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A year from now, the 2012 presidential campaigns will already be in operation in Iowa in advance of the First in the Nation caucuses.  In February of 2007, Mitt Romney formally announced his campaign in the midst of a February snowstorm, but we already knew who most of the players were going to be by that time. As the presidential traffic begins to increase in Iowa, ... Full story

A bizarre story from the Olympics, Mitt Romney was in an altercation on an Air Canada Flight. Romney, who was traveling with his wife Ann, asked the person in front of him to put his seat in the upright position for takeoff, the man turned violent and swung at the presidential hopeful. Former governor Mitt ... Full story

Imagine the reaction across this state if, out of the blue, Senator Grassley unexpectedly announced that he would not seek re-election in November. That news would send shock-waves around the state and the nation. Grassley isn’t about to retire, but his colleague, Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, did just that when he suddenly announced he ... Full story

On Friday night, I had the pleasure of moderating a candidate forum between Dr. Steve Richards and Tom Shaw, the two candidates vying for the Republican nomination in house district eight. Currently, the district is represented by 22 year incumbent Rep. Dolores Mertz, a conservative Democrat. House district eight has a Democratic voter registration advantage. ... Full story

Governor Chet Culver faces a steep challenge if he wants to win re-election this November. Two state-wide polls conducted in late January and early February show Governor Culver in serious trouble as he prepares to stand for re-election. The polls conducted by TIR/Concordia Group and the Des Moines Register, show Governor Culver losing ... Full story

The Des Moines Register released more results from their Iowa Poll today.  The poll shows former Governor Terry Branstad with a 20 point lead over Governor Chet Culver.  Branstad leads Culver 53% to 33% in a head-to-head poll. Branstad isn’t the only Republican gubernatorial candidate to beat Culver in a head-to-head matchup.  Bob ... Full story

Tonight at 7:00 p.m. the two candidates running for the Republican nomination in House District 8 will participate in a candidate forum. The event will be held at the Prairie Lakes AEA, which is located at 500 N.E. 6th Street in Pocahontas. Participating in tonight's forum is the Republican candidate from 2008, Dr. Stephen Richards. ... Full story

The Des Moines Register and TheIowaRepublican.com are the only Iowa news organizations that conduct polls and release the information to the public. Ironically, the TIR/Concordia Group poll and the Register’s Iowa Poll were both conducted at the same time. What is fascinating is the difference in the questions that were asked, not necessarily the ... Full story

Former United States Speaker of the House Denny Hastert is headed to Des Moines to help 3rd Congressional District candidate Jim Gibbons. Hastert, a former High School wrestling star, will headline a fundraising event for Gibbons that is being hosted by former Congressman Greg Ganske. Ganske is the last Republican to represent the Congressional District ... Full story

In four months, Iowa Republicans will select their candidate to run against Governor Chet Culver this fall. The last time a sitting governor was voted out of office was in 1962 when Governor Norman Erbe lost to Harold Hughes. The TIR/Concordia Group poll shows that Governor Culver has a real chance to enter the ... Full story