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Ramaswamy welcomes former Iowa Republican Rep Steve King's endorsement, defends 'villainized' ex-congressman

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Ramaswamy welcomes former Iowa Republican Rep Steve King's endorsement, defends 'villainized' ex-congressman


GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy welcomed on Tuesday the endorsement of controversial former nine-term Republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa, who House Republicans turned their backs against five years ago over his comments about race, immigration and the border wall. 

“I’m proud to have Steve King’s endorsement, and I think that he has been wrongfully villainized by a media that has not once quoted the alleged racist remark or whatever it is that he made, and I just reject a lot of this mainstream media narrative thing,” Ramaswamy said on camera to a reporter in a clip shared by King on X. 

“But for my purposes, he and I have found common cause in issues that no other Republican candidate is speaking to – against the CO2 pipeline using eminent domain to seize the land of innocent farmers who don’t want that built in their backyards. Somebody who actually, before it was cool, was calling for building the wall. Now something we accept needs to be normalized policy in this country,” Ramaswamy said. “And so yes, I’m proud to have his endorsement, and I’ve met so many Iowans on the ground who are very different from the media who understand somebody actually stood to represent their interests saying the things that other people weren’t willing to say on issues ranging from the carbon capture pipeline to actually securing our borders, to actually reviving our national identity and even making English the national language of the United States, which I agree with. And so I’m proud to have his endorsement. I’m not a political analyst, that’s your job. Maybe you should try doing it.” 

King captioned the X post, writing, “Vivek Ramaswamy speaking Truth to Fiction!” 

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VIVEK RAMASWAMY BLASTS CNN DEBATE OVER EXCLUSION, SAYS ONLY ‘ESTABLISHMENT INSIDERS’ WILL BE ON STAGE

Republican presidential candidate and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy speaks to guests during a campaign stop on Dec. 19, 2023, in Webster City, Iowa. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

In a video statement earlier Tuesday, King announced his endorsement of Ramaswamy as the “strongest voice we have that will defend our Constitution and restore the pillars of American exceptionalism.” 

“Vivek is gonna stand up and is standing up for the rights of We The People. He will build the wall on the border for real, and I’m asking you to come with me on January 15. Caucus for Vivek Ramaswamy, the strongest voice we have to defend our Constitution and to reestablish America’s destiny,” King said. 

Then-Rep. Steve King, R-IA, speaks to a member of the audience ahead of a campaign rally inside the Knapp Center arena at Drake University on Jan. 30, 2020 in Des Moines, Iowa. Then-President Trump hosted a campaign rally at Drake University ahead of the Iowa Caucuses. (Tom Brenner/Getty Images)

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In 2019, House Republicans under then-Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., booted King from three congressional committee assignments, and all House Republicans joined Democrats in voting for a resolution of disapproval of King following a New York Times interview in which the longtime Iowa congressman, known for his incendiary remarks, commented about immigration and then-President Trump’s border wall.

CONTROVERSIAL REP. STEVE KING LOSES IOWA GOP PRIMARY BATTLE

They took issue at the time with King remarking to the Times, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive? Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?” 

Vivek Ramaswamy speaks on Dec. 19, 2023 in Webster City, Iowa. Iowa Republicans will be the first to select their party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential race, when they go to caucus on Jan. 15, 2024. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

In the interview, King said he supported legal immigration and people fully assimilating into the “the culture of America.” After the story was published, he issued a statement calling himself a “nationalist” and defending support of “western civilization’s values,” though clarifying he did not advocate for “white nationalism and white supremacy.” 

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“I want to make one thing abundantly clear: I reject those labels and the evil ideology they define,” he wrote in 2019. 

King ultimately lost his re-election bid in 2020 against then-state Sen. Randy Feenstra. 

Then-Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, attends a news conference after being denied entrance to the deposition and access to the transcripts related to the House’s impeachment inquiry on Oct. 16, 2019. Michael McKinley, a former State Department adviser, and Kurt Volker, the former special envoy to Ukraine, were being deposed inside. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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Ramaswamy himself on the GOP debate stage last month said that the Great Replacement Theory, which some critics condemn as racist for suggesting non-European immigrants in the United States are being used to supplant White voters, “is not some grand right-wing conspiracy theory but a basic statement of the Democratic Party’s platform.”

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Penn State earns commitment from Iowa State leading wide receiver via transfer

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Penn State earns commitment from Iowa State leading wide receiver via transfer


Penn State landed Iowa State’s pair of quarterbacks earlier Sunday, including starter Rocco Becht, in a splash move. Now, the Cyclones’ leading receiver is coming with them.

Wide receiver Brett Eskildsen committed to Penn State via the transfer portal, becoming the seventh Cyclone to join the Nittany Lions this weekend. He announced the move on social media.

Eskildsen recorded 30 receptions, 526 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore in 2025. He also appeared in all 13 games as a freshman but made just two catches for 17 yards.

The 6-1, 200-pound wideout is from Frisco, Texas, and is a three-star in the 247Sports transfer rankings (No. 118 overall, No. 30 WR). He was a three-star out of high school as well, where he had more than 1,5000 career receiving yards.

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Becht’s top man from 2026 is now in place. He’ll also be able to throw to standout Penn State freshman Koby Howard and quick youngster Tyseer Denmark, who have confirmed their returns thus far.

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Iowa State picks up commitment from Arkansas State QB Jaylen Raynor

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Iowa State picks up commitment from Arkansas State QB Jaylen Raynor


Iowa State football has picked up a commitment from Arkansas State quarterback Jaylen Raynor, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Jan. 3.

Raynor has one season of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot, 202-pounder from Kernersville, North Carolina, passed for 3,361 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. He was intercepted 11 times.

Raynor also rushed for 423 yards and seven touchdowns.

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He passed for 8,694 yards and 52 touchdowns in three seasons at Arkansas State.

“The (Iowa State) coaching staff is known for winning,” Raynor told Thamel. “The head coach is a known winner and done it on multiple levels.”

Raynor will join Arkansas State offensive coordinator Keith Heckendorf in Ames. Heckendorf was named Cyclones quarterbacks coach this week.

Raynor completed 19 of 33 passes for 222 yards in a 24-16 loss to Iowa State on Sept. 13, 2025.



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Seven Iowa High School Wrestlers Off To Dominant Starts This Season – FloWrestling

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Seven Iowa High School Wrestlers Off To Dominant Starts This Season – FloWrestling


The first month of the Iowa high school wrestling season has been filled with scintillating individual performances. Here’s a look at seven standouts who have been racking up bonus points in December. 

Drew Anderson (Riverside)  

The Class 1A state runner-up last year at 132 is up to 144 this season and he’s 14-0 with 11 technical falls, a pair of pins and a forfeit win. Anderson, a junior in his second season at the school, already owns the Riverside school record for technical falls with 28. Anderson is on pace to more than double the previous Riverside tech record of 23. 

Urijah Courter (West Marshall)

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Courter won the 2A title last season at 113 after placing third as a freshman at 106. He’s up to 120 this season. Courter is 14-0 this season with 10 pins and two technical falls. His ledger also includes a 6-5 win against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont’s Simon Bettis in a rematch of last season’s state title bout. 

Cooper Hinz (Jesup)

Entering the holiday break, Michigan commit and two-time state medalist Cooper Hinz is 22-0 with 21 wins via pin, technical fall or forfeit. His other victory was a 4-1 overtime decision against returning state placewinner Cain Rodgers of North Fayette Valley. More impressively, all of Hinz’s pins and technical falls have all come in the first period. 

Lincoln Jipp (Bettendorf)

Jipp placed fifth at 138, third at 165 and second at 175 in Class 3A during his first three seasons. Now he’s up to 215 — 77 pounds more than where he started his career as a freshman. The North Carolina recruit pinned his way through the prestigious Dan Gable Donnybrook. He’s 16-0 with 10 pins, four technical falls and a forfeit.   

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Mason Koehler (Glenwood)

The returning 2A champ at 215 is 20-0 with 18 pins and a major decision. His only two matches that went the distance came at the Council Bluffs Classic, where he defeated Nebraska standout Ryan Boehle of Grand Island 14-4 and Minnesota hammer Joe Kruse of Totino-Grace 9-2. The rest of Koehler’s matches this season ended in first-period pins. He has already registered a six-second pin and another in nine seconds this season. 

Jaxon Miller (Carlisle)  

Miller is a three-time state medalist, a two-time finalist and returning state champ in Class 3A. He placed fourth as a freshman at 145 before making trips to the finals at 157 and 165. He’s 16-0 this season with 13 first-period pins, two technical falls and a forfeit. 

Keaton Moeller (Starmont)

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Moeller placed third in 1A as a freshman at 145 before winning a state title at 150 as a sophomore. He missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL in football. Now he’s back as a senior at 190 and Moeller hasn’t missed a beat. He’s 13-0 with five pins, six technical falls and a pair of forfeits. He has yet to wrestle a full period this season. 

Iowa High School Premium Rankings

Check out the Iowa High School Wrestling Premium Rankings, which are generated by using an athlete’s complete match history to predict a wrestler’s performance against others in their weight class by considering factors such as win-loss records, the quality of their victories (pins, technical falls, major decisions), the strength of their opponents and overall historical performance patterns. The data is updated every Monday, sourced from the Trackwrestling season results. Since each team is responsible for maintaining their season results, any data discrepancies for a wrestler should be addressed by contacting their coach to manage the information within the season. This includes the weight class assigned. Wrestlers are eligible to be ranked after competing in five matches at a single weight.





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