Midwest
Trump shifts battleground in fight against ‘brazen election interference’ by Iowa pollster
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President Donald Trump dropped his federal case against Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer and the Des Moines Register on Monday and re-filed in state court after accusing them of “brazen election interference” with their final 2024 Iowa presidential poll.
Trump, along with Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and former Iowa State Senator Bradley Zaun gave their notice of dismissal “without prejudice” for the case at the Southern District of Iowa federal court, then refiled the case to the Polk County District Court.
Trump’s legal team originally requested the case be moved to state court in May after the defendants “removed” the case to federal court. A federal judge denied this request at the time.
An attorney for the president confirmed to Fox News Digital that this lawsuit has only been dismissed in federal court, adding that the case is “very much alive.”
Trump accused J. Ann Selzer and the Des Moines Register of “election interference” with a poll ahead of the 2024 election. (AP/Alex Brandon/Mike Stewart)
FORMER POLLSTER ANN SELZER HITS BACK AT CRITICISMS OVER IOWA POLL: ‘THEY ARE ACCUSING ME OF A CRIME’
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) chief counsel Bob Corn-Revere, who represents Selzer, also told Fox News Digital that no settlement has been reached regarding the lawsuit.
“President Trump and his two co-plaintiffs filed a notice of dismissal of their claims against Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer and the Des Moines Register after losing a bid to remand the case to state court. This maneuver was not in response to any settlement and is a transparent attempt to avoid federal court review of the president’s transparently frivolous claims. The case was refiled in state court today, one day before an Iowa law intended to provide strong protections against baseless claims like these — an ‘anti-SLAPP’ statute — goes into effect. The procedural gamesmanship is obvious and improper. Whatever court ultimately reviews this matter, FIRE will defend J. Ann Selzer’s First Amendment rights, and we remain confident the courts will see through this sham lawsuit,” he added.
Lark-Marie Anton, a spokesperson for the Des Moines Register, was critical of Trump’s legal team, claiming he is only attempting to “avoid the inevitable outcome” of his complaint being dismissed in court.
“After losing his first attempt to send his case back to Iowa state court, and apparently recognizing that his appeal will be unsuccessful, President Trump is attempting to unilaterally dismiss his lawsuit from federal court and re-file it in Iowa state court,” Anton said. “Although such a procedural maneuver is improper, and may not be permitted by the Court, it is clearly intended to avoid the inevitable outcome of the Des Moines Register’s motion to dismiss President Trump’s amended complaint currently pending in federal court.”
Pollster J. Ann Selzer came under fire after releasing a poll claiming then-candidate Kamala Harris was leading Trump in Iowa ahead of the 2024 election. (Getty Images/ The Bulwark Podcast via YouTube screenshot)
She added, “The Des Moines Register will continue to resist President Trump’s litigation gamesmanship and believes that regardless of the forum it will be successful in defending its rights under the First Amendment.”
The lawsuit was originally filed in December in Polk County, Iowa and sought “accountability for brazen election interference committed by” the Des Moines Register (DMR) and Selzer “in favor of now-defeated former Democrat candidate Kamala Harris through use of a leaked and manipulated Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll conducted by Selzer and S&C and published by DMR and Gannett in the Des Moines Register on Nov. 2, 2024.”
“The Harris Poll was no ‘miss’ but rather an attempt to influence the outcome of the 2024 Presidential Election,” the lawsuit stated at the time, adding that “defendants and their cohorts in the Democrat Party hoped that the Harris Poll would create a false narrative of inevitability for Harris in the final week of the 2024 Presidential Election.”
IOWA POLLSTER ANN SELZER SUGGESTS HER DATA COULD HAVE GALVANIZED REPUBLICAN VOTERS INTO PROVING IT WRONG
Selzer released her final Des Moines Register-sponsored poll showing then-Vice President Kamala Harris leading Trump by three points in Iowa just three days before the election. That shock poll showed a seven-point shift from Trump to Harris from September, when he had a four-point lead over the vice president in the same poll.
Selzer’s poll was hyped up by the media in the days leading up to the election as her polling predictions had been historically accurate. Many suggested it implied a monumental shift in Midwest support for the then-Vice President in a largely red state.
Trump went on to win Iowa by more than 13 points, a difference of more than 16 points from Selzer’s poll. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Trump ultimately beat Harris in Iowa by more than 13 percentage points.
Shortly after the election, Selzer announced in an op-ed for the Des Moines Register that she was done with election polling and was moving on to “other ventures.”
Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
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(ABC 6 News) — It’s a big weekend for politics in Minnesota as both the DFL and GOP conventions are getting underway.
The DFL Convention is being held in Rochester, and delegates will endorse candidates for attorney general, secretary of state, and governor on Friday night.
Current Attorney General Keith Ellison received the DFL endorsement for attorney general.
Meanwhile, endorsements for U.S. Senate will be up on Saturday.
On Sunday, delegates will be voting on who they will back for state auditor.
A big shakeup in the convention took place earlier this week with Rep. Angie Craig announcing she will not seek the DFL endorsement as she campaigns for U.S. Senate.
Minnesota Congresswoman Angie Craig no longer seeking DFL endorsement in Senate race
Both Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan are running for the seat on the DFL side.
This U.S. Senate seat is open after current Sen. Tina Smith announced she will not be running for reelection.
Senator Tina Smith will not seek reelection in 2026
As for the gubernatorial race, Sen. Amy Klobuchar is expected to receive the DFL endorsement on Friday night. ABC 6 News is at the convention, and we will have the latest updates throughout the weekend both on air and online.
SHELL KNOB, Mo. (Edited News Release/KY3) -A Barry County man recently broke the Missouri state record after catching a yellow bass on Table Rock Lake.
According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, Danny Naugle, of Cassville, reeled in the record-breaking fish while fishing on Table Rock Lake on May 13. The fish broke the state record previously set in 1995.
The fish weighed 2 pounds, 7 ounces, and measured 16.5 inches. It was just two ounces shy of the world record, the department said.
MDC said Naugle normally casts for crappie, using an ultra-light rod and lights to draw baitfish.
The previous record was set in 1995 by a 9-ounce fish caught from a slough off the Mississippi River, according to MDC.
The department said Naugle plans to get the yellow bass mounted. His catch marks the first state record fish recorded for 2026.
To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com. Please include the article info in the subject line of the email.
Copyright 2026 KY3. All rights reserved.
A Kearney, Nebraska, man who loves the giant Big Boy 4014 suffered a small fracture to his spine when he fell off a ladder trying to climb into the cab of the locomotive during its historic whistle-stop tour on Thursday.
Trevor Allen Bentley told Cowboy State Daily that he was about to fulfill a longtime dream of riding inside the cab of the world’s largest operating locomotive.
He was climbing on the outside of the Cheyenne-based locomotive and had one more step to go on the five-rung ladder to get into the cab when he fell backward about 8 feet, landing hard on the ground.
A 16-second video posted (see below) shows the heavyset man, wearing a bright yellow construction vest, jeans and tennis shoes, gripping the handles on either side of the ladder and struggling to get up to the last step.
After a few seconds, he slips and falls to the ground, landing on his back between the train tracks.
Three others nearby, also in bright-colored vests, were at Bentley’s side immediately. Instinct seemed to kick in as they attempt to help him sit up.
Bentley said he was able to sit up and that he wanted to get up right away.
“I felt fine,” he told Cowboy State Daily on Friday. “Obviously, I was sore. But I just wanted to get up.”
He said he was more embarrassed than anything, “because the Big Boy attracts a show.”
He guessed a few hundred people had turned out to see the Big Boy at the station.
It also was raining, a factor Bentley said likely contributed to his slip.
Ride Of A Lifetime Dashed
Bentley, who works for the online news site CentralNebraskaToday.com, had planned to ride Big Boy 4014 on its approximate 40-mile leg between Kearney and Grand Island, Nebraska, documenting the trip on video for the outlet.
He said he had emailed Union Pacific to request the ride, which the railroad granted.
In a social media post he shared after the fall, he wrote, “A boyhood dream got dashed as I fell 8 feet off of Big Boy 4014 before I got the ride of a lifetime.”
He later told Cowboy State Daily he has been a train enthusiast all his life. He had been in the Big Boy cab before, he said, “which is why I thought I could do it.”
“I just couldn’t get that last step in,” he added.
30-Minute Delay
Big Boy was already running behind schedule when it pulled into the Kearney station, said Bentley. His fall caused an added 30-minute delay.
North Platte resident James Burns said he frequently visits the tracks and had decided to follow Big Boy from North Platte to Kearney.
He was at the stop, taking pictures of Big Boy 4014 when Bentley fell, though he told Cowboy State Daily he did not see the fall. He also confirmed the incident caused an approximate 30-minute travel delay.
The fall sparked a lot of speculation on social media, with comments ranging from prayers that Bentley was OK to sharper criticisms of Bentley’s attempt to climb aboard. One such criticism was his wearing tennis shoes rather than work boots.
Bentley was taken via ambulance to CHI Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney and said he was released later that day.
‘No Fault of UP’
He was home resting when he spoke with Cowboy State Daily via phone Friday.
“I’m just stiff more than anything,” he said, adding that he hopes to be back to work next week. “I am just extremely lucky.”
Bentley wanted to make it clear that his fall was no fault of Union Pacific or anyone but himself. He said what happened was a total accident and that’s why he signed a waiver with UP about riding in the locomotive.
“I do not fault them in any way, shape, or form,” he said. “I don’t want to put a blemish on their tour. It was no fault of Union Pacific. It was on my own accord.”
Union Pacific publicly responded to the incident in a 16-word statement: “We are glad the person is OK and appreciate the concern we’ve heard from rail fans.”
Contact Kate Meadows at kate@cowboystatedaily.com
Kate Meadows can be reached at kate@cowboystatedaily.com.
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