Debate Day

I want to start this weekend with a thank you. Thank you to those who have supported this column since we launched in 2023. Thank you to those who have shared these columns with friends, family, and co-workers. And thank you to those who have made the financial commitment with a paid subscription — at whatever level of support — to help me keep this column going.

Independent journalism is not easy. There are no billboards, no ads on TV, and no celebrity influencers hyping our work. This only works because of you. My family is deeply appreciative of your commitment.

But if you are a social media influencer who wants to hype my work, feel free to hype away!

(I didn’t get to take a pic of the debate featuring the Iowa Republicans running for governor. So, I asked Google Gemini for some help.)

The past week has been a whirlwird. I moderated two televised debates in three days. Wowza! That was a first for me. That means two weeks of planning, researching, and anticipating what candidates may say and how they may say it as I think through what issues are most important to primary voters.

The first debate took place…live…Thursday. It featured the two Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate, state Sen. Zach Wahls of Coralville and state Rep. Josh Turek of Council Bluffs. Here’s a link to the full debate.

The second debate features four of the five Republicans running for governor. You can watch it Tuesday night from 6:30-8 p.m. Find it on KTIV.com, KCRG.com, KWQC.com, or KCCI-TV/KCCI.com. (Note: we recorded the debate on Saturday.)

I will share what I saw, heard, and thought about those two debates later this week.

Meanwhile, our newest Iowa Down Ballot Podcast had an in-depth conversaton about the second and final Turek and Wahls debate.

Here’s what got my attention lately:

"Blended families are complicated." — Zach Lahn in Des Moines Register interview

—Zach Lahn flies back and forth between Iowa and Kansas and splits time in his two homes. Lahn and his current wife, Annie, were married to other people (Annie had been married to a son of one of the billionaire Koch brothers) when they co-founded a private school in Wichita). They divorced their spouses and later married each other.

They have seven children in their blended family. The Des Moines Register’s Brianne Pfannensteil detailed Lahn’s flight history and interviewed Lahn about how he travels between the two states to raise his children.

Questions: How many Republican primary voters think differently of a candidate who has been divorced and/or a candidate who has split time between two states as he campaigns for governor? How many primary voters will commend Lahn for his dedication to his children, which allows some of the kids to remain living in Wichita and still be able to grow up having their dad active in their lives?

Another thought: I wonder how many people would hold this against Lahn if they also support President Donald Trump, a man in his third marriage.

Lahn, Part II

“What I've invested in is not a sex toy,” Lahn said in a Des Moines Register interview. “It's a grade two medical device.”

Brianne Pfannensteil posted another story about Lahn. This time, it concerns Lahn’s previous investments in a men’s sexual health company.

Question: There are no allegations of illegality. Will any Republican primary voters refuse to support Lahn because of his investments in a company focused on improving men’s sex lives ?

Wahls’ other job

In another sign that an election is approaching soon, we also have a new ethics complaint filed against Wahls. The complaint by a Turek supporter calls into question Wahls’ work for a political organization, The Next 50, that supported new Democratic candidates for office.

The Cedar Rapids Gazette’s Tom Barton posted this story about the complaint.

At question is whether Wahls violated any Iowa Senate rules by working for The Next 50. Wahls denied that he broke any senate rules and that he received prior guidance from Iowa Secretary of the Charlie Smithson.

Questions: Will the Iowa Senate Ethics Committee make a decision about this before the June 2nd primary? Will the complaint give any Democratic primary voters any concerns, or do they see this as a politically motivated complaint a few weeks before the election?

Steen’s threat claim

On Monday the campaign of Adam Steen, the Runnells Republican businessman and pastor who is running for governor, released a statement that he had received a death threat a week previously about his event in Osklaloosa.

Steen blamed the “left.”

Watching Iowa

Who knows if the Iowa Caucuses will ever get the national attention that they once did, but the state’s races in 2026 sure are.

The Democratic U.S. Senate race now features endorsements from three past presidential candidates. Three!

Former U.S. Sec. of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Iowa’s former longtime senator, Tom Harkin, both endorsed Turek. And U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts campaigned in Iowa for Wahls.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune campaigned in Iowa and raised money for Rep. Ashley Hinson’s Republican U.S. Senate campaign. And Vice President J.D. Vance held an event to support Republican Rep. Zach Nunn’s re-election campaign.

Plus, there will be tens of millions of outside dollars spent on Iowa races, especially the one to fill Sen. Joni Ernst’s seat.

Outsiders…and their money…are watching Iowa.

I hope everyone avoided the damage from the latest round of severe weather.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for supporting this column.

Politics are only one focus from some of the other writers of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. You can also read their latest insights on Iowa’s food scene, media, humor, poetry, and business. Please support everyone you can.