Pete Buttiegieg and Mike Johnson came to Iowa...

But I'm thinking more about how cancer took our friend

Susan, Tag, Andy, Marsha, Dennis, Marshall, Karen, and Dan…thank you all for continuing your yearly commitments to this column. My family very much appreciates you all! Your support is critical to help sustain what we are building.

On this sweltering Iowa summer weekend, my thoughts are not with the heat. It’s July. It’s Iowa. Of course, it’s hot. I wish the RAGBRAI riders a safe journey for the annual endurance test across Iowa.

(Image created with Google Gemini.)

My thoughts are with the family of the friend we just lost. Mike beat cancer. And then cancer returned. He fought like hell. But the fight was too great.

He is a person, not a statistic. So was my dad. He died of cancer, too. We also lost a cousin to cancer. Too many people are getting cancer.

Iowa’s growing cancer rate should alarm us all. There is no one cause for why people get cancer. We know we need to eat healthier, not overdo it with alcohol, exercise regularly, sleep enough, and don’t smoke.

We know those things. But there must be something else. It’s not like only Iowans need to better follow the advice of their doctors.

We may not yet know what else could be spiking Iowa’s cancer cases. Is the cause in our water? The air? The soil? Our foods? Is it a combination of these things?

I wish that I were smart enough to know.

I know that our friend Mike’s body is at peace. His neighbors in Heaven will appreciate his humor as much as we did. I’m so sad for Mike’s wife and two boys. I hope that there is room in your prayers for them this week.

Do something

I also hope that our elected officials and those who hope to represent us one day take this more seriously. Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, none of the above. Candidates, your party doesn’t matter. No more soundbites. No more vague platitudes of promise.

It’s time for specifics. It’s time for real plans and the determination to follow them through. It’s time to find more answers. Now.

Will you demand it from them?

Speaking with the Speaker

Mike Johnson’s time as U.S. Speaker of the House may one day make for a fascinating book or documentary. A previously (mostly) unkown congressman from Louisiana who eventually ascended to the position in 2023 as Speaker after his Republican Party dumped Kevin McCarthy.

Johnson’s hold on the position is always tenuous as he deals with a slim majority and a caucus — or at least parts of it — that could revolt at any time and lead another uprising that topples him.

He largely does whatever President Donald Trump requires.

Johnson spent parts of two days in Iowa, part of it in public and part in private.

He did an event in Pella with U.S. Rep. Mariannette-Meeks, the 2nd District Republican whose seat could be critical for the party to hold if it hopes to remain in the majority. A few hours after the event ended Thursday night, President Trump would air his latest allegations of voter fraud in past elections.

I asked Johnson and Miller-Meeks if they believed that any of their colleagues were in office because of fraud. Miller-Meeks didn’t respond.

Watch what Johnson told me here.

Here’s a rundown of what Johnson did during his time in Iowa.

And on Inside Iowa Politics, I did a longer look at the warning Johnson had for Iowans gathered at the Family Leadership Summit in Des Moines. Watch that here.

Buttigieg 2028 in 2026

Pete Buttigieg, the military veteran and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, rose to improbable visibility in the late 2010s and won the 2020 Iowa Democratic Caucuses (likely).

Buttieg spent some time in Iowa this past week and did campaign appearances with U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek, gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand, and 3rd Congressional District candidate Sarah Trone Garriott.

He also served as the headline speaker at the Iowa Democratic Party’s Liberty & Justice Celebration in Altoona.

Talking tough

There seems to be a MAGA way to show “toughness” these days. But how does Buttigieg believe that his party should demonstrate its toughness. And how does he answer the “are you thinking about running for president in 2028” question?

Watch his responses in this Inside Iowa Politics.

Question: What do you think about this talk of toughness? Is that important to you? If so, how does a politician demonstrate toughness?

Let’s talk

There’s so much to discuss between now and the November election. Let’s get together and talk about it. If you are part of a social group, church group, business, organization, philanthrophy group, or just a bunch of friends who get together for coffee, reach out.

I can share what I’m seeing and listen to what you’re experiencing in what looks to be a fascinating 2026 campaign.

More sacrifice

As I close this column, I see reports that more U.S. troops have been killed in the Middle East. At least two more soldiers have died, bringing the total so far to 16 since President Trump authorized military strikes on Iran in February.

Perhaps, it would be wise to stop claiming that Iran’s military capability had been “obliterated.”

May we find peace.

Thanks for reading.

Please check out the latest work of other members of the Iowa Writers Collaborative, who write about a number of issues. Rick Jost relies on his decades of experience in business to find under-reported stories, like this one about John Deere.