Iowa
By Eric Ostermeier on May 22, 2007
President George W. Bush's job approval ratings have dipped to record lows in both Wisconsin and Iowa, according to the latest round of surveys released this month by the pollster SurveyUSA. In a poll of 600 adults conducted May 11-13, only 32 percent of Wisconsinites approved of Bush's performance—down...
By Eric Ostermeier on May 20, 2007
The third poll of likely Iowa caucus voters released inside of a week solidifies Mitt Romney as the leader of the top-tier Republican presidential hopefuls in the influential Hawkeye State. Romney's support had increased noticeably in polls released by Zogby and KCCI-TV to move him into a statistical tie...
By Eric Ostermeier on May 18, 2007
A new KCCI-TV / Research 2000 poll of likely Iowa voters finds John McCain and Hillary Clinton edging out their respective party rivals, within the survey's margin of error. The survey, conducted May 14-16 (overlapping the May 14-15 field dates of the Zogby poll discussed at Smart Politics yesterday), finds...
By Eric Ostermeier on May 17, 2007
The latest Zogby survey of likely Iowa caucus voters finds two candidates who are running third (at best) in national polls each narrowly leading a tight pack of candidates in their respective party's race in the Hawkeye State. In a big surge, Mitt Romney—who has fared favorably in the...
By Eric Ostermeier on May 7, 2007
As discussed in the May 4th Smart Politics entry, John Edwards is faring much better than Hillary Clinton in head-to-head matchups against GOP frontrunner Rudy Giuliani across the nation, and in the Upper Midwest in particular (as measured by recent American Research Group polling). Edwards holds leads against Giuliani...
By Eric Ostermeier on May 3, 2007
Despite trailing Rudy Giuliani in most national polls by double digits, Arizona Senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain has opened up his first lead over the former New York City mayor in the Hawkeye State, 26 to 19 percent (American Research Group, April 27-30). Two months ago, the...
By Eric Ostermeier on May 2, 2007
For the first time in the five polls conducted monthly by American Research Group (ARG) since December 2006, John Edwards is now polling ahead of Hillary Clinton among likely Democratic caucus voters in Iowa. Edwards received 27 percent of support in the poll, conducted April 27-30, with Clinton coming...
By Eric Ostermeier on April 19, 2007
The mass murders at Virginia Tech University this week have inspired those in gun control circles to renew their pressure on politicians to reexamine our nation's gun laws; it has also caused 2nd Amendment strict constructionists to dig in deeper to fight against such changes. In their coverage of the...
By Eric Ostermeier on April 4, 2007
The field vying for the Republican Party's 2008 presidential nomination got even more crowded this week when 5-term Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo entered the race on Monday in an on-air radio announcement in Des Moines. Tancredo, a former schoolteacher and Education Department appointee under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George...
By Eric Ostermeier on March 27, 2007
The latest public poll for the Iowa Republican Caucus by American Research Group includes a new name in the mix: former Senator (and longtime actor) Fred Thompson. Thompson—not to be confused with former Wisconsin Governor and ex-Bush cabinet member Tommy Thompson—has not announced his candidacy, but is being encouraged...
By Eric Ostermeier on March 26, 2007
While momentum shifts have not been so noticeable in national polls for the Democratic nominee for president (nearly all of which have Hillary Clinton with a significant lead over Barack Obama), such shifts have occurred in early polling at the state level, including Iowa, which will hold the first...
By Eric Ostermeier on March 22, 2007
As Election 2008 heats up, states across the nation are strategically shuffling their primary and caucus schedules in attempt to become more relevant players in the presidential campaign. Upper Midwestern states are also contemplating changes to their schedules in view of the potential benefits moving up primary voting day would...
By Eric Ostermeier on March 5, 2007
Minnesota voters set a record in November 2006 by electing the highest percentage of female legislators to both the state House (43, 32.1 percent) and Senate (27, 40.3 percent) in Gopher State history. Overall, at 34.8 percent, Minnesota ranks 4th in the nation in terms of the highest percentage of...
By Eric Ostermeier on February 26, 2007
Al Gore's involvement in the documentary An Inconvenient Truth has paid great dividends for the former Vice President—garnering near universal acclaim, and a new platform for the man many in Democratic circles hope to run for President in 2008. Gore has not made that announcement yet, but his musings...
By Eric Ostermeier on February 23, 2007
Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack ended his bid for the 2008 Democratic Party presidential nomination today, citing difficulties in raising enough money to launch a viable campaign. Vilsack was the first democrat to officially enter the race last November. Vilsack was polling at a distant 4th in his home...
By Eric Ostermeier on February 21, 2007
Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin will likely remain prized battleground states in the 2008 Presidential election, as they were previously in 2004 and 2000. And while there is still at least a trace of purple in each, these three Upper Midwestern states seem to share a singular view of our current...
By Eric Ostermeier on February 16, 2007
Yesterday the Democratic-lead Iowa State Senate adopted a Resolution opposing the commitment of additional American troops to the war in Iraq. The resolution was sponsored by 28 of the 30 Democratic senators in the chamber and states: "That the Iowa Senate urges that members of the United States Congress and...
By Eric Ostermeier on February 13, 2007
A new poll of likely Democratic Iowa caucus voters released this week by Zogby finds Senator Hillary Clinton gaining momentum in Iowa in her bid to win the Democratic nomination. Clinton's support in Iowa increased from 16 to 24 percent in just three weeks, leaving her tied with John Edwards...
By Eric Ostermeier on February 7, 2007
Characterizing GOP Senate leadership actions earlier in the week as a "Republican effort to stifle debate," Iowa junior Senator Tom Harkin roundly criticized both President George W. Bush's Iraq war plan as well as his Senate Republican colleagues for exercising their procedural rights to prevent a full floor debate...
By Eric Ostermeier on February 5, 2007
Five weeks and an official announcement of her candidacy later, Hillary Clinton has increased her early advantage over John Edwards in a new poll of likely Democratic Iowa Caucus voters by American Research Group. Clinton, who declared her run for the presidency approximately one week before the poll's field...
