Iowa’s Great Choices For Senate Part 2

Posted on August 16, 2025 by Dave Bradley

This is the second post highlighting the great Democratic choices who have stepped forward to challenge Iowa’s pathetic junior senator Joni Ernst. 

As Trump wrecks the economy, crushes our great university system, ravages the world’s greatest scientific research system, dismantles our health care system, kills our international trading system and makes the US an international pariah and threatens the very existence of democracy itself in the United State, Joni Ernst stands with him as one of his top enablers.

Iowa Democrats are fighting back with some great candidates. We did a brief posting on Jackie Norris and JD Scholten in our previous post. We will now look at the three remaining declared candidates. Once more I must state that any of these Democratic candidates will represent Iowa and its real values than Ernst ever has.

We begin with Nathan Sage. Sage is from Knoxville and has military in his background. Sage comes from a working background and understands the working class frustrations. You can find his website here: https://www.sageforsenate.com 

Here is his campaign ad – 2 minutes:

Josh Turek:

 Just this week we have a new entrant into the sweepstakes. Josh Turek is so new to this race that I couldn’t find his candidacy website as yet. I am sure his team will have one up soon.

Turek is from Council Bluffs. He is currently in the Iowa House, representing a majority red district. As we will see in his ad, Turek has spent a life overcoming adversity. Thus being elected to represent a red district is not out of character for a guy who has been a fighter all his life. 

Here is his 2 minute introductory video:

Zach Wahls:

Wahls was one of the earliest, if not the earliest, candidate to jump in against Ernst. He saw the urgency brought on by the Trump presidency and Ernst’s position of being an enabler to the destruction of our government. 

You may remember Wahls stepping into the national limelight as a teen defending his LGBTQ+ parents against a bill in the Iowa legislature, His eloquent speech was carried nationwide. Since then Wahls has been standing up for us in the Iowa legislature.

You can find his website here: https://zachwahls.com

I had a hard time finding an introductory video for Wahls. So I will offer this short profile run by Iowa News Now:

I hope that Iowans take their duty of choosing an opponent for Ernst very seriously. There is urgency in defeating Ernst and changing the direction of the country has never been more important.

As I look at the declared candidates, any one of them would be a formidable opponent for Ernst. Iowans must pick the one that can defeat Ernst. As Paul Simon once sang – “A lonely nation turns its eyes to you.” The Ernst senate race will be one of the most important in deciding which way our country will go.

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We Got Some Great Choices For Senate!

Posted on August 16, 2025 by Dave Bradley

The short video just popped up. It shows the utter disdain that Joni Ernst has for Iowans. It also illustrates just how little she thought of her constituents when she voted for Trump’s huge tax cuts for billionaire at the expense of health care for the most vulnerable.

Honestly, isn’t Iowa better than this?  (2:15)

The US senate seat in Iowa was going to be a highly competitive seat in 2026 anyway. The current occupant, Joni Ernst, has hardly distinguished herself while in office. For the most part she has disappeared in the halls of Washington hiding from reporters and constituents alike.

Occasionally she comes out to see the daylight and generally embarrasses both herself and her state. Her most recent sighting was when she looked out on an audience of ordinary Iowans and told them “We all are going to die.” Then she topped that off with a very sarcastic video filmed in a cemetery the next day to drive the point home.

All that in anticipation of her vote to cut Medicaid for 100,000 or more that will hasten the early deaths of many. Her vote will also cause the costs of health insurance to skyrocket, leading to the loss of health insurance for many others. Ernst said we would die and she is doing her best to make its happen. Meanwhile she does almost nothing for Iowa.

Trump policies will put the big hurt in Iowa’s farm economy this fall. Ernst has been supporting Trump’s insane policies all the way. In fact one could sum Ernst’s position on all issues as on her knees supplicating in front of Trump as he ravages the economy, jobs, international relations, immigration, education, scientific research and health care from babies to grandma. 

As Trump devastates Iowa, don’t forget that Ernst is a top enabler.

But we don’t have to just shut up and take it. We are still a democracy. At least as of now, we have open and fair elections. As of right now there is probably no more vulnerable senate seat than that of Joni Ernst in Iowa. That is deserved because of all the US senators she has probably done the very least to represent her state. Ernst represents one felonious (34 convictions) citizen who currently resides in OUR White House.

I don’t know about you, but I am excited by the candidates who have stepped forward to challenge for the Ernst seat. Remember that is the seat that was held by Tom Harkin until Ernst took it in 2014. The Democratic Party currently has 5 announced candidates, each of which would represent Iowa values much better and more proudly than Joni Ernst.

What I decided to do is to run the introductory ad (if I could find it) for the declared candidates. I decided to use the ad because they are specifically designed to put the candidates best foot forward and grab the viewers attention while highlighting their most important positions. These are short but powerful.

I tried to do this in no particular order. I will post two in this post and follow with the other three in my second post of the day. As I said, no particular order.

Jackie Norris:

Let’s begin with one of the newer candidates, Jackie Norris. First her website:

https://www.jackienorris.com

Norris website starts with the declaration “Mom on a Mission.” She is for the Des Moines area. On her website, Norris emphasizes her commitment to service:

“Jackie Norris is a school board chair, former teacher, small business owner, and military mom who’s spent her life bucking the status quo and putting in the hard work to get things done for the people she’s served. “

Here is her ad. It is about 3 minutes long:

JD Scholten

Next let’s view the offering from JD Scholten. Scholten hails from northwest Iowa. He rose to some prominence after taking on Steve King in Iowa’s fourth district and nearly knocked him out. In recent years Scholten has published an excellent online newsletter called “You Are Probably Getting Screwed” that chronicles how the lower 90% are screwed by those with wealth who run the country.

Website: https://www.scholtenforiowa.com

Here is the JD Scholten ad. It weighs in at about 2 minutes:

While I know it is early, it is important for Iowa Democrats and independents to know there is hope on the horizon. There are good candidates in Iowa who will do more than worship at the altar of Trump. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t do that! Instead get active. Work and donate for one of our great candidates.

You can be sure that billionaires ready to take away Social Security, unemployment insurance, medicare, the rest of Medicaid, ending scientific research and end democracy itself are writing big checks for Ernst. 

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Heather Cox Richardson Interviews Gov. Gavin Newsom

Posted on August 15, 2025 by Trish Nelson

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Cancer in Iowa: Statewide Virtual Listening Session

Posted on August 14, 2025 by Trish Nelson

From our inbox;  Cancer in Iowa: Statewide Virtual Listening Session

Thursday, August 14, 2025
5:30 – 6:30 pm
Live on Zoom

REGISTER HERE

Zoom login information will be sent to you after you complete the registration process.

Hosted by the Iowa Environmental Council, The Harkin Institute, and Iowa Farmers Union

Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the U.S., and we are among the only two states where cancer rates are increasing.

The Iowa Environmental Council and The Harkin Institute announced the launch of a new initiative that explores the relationship between environmental risk factors and cancer rates in Iowa. The initiative combines a rigorous review of existing academic research about environmental risk factors and their sources with a statewide campaign to listen to, understand, and amplify Iowans’ own lived experiences with cancer.

On August 14, we’re invite you to attend a cancer listening session, hosted live on Zoom.

REGISTER HERE

Have you or your family been impacted by cancer? Join us to:

  • Hear a short presentation about Iowa’s cancer rates, including remarks by Dr. Richard Deming, medical director of Mercy Cancer Center in Des Moines, and founder of Above + Beyond Cancer
  • Learn about a new project that explores the links between cancer and environmental risk factors;
  • Share your own story and listen to others’ stories.

The event is free to attend. Zoom login info will be sent when you register (if you do not receive the confirmation email, contact us at iecmail@iaenvironment.org).

Listening sessions are hosted by the Iowa Environmental Council, The Harkin Institute, and the Iowa Farmers Union.

—–

Jefferson County Farmers & Neighbors, Inc.
PO Box 811
Fairfield, IA 52556
www.jfaniowa.org
641-209-6600
Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/JFANIowa

JFAN is funded by grassroots support and gratefully welcomes your donations. jfaniowa.org/donate-today

JFAN is a member of the Iowa Alliance for Responsible Agriculture (IARA)

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Closing The Participation Gap: Mobilizing Young And Diverse Voters

Posted on August 13, 2025 by Trish Nelson

Since 2006, Netroots Nation has hosted the largest annual conference for progressives, drawing up to 4,000 attendees from around the country and beyond.  NN 2025 was held August 7 -August 9 in New Orleans.  To view more sessions from the 2025 conference, go to the Netroots Nation YouTube channel. Visit their website at NetrootsNation.org

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Preserving What Is Ours

Posted on August 12, 2025 by Trish Nelson

Media and Democracy Project (MAD) hosted media reform legend Sue Wilson, founder of the Media Action Center, to talk about her history of success fighting for better broadcast news. You can see the video here:

The airwaves are owned by the public and that gives us more say over what is broadcast — if we make the effort to express ourselves. Sue has worked for decades to reform TV and radio news both via regulatory filings and by organizing groups of citizens to pressure their local stations.

We discussed both past successes and opportunities to act today. The FCC is considering gutting the current rules constraining consolidation of ownership of TV. MAD joins the Media Action Center in submitting a regulatory comment objecting to that idea. To support that, we have enlisted volunteers to help collect information about the current state of their local TV news.

Sue also described organizing groups of citizens in communities across the country who lobbied their local TV and radio stations and made change — including forcing Alex Jones off of many stations. If you are interested in hearing about opportunities to participate in such an effort, please contact us at info@MediaAndDemocracyProject.Org.

As Sue said “We have to fight to preserve what is ours.”

Thanks for reading The Media and Democracy Project Blog. Subscribe for free to receive new posts. We’re an all-volunteer 501(c)(4) non-profit organization.
So if you can, please donate to support our work.

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How You Can Help Monitor Iowa Water Quality

Posted on August 11, 2025 by Trish Nelson

https://iwla.org/nitrate-watch/

What Is Nitrate?

Nitrate (NO3-) is a naturally occurring compound made up of nitrogen and oxygen. Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plant growth, but human activities produce more nitrogen than natural systems can use.

Fertilizers, manure and sewage all add extra nitrogen to the landscape. As this nitrogen moves through the environment, it becomes nitrate. The nitrate can then make its way to streams and sources of drinking water via surface runoff or groundwater saturation. Excess nitrate in water can pose serious problems for the health of humans and the environment.

When we consume high levels of nitrate in drinking water, certain health conditions including blue baby syndrome, cancers, thyroid disease, and birth defects are more likely to occur. In aquatic ecosystems, nitrate can have disastrous impacts, including the creation of algae blooms, fish kills, and dead zones.

You Can Help

The Izaak Walton League’s Nitrate Watch program equips volunteers and partner organizations with nitrate test strips and empowers them to monitor their water, share their results, and advocate for solutions.

Request a FREE Nitrate Watch Kit and we will send you everything you need to measure nitrate in your drinking water or local waterways. See what’s in the kit, or investigate our Nitrate Watch Frequently Asked Questions for more info about monitoring, using the kit, and interpreting your results.

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Bad Move To Trust RFK, jr. With Our Health

Posted on August 10, 2025 by Dave Bradley

(5:26) MSNBC discusses RFK decision to terminate mRNA research:

This guy is certainly bringing to his storied family. It is almost too bad that there is no such things as afterlives so our spirits could come back and reap revenge on those who deserve it . No doubt either Bobby Kennedy or Ethel Kennedy would try to knock some sense into this offspring of theirs. But no such luck.

One of the duties of the the senate in the constitution is to approve of the president’s picks for various cabinet posts so that if there is someone who lacked the skill, ability, knowledge or is simply unfit to be in a cabinet post, the senate could stop such a bad situation. This year the senate failed miserably in their duty this year.

The senate failed not just once, but several times. If I recall the only unfit cabinet pick was Matt Gaetz for Attorney General. However they did approve someone at least as bad in Pam Bondi. Among those they approved was Robert Kennedy, junior. Junior Kennedy was approved to the job that has a great effect on the nation’s health. 

Kennedy was possibly the worst choice possible for this particular job. His lack of belief in science in preference to junk science is well known. His lack of empathy is well known. But given the power to make decisions for the country’s health, Kennedy has chosen to cut off some of the most promising research that we are doing. That would be in the area of mRNA research.

mRNA research is the research that led to an effective covid vaccine that led this country out of a dark and scary time. For a while it looked like it may be years before science would be able to create a vaccine to counteract Covid. But researchers at the time turned that on its head and created a vaccine within months.

While the FIWH wants to take credit for the covid vaccine I would argue that point. However, the trump White House at the time had no clue how to deploy it. When Biden became president in 2021, his team quickly set up a deployment that got millions of doses out to the public in a short time despite some daunting problems.

Now, as if to seek revenge against those who used their power to help all Americans. The FIWH’s stooge at health and Human Services has cut off money for research into what may be one of the most promising avenues of inquiry available right now.

Even Trump’s first Surgeon General called out this insane move. Writing on X, Jerome Adams wrote: 

Jerome Adams, who served as surgeon general for the bulk of President Donald Trump’s first term, wrote on X that while he has “tried to be objective and non-alarmist” about recent decisions made at HHS under Kennedy, “quite frankly this move is going to cost lives.”

“mRNA technology has uses that go far beyond vaccines … and the vaccine they helped develop in record time is credited with saving millions,” Adams wrote. 

The announcement that Kennedy made Wednesday was full of holes that anyone with a high school education could easily discredit it. This is just another in his legacy of dismantling of the HHS and turning into an agency for crackpots.

If you voted for Trump and his dismantling of a government that worked you bear responsibility.

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Sunday Funday: The Derecho +5 Years Edition

Posted on August 10, 2025 by Dave Bradley

Aug. 10, 2020 Derecho hits Iowa: (8:20) – the followup video – After The Storm – can be found here:

That was one hell of a blow that no one who went through it will ever forget. Not only was it a massive and destructive storm, it was also a storm that was, as I recall, came out of nowhere. This storm seemed like the one we all imagined that would announce an official beginning to the long awaited climate change.

That particular day I think it was around 10AM and we were just considering going into Iowa City for some lunch and perhaps to visit a friend. As we were almost out the door our son-in-law called and said “Thank goodness you are home. Stay there and don’t go anywhere. You’re about to get hit with a massive storm.” He had a friend who worked for the Weather Bureau in Oklahoma City and their maps had just lit up. Man were we lucky.

In the past decade the property losses and disruptions due to climate change have been exploding. Insurance companies are now pulling out of markets that are most likely to be damaged by storms, fires, droughts. Floods are in a separate category as they have been for a long time. As we witnessed in Texas recently, floods are among the worst of damages.

And the Trump Administration responds at a level of incompetence that is unbelievable – just ask Texas

Strange how many big events have happened in early August. We shall have some questions. Maybe that is why Augustus picked this time of year to take his name – big happenings.

A) The Iowa DNR came out Friday with an estimate of how many trees Iowa lost in the 2020 derecho. Did you hear how many?

B) Among the world shaking events that happened in August included the nuclear devastation of what city 80 years ago yesterday?

C) On to more recent events – In another disaster HHS Secretary RFK, jr. cancelled $500 million in research grants studying what?

D) In Iowa, a committee formed by the governor to “cut waste” (her DOGE committee) suggested a major change to what benefit for state workers?

E) ICE is offering what as an enticement to recruit to their forces?

F) One very famous person publicly announced he was in with ICE and would sign up quickly. Who was that?

G) Another event that was the culmination of a long investigation happened on August 8th 1974. What happened?

H) Iowa’s DOGE committee had another suggestion that seemed very poorly thought out. The suggestion was to tie teacher pay to what?

I) What federal prisoner was illegally moved from a maximum security prison to a minimum security prison?

J) Name one of the three governors of Democratic majority states that have threatened to match Texas in super-gerrymandering their state?

K) What western hemisphere leader refused to negotiate with the FIWH over tariffs saying the FIWH was not serious?

L) The constitution says we only do this every 10 years, but the FIWH wants to do it now and also change the constitutional rules on how we do what?

M) There is another enemy of the state that must be dealt with! What business sector does the FIWH claim discriminates against conservatives and must be dealt with?

N) A group of senior administration officials including the AG and the VP met (illegally?) in Idaho to discuss what administration problem?

O) What DOGE icon got punched out in a carjacking in Washington DC last week?

P) You will be glad to know that the merger between what two media companies, for which CBS supplicated itself to the FIWH, was completed Thursday? (Oh, and paid a bribe)

Q) Speaking of weather, the administration announced Thursday that they would be revising previous editions of what that deals with long range weather?

R) On a less serious note, Joan Anderson age 101 died last month. What iconic toy did Anderson help introduce to the US from her native Australia?

S) Erika McEntarfer made headlines last week when the FIWH fired her as the head of what government agency?

T) A zoo in Denmark had what request on Facebook go viral last week?

Everyone knew about Jeffrey Epstein. Everyone knew about Diddy, R. Kelly, Bill Cosby, Harvey Weinstein, and the Catholic priests. Everyone knew about Donald Trump. I’m so tired of people protecting rich perverts, keeping their dark secrets for decades. So damn tired. – Andrea Junker

Answers:

A) About 7 million total

B) Nagasaki a few days after Hiroshima

C) mRNA vaccines

D) IPERS – cutting much of the state contribution to the retirement fund

E) A $50,000 sign on bonus AND no age limits (I assume you must be 18)

F) Dean Cain who once played Superman. Cain’s grandparents were held in an internment camp during WWII.

G) Nixon resigned.

H) the student performance. If you don’t know why that is a bad idea look it up.

I) Ghislaine Maxwell

J) Newsom in California, Pritzker in Illinois and Hochul in NY

K) Lulu de Silva in Brazil

L) Census. The FIWH also wants to exclude undocumented aliens from the count

M) The big banks. Trump claims they discriminated against him (he’s got scores to settle). Others think it was because of Trump’ bankruptcies

N) Epstein.

O) Big Balls – expect this to be an excuse for Trump to take over DC

P) Paramount and Skydance – the administration did nothing to inhibit them

Q) The National Climate Assessment

R) the Hula Hoop 

S) the Bureau of Labor Statistics

T) they request people bring in their unwanted small pets to feed the zoos predators. Not including dogs and cats

JD Vance is holding an emergency Epstein Files meeting so members of the administration can determine how to deal with the controversy. 

YOU DON’T NEED TO HOLD AN EMERGENCY MEETING TO FIGURE OUT A PLAN IF TRUMP IS INNOCENT. – Devin Duke

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Don Bacon Sees Trouble In US Tariffs

Posted on August 9, 2025 by Dave Bradley

2 minutes:

Like many MAGAs, Don Bacon has seen a very slow growth in his once absent spine following his decision to forego running for his seat in Nebraska’s House district 2. This district includes much of the Omaha metropolitan area including ‘the blue dot’ of concentrated Democratic votes. It is one of the states that the Felon in the White House is threatening to have gerrymandered.

Since he announced his retirement Bacon has spoken slightly louder on issues. Note in this interview Bacon deals in the reality that the FIWH’s tariffs are bringing to Iowa and Nebraska. These areas will be seriously damaged by these policies:

From the Omaha World Herald:   

Rep. Don Bacon, who announced his retirement in June, said he sees troubling signs that President Donald Trump’s tariffs are beginning to weigh on the economies of both Nebraska and the nation.

In an interview with The World-Herald, Bacon noted how Nebraska and Iowa recently posted the nation’s biggest declines in GDP. He said he has heard from Fortune 500 companies and farmers in Nebraska who claim the tariffs have harmed them.

Then there was last Friday’s job report, which showed the nation has posted anemic job growth the past two months — a report that led Trump to fire the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“I think shooting the messenger is not a good thing,” said Bacon, the Republican who represents the Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District. “I think there’s some deep concerns going on with Nebraska, Iowa right now.”

A recent federal report showed Nebraska and Iowa both posted GDP declines of 6% during the first quarter this year. Bacon said much of that is due to economic headwinds that grain farmers have been facing for about two years. But he said it appears to be getting worse.

Funny that one of Iowa’s spineless wonders couldn’t make much of a connection tariffs and what is once more expected to be grain rotting in the bin next winter and spring.

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