Buttigieg's 2020 Iowa political director launches bid for governor
The launch sets up a Democratic primary contest between Stauch and Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand, who launched his bid last month.
Stauch made the announcement on her campaign website, where she also posted a cover letter and resume. Stauch noted her past experience working as the president of her own firm, as well as her roles as chief public affairs officer and vice president of governmental affairs of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland.
'Iowans are disgusted with our elected leaders, and we want change. We are done with the destruction created by a Governor and Legislators who are destroying every aspect of our state, playing childish games with people's lives. We value our water, our soil, our children's futures, our schools, our communities, and our County Governments. We need leaders who embrace those values. I am one of those leaders,' Staunch said in a statement.
Stauch is the latest candidate to jump into the state's governor's race following Gov. Kim Reynold's (R) announcement last month that she would not seek reelection. In addition to Sand running in the Democratic primary, Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) and former Iowa state Rep. Brad Sherman (R) are running in the GOP primary. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird (R) is also considering a bid.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race as 'lean Republican.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
29 minutes ago
- USA Today
I'm a Democrat who left Texas. New GOP maps will silence Latino voters.
I joined my fellow Texas Democrats in leaving the state to deny Republicans the required quorum they need to pass manipulated congressional maps. This summer, Texas tragically lost more than 135 of our neighbors, many of them children, to the devastating July 4 floods. In the wake of that heartbreak, Texans deserved leadership, compassion and action. Instead, Texas Republicans are exploiting the tragedy to launch a blatant and calculated power grab. They've hijacked what should be a special legislative session focused on helping grieving survivors to instead do the bidding of President Donald Trump and push through new congressional maps − a process normally conducted every 10 years after the Census. This isn't just political opportunism. It's an insult to the people who lost their lives and the communities still suffering. This is also a test. In 2024, Democrats nationwide took the Latino vote for granted and paid for it. We can't afford to make that mistake again. We must be clear about what's really happening in Texas now. Republicans are using Latino voters as political pawns. Latino voices, electoral power and ability to fully participate in our democracy are under threat. Democrats must stand up and show that we will not allow them to be silenced without a fight. Texas and national Republicans know the math. They understand that Latinos are now the largest population in our state, and that Texas elections have national consequences for the balance of power in Washington. A redistricting primer: Texas Democrats face their Alamo with new GOP congressional map Rather than work to earn more Latino votes, Republicans, at the direction of President Donald Trump, are instead tactfully carving them out of districts, dividing up their communities and working to silence their influence. Let's be clear:These proposed maps are designed to entrench Republican power, pad the party's slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and rig future elections. They are not a reflection of the will of the people, nor based on any new census data. Republicans' hidden agenda isn't so hidden In Austin, for example, we're seeing the impact firsthand. The maps would eliminate the Latino opportunity district, robbing a diverse, civically engaged city of fair representation at a time when our population has soared. Austin would be forced into a newly drawn Republican district stretching hundreds of miles to east Texas. Similar scenarios would play out across south Texas, Houston and Dallas, where millions of Latinos live. These new Republican maps send a message to Latino voters − and voters in general − that their voices don't matter. As Democrats, we can't wait for an election cycle to speak out and act with conviction. It's not enough to oppose these maps. We must fight for a Texas, and a country, where every voter, in every neighborhood, has an equal voice. After all, a hallmark of a thriving American democracy is that voters choose their elected leaders − not the other way around. Opinion: Texas Democrats know they're fighting a losing cause. At least they're fighting. As chair of the Progressive Caucus' redistricting effort, I've led these fights before, and I'm prepared to do it again. As a Latina and proud daughter of the Rio Grande Valley, I refuse to sit back while Republican leaders silence our communities, try to erase Latino political power and rig our democracy behind closed doors. That's why I joined my fellow Texas Democrats, as I did in 2021, in leaving the state, denying Republicans the required quorum they need to pass these manipulated maps. They've left us no choice. I must do everything in my power to stand up for my constituents and all Texans. That includes not letting these maps get a vote on the floor to begin with. If it can happen in Texas, it can happen elsewhere I believe we have the power − and the people − on our side to stop this shameful scheme. Texans must be willing to show up at hearings, share their stories, and demand transparency and fairness in this process. We need Democrats nationwide to see this moment as a front-line voting rights battle. It's not just another local fight. Because if Republicans make Texas their blueprint, what's to stop them from doing this in other states? Latino voters have seen this play out before. Politicians come around every few years talking a big game about representation, then disappear until the next election cycle. It has to end. The way we fight now with these maps will determine whether we earn the right to ask for Latinos to vote for us later. This moment is how Democrats can start to regain trust with Latino voters, and all communities of color. That means the stakes are high, but so is the opportunity. This is not just a fight about maps. It's a fight about who counts, and who has power in our democracy. History has its eyes on us, and it will remember who met this moment with resolve to win. And who stayed silent. Democratic Rep. Gina Hinojosa chairs the Texas House Progressive Caucus' redistricting effort.
Chicago Tribune
29 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
John Curran: Illinois Democrats' delivery tax is a short-term cash grab paid by those who can least afford it
Well past midnight, on the final night of the spring session, Illinois Senate Democrats passed one of the most broad-based, regressive taxes on working families our state has seen in decades, which will affect every family and business from deep southern Illinois to towns on the Wisconsin border and everywhere in between. This delivery tax would force each Illinoisan to pay an additional $1.50 on nearly every order placed in our state, regardless of its cost, size or supplier. Whether you are making a bulk order of expensive items or just need a pack of diapers for a sick child, the tax will charge you $1.50 on every order. The Senate Democratic majority says groceries and prescriptions are exempt — but the moment your cart includes anything else, from shampoo to school supplies, the tax kicks in. The majority of the estimated $1 billion collected yearly from Illinois taxpayers in all 102 counties will be sent to bail out the grossly mismanaged CTA and decades of unfunded pensions in the city of Chicago. Unfortunately for Illinois taxpayers who are expected to shoulder this burden, the proposal lacks the meaningful reforms needed to improve transit funding long term and, as these Chicago bailout proposals always do, carves out an exemption for many deliveries in the very city it was created to help. Known as the Retail Delivery Climate Impact Fee, the proposal would not collect a tax on any deliveries made by bicycle, which, because of congestion, are far more prevalent in Chicago, ensuring that suburban and downstate residents will be much more likely to be charged the fee. Besides being patently unfair, it doesn't make any sense, as studies show delivery services can actually help lower emissions by reducing trips to the store. The regressive nature of the tax will have the worst effect on vulnerable populations, including low-income people unable to afford or store bulk orders, seniors, single parents and everyone without their own transportation. This effect on the poor is so concerning that a group of faith leaders sent a letter to Illinois senators opposing the legislation, saying the plan is 'a tax structure that punishes poverty.' Sadly, their pleas were ignored. Data from Colorado, the only state that has enacted a broad delivery tax — 28 cents per motor vehicle order, a far cry from Illinois' $1.50 — validates their concerns. A survey of Colorado residents highlighted the tax's disproportionate impact on people with disabilities and low-income households. The share of the tax relative to income was over four times higher for households earning less than $25,000 per year compared with those earning $200,000 or more. The tax increased take-out prices across the board, leading to more than hundreds of thousands of fewer delivery orders, millions in lost revenue for local businesses, and revenue and job losses for restaurant and delivery workers. The increased prices and reduced sales are especially burdensome for small businesses that already operate on razor-thin margins. Other states are taking note, and in 2024 and 2025, every state that considered such a tax, including neighboring Indiana, dropped or rejected their proposals. Maurice Scholten: The RTA has more money to work with than it realizes. State lawmakers need to know tax on working families is even more offensive when you consider the fact that Illinois brought in a record $54 billion in tax revenue in fiscal year 2025 — the most money our state has ever taken from taxpayers — and the Democratic majority still passed a budget with nearly $1 billion in additional tax hikes, budget gimmicks and no solution for the CTA. There is no denying that we must continue to invest in our state's public transit system for the millions of Illinois families, students, tourists and workers who rely on it. But the taxpayers who pay for it deserve a fiscally conservative approach and reforms needed to ensure a world-class, safe and soluble system — not a short-term cash grab that hurts, rather than helps, Illinoisans, $1.50 at a time.
The Hill
29 minutes ago
- The Hill
Republicans fear Trump tariffs are cutting into economy
Republicans on Capitol Hill are feeling jittery about the economy after the latest jobs report showed the economy added far fewer jobs than previously estimated over the past three months. President Trump and his economic team insist that the economy is going strong and poised for significant growth, but their bullish projections are meeting skepticism from some in the GOP who worry Trump's trade regime is creating economic headwinds. 'It definitely is indicative of a weakened economy, an economy that's not acting in a robust fashion. I've all along felt like there's a lag between tariffs and actual economic downturn,' said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Trump announced a new round of tariffs, including steep tariff increases on Canada and Brazil, the same day the jobs report was released. Paul argued the impact of tariffs are often delayed because companies usually sign contracts to set the prices of imports months in advance. Once those contracts expire, the higher prices of imported raw materials or finished goods are then reflected in the next round of business agreements, he said. 'I've had retailers telling me that they think their prices will have to change in the fall. As their initial contracts change, their input price is higher [and] goods will go higher, too,' he said. 'I think it is worrisome and I do worry that the news has been relatively benign on tariffs so far,' Paul said. 'The proof is really in the next couple months. 'I think there's more to come. I don't think we've seen the full impact of tariffs,' he said. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) warned that Trump's fluctuating tariff rates are increasing costs for consumers and creating uncertainty among businesses and employers. 'My view is that there's no question that consumers, Americans, pay a price for tariffs. It increases the price of the goods coming into the United States. The question is, 'Is there a reason that tariffs in a temporary way can solve trade barriers that have been artificially created against our products going somewhere else?'' he said. The Kansas senator said Trump's tariffs could have 'a beneficial outcome' if they can get other countries to open their markets to U.S. goods but cautioned 'there's no question tariffs are a tax on the cost of a product, a good.' 'A tax raises the cost of living for everybody,' he said. Asked about the impact on job creators, Moran replied: 'I know enough to know that certainty matters and at the moment there's not very much certainty about what's happening next.' 'Therefore, businesses delay decisions to expand, to hire, to spend money. So uncertainty creates a challenge for a growing economy,' he warned. A third Republican senator who requested anonymity said Friday's weak jobs report creates a significant political problem for Trump and Republicans in Congress. 'I don't think that the administration can ignore them,' the senator said of the jobs report. 'You have to see that connection, that link' between the disappointing jobs report and Trump's tariff policies, the senator said. 'I don't think spinning it is good enough,' the source added. The president responded to the negative jobs report by firing the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Erika McEntarfer. The report revised down the number of jobs gained in May and June by 258,000. But that move is also getting a skeptical response form some Republicans. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) warned that the shake-up at the data-reporting agency could undermine confidence in future economic data. 'The numbers are what the numbers are,' Tillis said. 'If we get to a point to where BLS [and] all these organizations that are considered to be the gold standard for data, if we start undermining them or people start losing their jobs because we don't like the result, that's a big boo-boo.' 'There are a lot of government-reporting agencies that are like the gold standard for financial markets,' he said, warning 'there better just be very clear evidence' of misconduct to support McEntarfer's termination. 'If they don't' provide that evidence, 'I think they're making a huge mistake,' he said. Several major U.S. employers have reported substantial business losses in recent weeks. Ford Motor reported last week a net loss of $36 million from April through June, compared with a profit of $1.8 billion a year ago. The automotive giant projects tariffs will cost it $2 billion this year alone. Omaha-based Berkshire Hathaway on Saturday reported that its earnings dropped by 4 percent compared with a year ago, in part because of tariffs. The company warned in its second-quarter earnings report that the 'adverse consequences' of international trade policies and tariffs 'could significantly affect our future results.' United Parcel Services's stock dropped last week after it reported weaker-than-expected earnings. The company said it would no longer provide forward guidance on revenues and profits, citing the lack of certainty in the economic outlook for the rest of this year. Appliance maker Whirlpool also announced disappointing second-quarter earnings and said it would lower its quarterly dividend payout. Some Republicans on Capitol Hill have said for months that they could support tariffs for a short period of time to put pressure on foreign trading partners to negotiate better deals for U.S. exporters but warned against putting long-term tariffs in place. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) warned in April that 'high tariffs in perpetuity' would be bad for the economy. 'I am not a fan of tariffs,' Cruz told Fox Business host Larry Kudlow at the time. 'My hope is these tariffs are short-lived and they serve as leverage to lower tariffs across the globe,' he said. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett dampened Republican hopes that high tariff rates would be transient when he told NBC's 'Meet the Press' on Sunday that many rates are already locked in Asked by NBC's Kristen Welker if Trump would change tariff rates if the financial markets dive, Hassett said: 'I would rule it out because these are final deals.'
