PrairiePundit

 The Federalist Wire: ... President-elect Donald Trump announced Monday that he plans to sue the Des Moines Register and top pollster Ann Selzer over a pre-election survey that inaccurately showed Vice President Kamala Harris leading in Iowa ahead of the 2024 election. The Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa poll, conducted by Selzer & Company on Nov. 2, claimed Harris led Trump 47% to 44%. Selzer attributed Harris’s apparent lead to strong support among young, college-educated voters and older women. Trump, who filed the lawsuit late Monday, made it clear during a press conference that he sees it as his duty to hold both Selzer and the newspaper accountable. He pointed out his decisive 14-point victory in Iowa, where he beat Harris 56% to 42.7%, and reminded the press that his dominance extended nationally—winning all seven battleground states and becoming the first Republican since 2004 to win the popular vote. ... Trump accused Selzer and the Register of breaking Iowa’s consum...

      The Biden administration's attempt to criminalize Trump rather than run on the issues voters care about is backfiring on the Democrats.

 Spectator: After Iowa, everything is falling into place for Trump As it stands, DeSantis and Haley are merely also-rans  Vivek Ramaswamy, the impressive podcast guest who has spent the last few months pretending to be a serious Republican presidential candidate, has just suspended his campaign after winning 8 percent of the vote in the Iowa Caucuses. “This entire campaign is about speaking the TRUTH,” he said. “We did not achieve our goal tonight.” He endorsed Donald Trump even though on Saturday Trump called him “sly” and “deceitful.” No matter: it’s not as if any Ramaswamy supporters will be lining up to vote for Nikki Haley any time soon. ... See also:  Trump stuns pundits by 'defying political gravity' after Iowa win: 'He's the nominee, get over it' 'I think a lot of the strength of his appeal is based upon people's memories...' said Fox News chief political analyst Brit Hume Former President Trump stunned the American political scene Monday with w...

 Daily Mail: How final Iowa poll is bad news for DeSantis AND Haley: Pollster says Nikki is on 'shaky ground' and lack of enthusiasm for her is 'on the edge of jaw-dropping' - while Trump's supporters are locked in Trump is doing much better this year than in past polling.  See also: Haley fares best against Biden as Republican contenders hold national leads While Republican primary voters   think   Donald Trump is their best shot in November, it's Nikki Haley who right now holds a bigger lead over Joe Biden than either Trump or Ron DeSantis in potential head-to-head match-ups. In fact, as the GOP presidential nomination kicks off, Trump, Haley and DeSantis  all  have at least a slight national edge on President Biden right now, were they to emerge as his challenger. (Haley and DeSantis have tougher roads to get that chance, of course, since they  trail Trump substantially  in the race for the nomination.)  ...

It is described as the largest precaucus lead in history. See also: Anti-Trump Pollster Admits He'd Place $150K Bet on Donald Trump Winning ... In a viral video shared on social media by Collin Rugg, the co-owner of the Trending Politics news website, Luntz discusses whether he'd bet on Trump returning to the White House. The clip amassed more than 3.7 million views on X, formerly Twitter , since it was posted on Saturday morning. ... And: Final DMR Poll Shows Trump with Historic Support Going into Iowa GOP Caucus, Haley a Distant Second 

 Epoch Times: Iowa Crowd Cheers Nearly Nonstop as Trump Seeks to 'Wrap Up' GOP Primary With the important first-in-nation caucuses less than two months away, Republican candidates have ramped up their presence in the Hawkeye State. ... Speaking to a full house of about 3,000 people at the Fort Dodge Senior High School gymnasium on Nov. 18, the former president reminded folks that the Hawkeye State's first-in-nation caucuses were just 58 days away. "All over the world, they're going to be watching this," he said, adding, "We want to make sure we have a big victory." A man who has attended 33 Trump rallies nationwide, Charles Hibbs, 68, of South Dakota, said this Iowa crowd was among the most enthusiastic he has witnessed. After welcoming him with a thunderous "USA! USA!" standing ovation, most of the crowd remained standing for about 20 more minutes as the former president spoke. Random cries and chants of "We Love You!" punctuated...

 NPR: A majority of Iowa's Republican voters say they're sticking with former President Donald Trump, even after their popular governor said he couldn't win — and endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Trump is so far ahead in Iowa polls that some voters in Buffalo, Iowa, a small riverfront community down the Mississippi River from Davenport are starting to feel a bit apathetic about the upcoming caucuses. "It just seems like it's a done deal," said John McBride, who was walking his two dogs near his house. "It's not even close." But Trump's lead is also causing some anxiety among those who worry about his general election electability challenges. Michelle Stone, 62, sits around a high top table at Judy's Barge Inn, with her husband and two friends. The retired logistics dispatcher worries about Trump's poor "bedside manner" and says Iowa Gov. Kim Reynold's endorsement carries a lot of weight with her. She likes Trump a lot...

 Fox News: Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida will soon visit Iowa, the state that holds the first contest in the 2024 Republican presidential nominating calendar. DeSantis' trip will be his first visit to Iowa and his first this cycle to any of the early voting states in the GOP primary and caucus schedule. DeSantis is widely expected by political pundits to launch a Republican White House run later this year, though he remains on the 2024 sidelines. DeSantis will make stops in Des Moines and Davenport Friday, March 10, where he’ll be joined by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Fox News confirmed Thursday. Iowa’s governor will host what are being described as interview-style conversations with DeSantis at both events. News of the Florida governor’s visit to Iowa was first reported by The Des Moines Register. The governor, a former congressman, saw his popularity soar among conservatives across the country the past three years due to his forceful pushback against coronav...

 DNYUZ: Democrats are getting their derrières handed to them by the kickers and the Busch Light drinkers from out here on the edge of the Great Plains all the way to Appalachia, where the Republicans roam. So what do the Democrats do? Dump the Iowa caucuses into the ditch. At the hand of President Biden, no less. He decreed that South Carolina’s primary should go first on the presidential nominating calendar, displacing Iowa. The Democratic National Committee seems happy to oblige. We get it. Let someone else take a turn up front. But discarding Iowa is not a great way to mend fences in rural America — where the Democratic brand has become virtually unmarketable. The Democratic big shots hated Iowa’s pride of place since the caucuses rose to prominence a half-century ago because money couldn’t control the outcome. Jimmy Carter broke through from Plains, Ga., with nothing but a toothy smile and an honest streak. Candidates were forced to meet actual voters in village diners across t...

 Josh Kraushaar: President Biden traveled to Iowa for the first time in his tenure on Tuesday to promote the new infrastructure law and unveil plans to tackle soaring gas prices, which include allowing ethanol-blended gasoline to be sold during the summer. The move should appeal to farmers in the corn-rich state. But despite the president’s belated attention to the state, Democrats have all but written off Iowa in their political future. The national party is weighing plans to abandon the state's famed first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, even while it loses ground in pivotal congressional contests. In the latest embarrassment, the party’s leading Senate candidate, former Rep. Abby Finkenauer, was ruled ineligible for the June 7 Senate primary ballot because she didn’t gather enough eligible signatures. Her failure to qualify—if the judge’s ruling holds—all but ensures GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley will be elected to a historic eighth term. The setback follows a string of recent hi...

 The Hill: Former President Trump ’s approval rating in Iowa hit a new high in the Des Moines Register-Mediacom Iowa Poll as he mulls a comeback White House bid in 2024. The poll showed that 53 percent of Iowans approve of Trump, while 45 percent disapprove and just 2 percent have no opinion. Trump is viewed favorably by 91 percent of Iowa Republicans. Independents are more split, with 48 percent viewing him favorably and 49 percent having an unfavorable view of the former president. The poll comes ahead of a rally Trump will hold in the Hawkeye State Saturday, marking one of his most visible appearances in the first-in-the-nation caucus state. ... Trump is helped by Biden who is doing things to make people regret ever voting for him.  Biden is polling in the low 30's in the state.  Trump is polling well against Biden in the country as a whole and wold likely win if the election was held today. 

  Daily Caller: Biden’s Poll Numbers Crash In Iowa, With 62% Disapproving Of His Job Performance ... “This is a bad poll for Joe Biden, and it’s playing out in everything that he touches right now,” pollster J. Ann Selzer told the outlet. Biden’s poll numbers in the first-in-the-nation caucus state also indicate Iowans disapprove of both the president’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan culminated in a Taliban victory and has been widely criticized across the political spectrum. Among those polled, 69% said they disapprove of Biden’s handling of Afghanistan, compared to just 22% who said they approve. (RELATED: Less Than Half Of Americans Say Biden Is Mentally Stable Enough To Serve As President) ... Iowa was once considered a swing state.  If it still is it is swinging away from Biden in a big way.  See, also: New: Biden's numbers are worse than Trump's ever were in latest Iowa poll An...

 Judicial Watch: Judicial Watch announced today that it received 624 pages of records from the office of the Secretary of State of Iowa, revealing how state officials pressured social media companies (Twitter and Facebook) to censor posts about the 2020 election. Included in these records were emails from Iowa state officials to representatives of Big Tech pressuring these companies to remove Judicial Watch’s posts. The emails show how the state agency successfully pressured Facebook to censor Judicial Watch’s post about Iowa’s management of its voter rolls. Judicial Watch received the records as a result of a June 2020 Iowa Open Records lawsuit that was filed after the Iowa Secretary of State failed to comply with a February 2020 request for records and communications about a Judicial Watch report regarding the accuracy of the state’s voter registration rolls ( Judicial Watch v. Iowa Secretary of State (No. 05771 EQCE085973)). Judicial Watch was represented by Iowa lawyer Alan...

 KCCI: Gov. Kim Reynolds said Thursday during a radio interview that she declined a request by the Department of Health and Human Services to take in immigrant children being held at the U.S. border with Mexico. The governor talked about the request during an interview with Jeff Angelo on WHO Radio . Reynolds said Iowa does not have the facilities to help and that her priority is to protect the health and safety of Iowans. “We will not do that,” Reynolds said during the interview with WHO Radio. “We do not have the facilities. We are not set up to do that. This is not our problem; this is the president's problem. He's the one who opened the borders. He needs to be responsible for this and he needs to stop it. So, at this point, no. Reynolds went on to say that the state already struggles to place Iowa children into foster homes. According to The Associated Press, nearly 19,000 children traveling alone were stopped at the Mexican border last month. Many migrants are fleeing pov...

  NPR: Democrats Reviewing Whether To Overturn A Certified Iowa U.S. House Election ... "Our committee should not be moving forward with overturning our colleague's state-certified election. [Miller-Meeks] is a sitting member of Congress with all of the same rights and privileges as each and every one of us," said Rep. Rodney Davis of Illinois, the top Republican on the committee, at the March 10 meeting. Republicans have noted that Hart's campaign opted not to challenge the election results in Iowa court, but rather through a partisan House process with a Democratic advantage. There are growing political tensions around this particular challenge in the House, where relationships between Democrats and Republicans have deteriorated since the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, the day of the certification of the Electoral College vote results. On that day, 139 House Republicans voted to object to state-certified results in Arizona and Pennsylvania after extremists ...

 John Ellis: ... I’ve been covering American politics for a long time and I can’t remember a number that so dramatically altered the political community’s perception of a presidential campaign as that number did, last night, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The source of the number was The Iowa Poll , which has been the gold standard for statewide polling in the United States for decades. The number itself was the percentage of likely voters in Iowa supporting Joe Biden’s candidacy for president. President Trump’s number was 48%, which put him ahead in the “horse race” by 7 percentage points. There was nothing really remarkable about that, in context. Mr. Trump won the state in 2016 by (roughly) nine percentage points. What was remarkable was Biden’s 41%. What made it doubly disconcerting was the way The Des Moines Register (accurately) described the poll results: “Republican President Donald Trump has taken over the lead in Iowa as Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden has faded… ...

 Legal Insurrection: The polls are going to drive people to madness, the people that is who obesess about polls. Just because so much of polling is garbage, however, does not mean all polling is garbage. It might happen that Biden has a sweep, that can’t be ruled out, if he really, truly is ahead by 7.8% nationally (today’s  RCP average ). That’s double the Hillary national average advantage. But there are just too many things that don’t align with that narrative, that suggest the national averages not only may be more wrong than in 2016, they may be particularly wrong in the swing states that matter and will decide who wins the electoral college. I never thought of Iowa as a swing state, but it probably is. Obama won it by 9 points in 2008 and 5 points in 2012, Trump won it by almost 10 points in 2016. Iowa also famously recently was put by the Cook Political Report into the toss-up column for both the  presidential  and  Senate  races, suggesting Trump wa...

Washington Post: As Iowa reopens, workers are forced to choose between a paycheck and their health Critics have said Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) is going too far in urging Iowans back to work. Some even accused her of putting business interests ahead of the health and safety of the workforce. I watched an interview with the woman who was jailed in Texas for opening her hair salon.  She said that she and her 19 stylists were already going hungry and having trouble feeding their kids.  She also indicated that she was two months behind on her mortgage payment and that other of the stylist were in similar straights.  Those are conditions that motivate people to go back to work.  It is situations like these that make the risk of work better than the alternative.  It is also why control freak politicians who would deny people the opportunity of work show a lack of empathy for these people.  I would rather live in a state governed by someone like Kim Reynolds...

NY Times: How the Iowa Caucuses Became an Epic Fiasco for Democrats The problems that beset the Democratic Party’s first state caucus of the presidential race ran far deeper and wider than one bad app. The Democrats delegate selection process is far too complicated.  They will run into similar problems in other states including Texas which has a real primary vote.  It has already resulted in memes on Facebook and Twitter that say if they can't run a caucus in a small state, what makes them think they can run a country. It should be noted that they were also dealing with a smaller than expected turnout which should have made counting the votes easier.  The small turnout is probably a reflection that with the collapse of the Russian collusion hoax and the absurd impeachment efforts, many voters no longer trust the Democrats.

Washington Examiner: For six months, some of President Trump's most implacable foes have invested great hope in two Republicans, former Rep. Joe Walsh and former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, who are challenging the president for the GOP nomination. Could they do some damage to Trump's reelection prospects? Tonight, in Iowa, that hope was put to a first test. It failed. In the state's Republican caucuses — yes, there were Republican caucuses, even though the competitive Democratic caucuses received all the attention — the Walsh and Weld candidacies fizzled. In the end, Trump won 97.16% of the vote, to Walsh's 1.08% and Weld's 1.27%. Others, write-ins of various people, totaled 0.47%. It was a striking show of strength for the president. Beyond that, turnout was high for a year in which an incumbent president is assured of re-nomination. In the last election, 2016, about 180,000 Republican voters turned up for caucuses. But that was a highly competitive ...