and they want his name removed.

Upon taking the stage Sunday, Marco Battaglia called on Congressman Zach Nunn to compete with him in a wrestling match. “I invited Zach Nunn here to a no holds barred wrestling match. Loser leaves the ballot. And looks like there’s only one guy here,” Battaglia said.

Battaglia is running in central Iowa’s 3rd Congressional district, and is one of three Libertarians to face Republican objections to them being on the ballot.

Also facing objections are Charles Aldrich, who’s running in northwest Iowa’s 4th Congressional District and Nicholas Gluba, who’s running in eastern Iowa’s 1st Congressional District.

“The further they draw this out, like they’re really kind of screwing with the electoral process. They’re screwing with polls. They’re screwing with debates,” Battaglia said.

After caucuses, parties have to hold county conventions where they’ll choose their delegates for the state convention. The objection, which was made by Republicans, says Libertarians skipped county conventions and went right to state convention and selected candidates.

Battaglia says the party did have county conventions, but they did them in one centralized location.

“It was in Polk County, but the delegates broke out from their specific counties. So, they still had a meeting of people from these counties that nominated us,” he said.

Libertarian presidential candidate Chase Oliver backs them up. “This idea that there wasn’t conventions being held for their party is ridiculous because I know Iowans who were at these conventions who were there and so for me it should be as simple as saying, ‘hey, was there a convention? Yes, there was. You’re good to go’,” Oliver said.

Battaglia says this the way they’ve done it in the past and didn’t face objections

“I think they’re just really confused of how we just all of the sudden didn’t overnight have 99 counties of organization of people working for free to do this work that, you know, the average person doesn’t care about,” he said.

Later this month, a board made up of Secretary of State Paul Pate, Attorney General Brenna Bird, and State Auditor Rob Sand will make the decision on if he and two other libertarians can be on the ballot.

If he’s kicked off, he says they’ll continue to fight.

“If we do fight it, it’s going to be cause it’s a legitimate legal concern. We’re going to go through the court system. We’re not going to storm the golden dome and like pee on the Governor’s rug or something,” Battaglia said.

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Conner Hendricks covers state government and politics for Gray Media-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.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – This column always comes with a disclaimer – Kids Day is just one of more than 20 Iowa Football preseason practices. Context is very important when evaluating what we see. 

Beyond that, there’s nuance. Guys on both sides of the ball are out with injuries. Sometimes the No. 1 offense is facing the No. 1 defense. Other times it’s not. 

It makes taking a great deal out of the annual open practice difficult. That’s the case with what we witnessed Saturday in Kinnick Stadium. 

The problem was perception. Everyone that walked into that historic venue sought salvation from the evils of Brian Ferentz’s offense. Instead, they saw ghosts. 

There was motion and other wrinkles from new coordinator Tim Lester. A few plays popped. Overall, the Hawkeyes remained stuck in the muck trying to move the ball. 

It wasn’t all bad, however. Iowa ran the ball pretty well. You know it’s an impressive stable of backs when it looks that good without injured starter Leshon Williams.

Also credit the interior of the O-Line as a lot of the rushing yardage came inside the tackles. The yardage raised questions about the team’s depth at defensive tackle, but that would have been picking nits with how that unit looked Saturday. 

Beyond that, the offense was as inept as it was under Lester’s predecessor. Inaccurate passes, dropped passes, pass-protection breakdowns, unforced errors – the fans at Kinnick received the full experience. 

Honestly though, are you surprised? Cade McNamara wasn’t cleared to physically work in the new offense until camp kicked off less than two weeks ago.

It’s going to take time. Growing pains will be experienced. McNamara throwing 7-on-7 with teammates all summer isn’t the same as having Deontae Craig or Yahya Black in your face. 

That’s not to dismiss QB1’s dreadful day. He missed easy throws, botched a shotgun snap and appeared rusty in general. 

Time will tell if McNamara can knock said rust off. Not that we needed a reminder, but everyone knows the Hawkeyes can’t achieve their loftiest goals with what we witnessed Saturday. Complementary football works best when all three phases, you know, complement each other. 

Perhaps the Kids Day display wouldn’t have been quite as alarming had backup quarterbacks Brendan Sullivan and Marco Lainez lit it up. They did not. 

In fairness to the trio, top tight end Luke Lachey, and receivers Seth Anderson, Dayton Howard and Alec Wick were either limited or out of practice. It’s also possible the coaches limited what they showed in an open practice knowing footage would be available to opponents. 

By the way, you may have heard, Iowa’s defense is dominant and filled with sixth-year seniors patrolling the back seven. And if you’ve ever attended a practice, you know guys on that side of the ball love stuffing any offense, including their own. They didn’t give an inch Saturday. 

Maybe nothing in the two previous paragraphs held significant meaning. Perhaps the offense won’t improve much and replacing Brian Ferentz wasn’t the solution. It’s a depressing possibility but a possibility none the less. 

More likely, it won’t be nearly as bad. Early-season growing pains are normal considering the circumstances. 

How much growth can be made and how long it takes will determine 2024’s result. Can the Hawkeyes grow through wins instead of losses against Iowa State and/or at Minnesota in September? Then, can the offense continue growing into October, making Iowa a College Football Playoff contender? 

The blueprint here calls for development, individually and collectively. It’s happening on defense and special teams. The offense needs to follow that path. 

The staff’s personnel decisions and play calling will be critical. The student-athletes must avoid being discouraged by failure in the moment, continuing to push forward. 

That didn’t change Saturday. The players and coaches understood that. It was just confirmed for everyone else that watched. 

Two people were killed in a shooting outside of a concert in western Iowa on Saturday night.

Marcus L. Johnson, 28, and Charles A. Williams Jr., 27, both from Omaha, Nebraska, died in the shooting outside of the I-29 Speedway in Pacific Junction. It happened at about 9 p.m. in the parking lot just before an outdoor concert was about to begin, according to a news release from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, which is helping with the investigation.

The I-29 Speedway is a World Drag Racing Alliance 1/8th mile drag strip, according to its Facebook page. There was no statement about the shooting posted on its page as of Sunday morning but the Speedway did cancel an event planned during the day.

According to the calendar, the Speedway hosted a Pull Up Car Show during the day and with Lil Boosie, Rob49 and Rich the Factor scheduled to perform.

KMALand reported the Omaha Police helicopter was called in to help search for at least three suspects, reportedly in a black Mercedes sedan.

Law enforcement is asking anyone who has information about the shooting to contact the Mills County Sheriff’s Office at 712-527-4871.