Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“I don’t know to what extent you folks are on social media, but I know social media has a big impact on the election. So you better get on your social media and get people cranked up to see what the alternative is.” — U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, encouraging GOP voters to push turnout for the Nov. 3 election.
Iowa Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat, and businessman Zach Lahn, a Republican, are competing to become Iowa governor in the 2026 election. (Photos by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch, photo illustration via Canva)
Iowa gubernatorial candidates Rob Sand and Zach Lahn contrasted their proposals Wednesday during a televised debate on how to fund Iowa priorities amid both a state budget deficit and high inflation rate.
The debate, hosted by KTIV-TV4 in Sioux City, was the second time the candidates met on stage as they seek to fill the seat held by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is not seeking reelection in 2026.
Candidates for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District Dave Dawson, left, and Chris McGowan, take questions during an Iowa Press debate on Oct. 14, 2026, at Iowa PBS in Johnston. (Pool photo courtesy of Iowa PBS)
Republican Chris McGowan and Democrat Dave Dawson, candidates in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, outlined their potential policy plans and decisions in foreign relationships, agriculture and technology during an “Iowa Press” debate Oct. 14.
Iowa’s 4th District seat, left open by U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, represents the western half of the state and areas north of Des Moines.
Candidates in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District — one of the nation’s most competitive U.S. House districts in the country — were unable to agree to a debate before early voting started in the 2026 midterm elections. But discussions may have restarted as U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn told reporters Wednesday he was accepting a debate request for Oct. 27 against Iowa Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott in the 3rd Congressional District.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and counterparts from three other states announced plans Wednesday to sue OpenAI in state courts, alleging ChatGPT harmed children and violated each state’s consumer fraud act.
The Sierra Club Iowa Chapter urged Iowa leaders Wednesday to require provisions including renewable energy infrastructure, air pollution controls and commitments to work with the local community when authorizing incentives to a massive steel plant slated for southeast Iowa.
To support voting access for students and community members alike, some universities are housing their own early-voting locations.
Early voting has officially begun in Iowa, as of Wednesday, Oct. 14, for the 2026 general election. Here’s what voters should know.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley stumped for Iowa Republican candidates in Iowa Wednesday morning and urged members of the party to amplify their voices on social media to encourage the state’s dominant registered base to vote in November.
An Iowa-licensed psychologist is facing multiple disciplinary charges from state regulators.
The U.S. Department of Justice is demanding California not count ballots from voters it says are suspected noncitizens, a move by the Trump administration to apply last-minute pressure as voting begins in the midterm elections.
The Social Security Administration announced on Wednesday that recipients will receive a 3.6% increase in benefits in 2027.
As the nation’s physician shortage worsens, some fear the Trump administration’s immigration policies will dissuade or prevent doctors who earned their medical degrees in foreign countries from practicing in the United States, Stateline reports.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection need to improve oversight and guidance for federal immigration officers’ use of body-worn cameras, according to a Wednesday report from independent federal investigators.
A federal judge late Tuesday extended a block on a Trump administration ban of press passes for three news organizations, which will allow them to continue to enter the White House grounds while a legal challenge to the ban plays out.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Thanks for reading Daily Dispatch. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.