Cornhole Champions Podcast

State Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott of Windsor Heights was cold-calling the local school district. An employee was among a group of new citizens who Secretary of State Paul Pate targeted for additional screening. If the employee didn’t show additional IDs to the auditor, their vote wouldn’t count. The Democrat from Windsor Heights was out curing ballots after her opponent called for a recount. She had...

When the Iowa Legislature returns to Des Moines in January, the chambers will only have gotten redder. Iowa Democrats did not have many successes this November. Meanwhile, Republicans expanded their majorities. The Iowa Senate will have a 35-15 Republican majority; the House will have a 67-33 majority. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, host Zachary Oren Smith spoke to House Minority Leader Je...

US Sen. Joni Ernst is a combat veteran with deep experience in military policymaking through her work on the Senate Armed Services Committee. She expressed interest in leading the US military in President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet. But she got snubbed by a guy who doesn’t believe women should be combat veterans. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, host Zachary Oren Smith chats with Iowa Star...

I don’t have to tell you that 2024 was not a good year for Democrats. But it wasn’t all bad news. Iowans elected their first transgender person to the Iowa Legislature. They flipped a long-time Republican seat. And while Iowa’s 1st Congressional District still went for Republican US Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, the results show organizing in Johnson and Scott counties is paying off. On this epis...