Political Action Update

Vol. 06-16

   November 27, 2006

  Culver Elected Governor!

Braley & Loebsack Join Boswell in Congress

Democrats Take Iowa Senate and Iowa House 

The 2006 elections results were just about as good as it gets.

Democrats To Control Congress

Iowans did more than their share in helping change the U.S. Congress to majority Democratic leadership.  Leonard Boswell held his 3rd District Congressional seat in spite of being the GOP’s top target for defeat.  Bruce Braley captured the 1st District seat opened as a result of the retirement of Congressman Jim Nussle.  And, in a race that shocked pundits across the nation, AFT member Dave Loebsack defeated 30-year Republican Congressman Jim Leach to claim Iowa’s 2nd District seat.

Governor, Senate and House

For the first time in 42 years Democrats won a sweep of the Iowa Statehouse.  Chet Culver won the  race for Governor, and candidates endorsed by the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO won big in legislative contests resulting in solid Democratic majorities in the Iowa Senate (30 Democrats—20 Republicans) and in the Iowa House (54 Democrats—45* Republicans).

A Democratic Secretary of State

Michael Mauro, the long-time Polk County Auditor, won the race for Iowa Secretary of State, the office vacated by Governor-Elect Chet Culver, where he joins Attorney General Tom Miller and State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald, who were re-elected without opposition.

On the down side, Representative Don Shoultz of Waterloo, a good friend of labor and a 12-term veteran of the Iowa House, was defeated by a well-known local television news personality.  Victory also eluded endorsed candidates in the 4th and 5th Congressional districts and some legislative candidates in tough races.  We appreciate the efforts of all of those candidates and their supporters. 

Congratulations and thank you to every union member who helped bring about the incredible victory on November 7th.  We went to work early on before any talk of a national “tidal wave” or “tsunami” because we knew that the future of our country and our way of life were at stake.

All of your activities: walking, phoning, mailing, and simply showing support by attending labor-sponsored or candidate events combined to make the winning difference.

For too long the voices of labor have been unheard as the majority party did the bidding of big business and the wealthy.  Now it is time for a new direction.  Our new governor, Chet Culver, the new legislative majorities in the Iowa House and Senate, and the new majorities in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives are made up of people who will listen to us for a change.

And…none of it happened by accident.  The new political balance in this state and this country is thanks, in large part, to your work. Congratulations on a job well done! 

December 9, 2006, 12:30 p.m.

North Central Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO

Marvin Gardens

809 Central Avenue Fort Dodge

December 9, 2006, 5:00 p.m.

North Iowa Nine Labor Council, AFL-CIO

Hanford Inn

3041 - 4th St. SW

Mason City

December 13, 2006, 5:30 p.m.

Black Hawk Union Council, AFL-CIO

Brown Bottle

209 West 5th

Waterloo

December 15, 2006, 5:30 p.m.

Hawkeye Labor Council,

AFL-CIO

Iowa City Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO

RWDSU #110 Hall

526 F Ave. NW

Cedar Rapids

December 16, 2006, 9:00 a.m.

Dubuque Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO

Labor Temple

1610 Garfield, Dubuque

December 16, 2006, 12:30 p.m.

Clinton Labor Congress,

AFL-CIO

Quad City Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO

Rusty Nail

2606 W. Locust

Davenport

December 16, 2006, 12:30 p.m.

Southwest Iowa Labor Council, AFL-CIO

Tish’s

1115 S. 35th St. Council Bluffs

December 16, 2006, 5:00 p.m.

Des Moines - Henry County Labor Council, AFL-CIO

Lee County Labor Council,

AFL-CIO

Parthenon Steakhouse

715 - 8th St.

Ft. Madison

December 16, 2006, 5:00 p.m.

Northwest Iowa Labor Council, AFL-CIO

UFCW #222

3038 S. Lakeport,

Sioux City

December 17, 2006, 12:30 p.m.

Southern Iowa Labor Council, AFL-CIO

UFCW #230 Hall

1305 E. Mary Ottumwa

December 18, 2006, 5:30 p.m.

Iowa Federation of Labor,

AFL-CIO

Machinists Hall

2000 Walker St.

Des Moines

Pre-Session Legislative Meetings

Dave Loebsack

AFT Local-716 Member

 Scores Political Upset

When Democrat Dave Loebsack of Mount Vernon is sworn in as Iowa’s new Second District Congressman, he’ll be carrying something that many of us hold near and dear—a union card.  Loebsack, a professor specializing in international relations at Cornell College in Mount Vernon since 1982, is a member of Local 716 of the American Federation of Teachers.   He and his wife Teresa are parents of four adult children.  Teresa, who is also a teacher, is an Iowa State Education Association member.

Loebsack’s defeat of 30-year veteran Jim Leach has given him star status among the incoming crop of congressional freshmen.  Loebsack has used that status to quickly begin a push for a progressive agenda.  On November 11, he told the New York Times that he intended to sign on to proposed legislation to create a single-payer, national health insurance program “as one of the first things I will do when I get to Congress.”  

Every Vote Counts

Ask Story City’s Rich Olive

In State Senate District 5 in north-central Iowa, Democratic candidate Rich Olive proved that the old adage “every vote counts” is still relevant, even in the days when legislative elections cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Olive squeezed out a 50-vote margin to defea