Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“The bottom line is simple: Iowa already does more with less than almost anyone. With the right tools, the right people, and the right structure, we can do a great deal more yet.” — Eric Wessan, Iowa solicitor general, on a recommendation by the state’s Medicaid Fraud Elimination Task Force to increase resources for the state’s existing Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
Democrat Rob Sand, left, and Republican Zach Lahn are running for Iowa governor in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. (Photos by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch, photo illustration via Canva)
Both Democrat Rob Sand and Republican Zach Lahn said Tuesday in their final gubernatorial candidate debate that more work was needed to address mental healthcare and the impact of Medicaid privatization on healthcare providers, but the candidates offered different solutions to improving Iowa’s health system.
Sand and Lahn agreed on the need for better access to mental health services but disagreed on the role of the private companies that manage the state’s Medicaid program that pays for services to low-income Iowans.
Democrat Sarah Trone Garriott, left, and Republican Zach Nunn, are competing to represent Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District in the 2026 general election. (Photos by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch, photo illustration via Canva)
Meeting for the sole debate in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn and state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott responded Tuesday to attacks from their opponent on issues like the Epstein files and transgender athletes and students.
While Tuesday was the first time Iowans saw Trone Garriott and Nunn on stage together, many viewers had likely seen campaign ads about the candidates — more than $10.6 million in spending from outside groups was poured into the race, according to Federal Election Commission reports.
Iowa’s Medicaid Fraud Elimination Task Force is sending a draft of recommendations to Gov. Kim Reynolds that suggests the state more than double the fraud investigation and civil enforcement unit to hold fraudsters accountable.
As American politicians and industries look to bring manufacturing to U.S. soil, Iowa State University researchers and their partners are working to scale a method of carbon fiber development using cheap, readily available materials.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand, speaking Tuesday at a business forum, said he was in favor of more “traditional” procurement practices rather than securing state work contracts without competitive bidding.
Chris Jones, the Democrat running for Iowa secretary of agriculture, said Tuesday that his campaign, which has largely focused on water quality, has shown a “different way” of running for office.
A former Davenport elementary school teacher is contesting the state’s efforts to suspend his teaching license due to allegations of inappropriate contact with a former student.
Tens of millions of Americans have already made their way to the ballot box as early voting is underway in a midterm election that will determine control of the House and the Senate, possibly flipping one or both from Republicans to Democrats.
The U.S. Department of Justice in a federal court hearing Tuesday warned California election officials could be prosecuted if they count ballots cast by noncitizen voters, in a case brought by the Trump administration demanding that the state set aside the ballots of 20,000 suspected noncitizen voters.
The U.S. Department of Justice plans to send election monitors to every state ahead of Election Day, expanding a longstanding practice that’s spurred concern this year among Democrats and voting rights advocates because of President Donald Trump’s push to influence elections.
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