Joni Ernst and Rod Blum Ride Republican Wave Iowa Republicans experienced a wave with Joni Ernst and Rod Blum winning their races, but that did not translate into winning back the Iowa Senate. Shane Vander HartNovember 5, 20145 minute read
Hieb: Declaration Against the Borg Lee D. Hieb, MD says that the Branstad machine “owns the electoral process” and Republicans and Democrats are just two sides of the same “Borg.” Caffeinated ThoughtsOctober 11, 20145 minute read
Eight Observations Leading to Election Day in Iowa With less than a month to go before election day here are eight observations about Iowa’s Governor, U.S. Senate, Congressional and down ballot races. Shane Vander HartOctober 9, 20144 minute read
Jack Hatch Pulls State Wide TV Ads State Senator Jack Hatch (D-Des Moines) pulls all statewide TV ads after a new poll released shows he trails Governor Terry Branstad by 14 points. Caffeinated ThoughtsSeptember 30, 20141 minute read
Jack Hatch’s Obvious Conflict of Interest State Senator Jack Hatch (D-Des Moines) is accused by the Republican Party of Iowa for using his office to protect his personal financial interests. Shane Vander HartAugust 26, 20143 minute read
2014 Iowa Political Survey Results Ernst leads Braley and Hieb edges out Branstad in a recent Caffeinated Thoughts reader survey of likely Iowa voters on different races and issues of concern in the state. Shane Vander HartJuly 14, 20147 minute read
Terry Branstad’s Greatest Threat Is Himself Iowa Governor Terry Branstad is on a trajectory for a historic sixth… Shane Vander HartJuly 7, 20144 minute read
Des Moines Register Gets a Thistle for Whining About Hatch-Vernon Website The Des Moines Register published an editorial that again demonstrates why the… Shane Vander HartJune 30, 20143 minute read
RGA Releases 2nd Ad in Iowa Governor’s Race WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Republican Governors Association released a new television… Caffeinated ThoughtsJune 11, 20141 minute read
RGA Ad Targets Jack Hatch on Property Rights and Tax Returns The Republican Governors Association released its first ad statewide on broadcast stations… Shane Vander HartJune 4, 20141 minute read
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad Easily Wins Republican Primary (Des Moines, IA) Iowa Governor Terry Branstad easily beat his challenger Tom… Shane Vander HartJune 4, 20143 minute read
Iowa GOP Chair Launches Open Records Request of Senate Democrats (Des Moines, IA) Former Iowa House Speaker Pro Tem, and current Iowa… Caffeinated ThoughtsApril 14, 20141 minute read
Lee Hieb Runs for Iowa Governor on Promise to Repeal Common Core Iowa Governor Terry Branstad (R) is expected to win reelection to a… Shane Vander HartMarch 14, 20144 minute read
Jonathan Narcisse Enters Iowa Gubernatorial Democratic Primary Former Des Moines School Board member Jonathan Narcisse formally joined the gubernatorial campaign at an event in Cedar Rapids on MLK Day. Shane Vander HartJanuary 21, 20143 minute read
2013: Iowa Politics in Review Shane Vander Hart reviews Iowa political and cultural news from 2013. Shane Vander HartDecember 30, 20136 minute read
Narcisse Announces Exploratory Committee for Iowa Governor’s Race (Des Moines, IA) Newspaper Publisher and former Des Moines School Board member… Shane Vander HartDecember 26, 201311 minute read