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<h1>The Loss of the Iowa Caucus As We Know It: Dead Dems Walking?</h1><h6><i>Is the decision by the Democratic Party to pull out of the Iowa caucus the final nail in the coffin of a dead swing state?</i></h6>
Iowa Caucus, Local, National Elections

The Loss of the Iowa Caucus As We Know It: Dead Dems Walking?

Is the decision by the Democratic Party to pull out of the Iowa caucus the final nail in the coffin of a dead swing state?

Shaken. Rocked. Grinded to a halt. And so the children of the corn did scream. The era of Iowa holding the first in the nation primaries, known nationally as the Iowa caucus, has come to a close. At least, for the Democratic Party. What Happened to the Caucus and Why Does it Matter to Iowans? After President Biden’s announcement in February to grant South Carolina the official first-in-the-nation Democratic primary status, Iowans may have been stumped, but this transition seems to have been penciled in for a couple years. With the Democratic Party’s presence in the Iowa caucus coming to a close, the separation of the parties in the once first-in-the-nation primary state proves that the cessation and growing partisanship between the Republican and Democratic Parties is anything but w...
<h1>Lasting Effects of Redlining on the Des Moines Community</h1><h6><i>How a history of discriminatory mortgage lending practices have created a divided community </i></h6>
Des Moines, Local

Lasting Effects of Redlining on the Des Moines Community

How a history of discriminatory mortgage lending practices have created a divided community

  Upon first glance at the laid-back Des Moines, Iowa area, many people would consider it an ordinary mid-sized midwestern city with just over 200,000 people. Des Moines is gradually investing in revitalizing its downtown and drawing in new residents with its low cost of living. However, even with revitalization and investment, Des Moines’ communities of color continue to suffer from the effects of discriminatory housing policies.  Dr. Jane Rongerude, an expert in Community and Regional Planning at Iowa State University, described redlining as “the practice of putting a line on a map that was red and saying, no, no mortgage lending here.” Like in most American cities, discriminatory housing practices began in Des Moines following the Great Depression with the creation ...
<h1>Majority Women, Majority Republican</h1><h6><i>What does Iowa’s female representation in Congress mean for women in politics?</i></h6>
Iowa, Local

Majority Women, Majority Republican

What does Iowa’s female representation in Congress mean for women in politics?

Art by Rachel Hartley Despite the rocky history of women’s representation in Iowa, it remains one of the few states with a majority of women representing it in Congress. Six years ago, Iowans elected a woman to the U.S. Senate for the first time. Three years later, the state elected two women to the U.S. House for the first time. It’s safe to say that women’s political leadership is a new phenomenon in Iowa.  Republican Joni Ernst serves as one of Iowa’s two senators. She is joined by Republicans Rep. Ashley Hinson and Rep. Marianette Miller-Meeks as well as Democrat Rep. Cindy Axne. These women sit as three of the state’s four representatives. On top of this significant representation in Congress, Iowa also has a female governor, Kim Reynolds. This female-dominated political l...
<h1>Missing: Iowa’s Sign Language Interpreters</h1><h6><i>Communication access for deaf Iowans suffers under decline of interpreters and training programs.</i></h6>
Iowa

Missing: Iowa’s Sign Language Interpreters

Communication access for deaf Iowans suffers under decline of interpreters and training programs.

Art by Amanda O'Brien The interpreter training program at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs began and ended with Carolyn Cool. She was a graduate of the program’s first class of young sign language interpreters in 1980. Cool immediately started her career interpreting in the legal and medical fields across central Iowa.  Then, 12 years later, she returned. To live in her hometown. To work at Iowa Western. To teach new interpreters everything she knew in the same place she learned it. “It just was like the ideal job,” Cool said. “I remember saying to my husband one time, I don't know when I get paid and I don't know how much money I make because that was so irrelevant to me and I had so much fun going to Iowa Western every day.” Much of that fun was building...
<h1>The Green New Deal in Iowa</h1><h6><i>Natural disasters, clean energy and new agricultural practices. How would the most progressive environmental policy to date affect Iowa?</i></h6>
Iowa

The Green New Deal in Iowa

Natural disasters, clean energy and new agricultural practices. How would the most progressive environmental policy to date affect Iowa?

Photo by Austin Goode / Illustration by Lila Johnson The Green New Deal has often been lauded as a plan catered to liberal coastal elites, but not much attention has been paid to how it would affect midwestern states like Iowa. However, with climate change already rearing its ugly head, some Iowans believe the Green New Deal is essential for ensuring the state’s prosperity moving into the future. In 2019, 48% of likely Democratic caucusgoers supported the Green New Deal, according to the Des Moines Register.  The Green New Deal The Green New Deal, originally introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts in 2019, is a congressional resolution with the goal of tackling climate change in the U.S. The proposal calls on the federal go...
<h1>A Q&A With Des Moines City Council Candidate Indira Sheumaker</h1><h6><i>A deeper understanding into Des Moines City Council candidate Indira Sheumaker’s reasoning for running. </i></h6>
Des Moines, Local

A Q&A With Des Moines City Council Candidate Indira Sheumaker

A deeper understanding into Des Moines City Council candidate Indira Sheumaker’s reasoning for running.

Illustration by Amanda O'Brien Drake Political Review does not endorse any party or candidate for any office. Indira Sheumaker, 26, grew up in Des Moines’ Ward One and has been active in politics her whole life.  Disheartened in 2020 by perceived failure from the Iowa government and ready to see the world move past any more injustice, she was surprised and invigorated when the nation captured the political momentum that has been building for decades. In the summer of 2020, Sheumaker took to the streets and to her local city council meetings to find answers in current leaders. She found her voice, a community, and the motivation to run for local office to demand change. “You know, that's discouraged a lot of times, speaking out, taking up space, things like that. [My s...
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