Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“I don’t want to use this in any way that’s inappropriate. But frankly, if we don’t win, you go into the back of the pack. If we do win, you stay first in the nation. Now, that sounds like a little tricky wording. It’s not tricky at all. You’re going to be first in the nation, because we’re going to win.” — President Donald Trump in Dubuque on Sunday, talking about Iowa’s first-in-the-nation Republican presidential caucuses. A state Republican Party spokesperson called his remarks an “obvious joke.”
President Donald Trump rallied with Iowa Republicans at the Five Flags Center in Dubuque Nov. 1, 2026, two days before Election Day. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
President Donald Trump urged Iowans to vote for Republicans in the midterms during a Dubuque rally Sunday, telling voters Democratic majorities would reverse work done by his administration to lower costs and would usher in “socialism.”
“On election night, Iowa is going to prove that America does not belong to those who hate it, America belongs to those who love it,” he said.
Rob Sand speaks to supporters Nov. 1, 2026 at an event in Des Moines, urging them to make a final push in support of his candidacy for governor. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Rob Sand, Democratic candidate for Iowa governor, said Sunday night that whatever his supporters have going on over the next 48 hours leading up to Election Day, it’s “probably less important” than encouraging people to vote.
Sand spoke with supporters at an event in Des Moines alongside Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and former Iowa governor and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on the same day President Donald Trump stopped in Dubuque to support Sand’s opponent, Zach Lahn, and other Republicans on Tuesday’s ticket.
Iowa labor leaders and union members urged voters at a “get out the vote” event Saturday to elect Democratic candidates in the midterms Tuesday to protect workers’ rights and Social Security.
Iowa Farmers Union has not endorsed federal candidates for at least 14 years, but is urging farmers to vote for Josh Turek in the race for U.S. Senate, and the rest of the Democrats running to represent Iowa in Congress.
A nonprofit organization that helps refugees and immigrants in Iowa is being sued for allegedly discriminating against clients who are African, Muslim or disabled.
The Iowa Supreme Court has suspended the law license of a northern Iowa attorney who was the subject of five separate disciplinary complaints.
Two Walgreens pharmacies in Iowa have been sanctioned by the state for negligence with regard to temporary closures and customer service.
Potential of Missouri River pipelines to Western states opens new front in upstream-downstream fight
Downstream Missouri River states are worried their share of water could be diminished by potential pipelines for dry Western states – a concern that is the basis of a dispute about the U.S. House version of the federal Water Resources Development Act, South Dakota Searchlight reports.
When the polls close Tuesday night, the 2026 U.S. election will go down as one of history’s most expensive and extraordinarily ugly midterms — galvanizing record-breaking early voter turnout among a deeply divided electorate.
A federal appeals court on Friday denied a Trump administration demand that California set aside and not count the ballots of 20,000 suspected noncitizen voters, setting the stage for a possible appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
As the Trump administration waged a public legal fight with California over the ballots of suspected noncitizen voters in mid-October, behind the scenes a federal grand jury in Santa Ana issued a series of subpoenas to election officials in Los Angeles County at federal prosecutors’ urging.
Costs are soaring for people who care for their older parents and other family members, according to a new study, Stateline reports.
The Trump administration cut naturalization sharply over the past year, leading to accusations it’s holding back hundreds of thousands of people who might have voted in the midterms, Stateline reports.
COMMENTARY
In this week’s podcast: President Donald Trump’s off-again-on-again Iowa rally, final debates in the governor’s race and the 3rd Congressional District, closing candidate arguments, the get-out-the-vote effort, early voting and more.
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