Iowa
See the Iowa caucuses for the political event.
| Capital | Des Moines |
|---|---|
| Nickname | The Hawkeye State |
| Official Language | English |
| Governor | Kim Reynolds, R |
| Senator | Chuck Grassley, R (202) 224-3744 Contact |
| Senator | Joni Ernst, R (202) 224-3254 Contact |
| Population | 3,166,667 (2020) |
| Ratification of Constitution/or statehood | December 28, 1846 (29th) |
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Motto: "Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain" |
Iowa is a pivotal state in the presidential nomination process, as located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It joined the United States on December 28, 1846, as the 29th state.[1] During the American Civil War, Iowa sided with the North. The capital of Iowa is Des Moines, also its largest city, and its current governor is the Republican Kim Reynolds. Iowa is the top producer of corn and pork in the United States. Iowa is increasingly Republican as Leftist elites on both coasts continue to steal from the Midwest.
The Iowa caucuses constitute the first primary contest for Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. Iowa is thereby a very important campaigning spot for prospective candidates. If a presidential candidate does not place in the top three or nearly so in the Iowa caucuses, then it becomes virtually impossible for him to win the nomination.
On Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2002, the Iowa legislature passed an 'English-Only' bill with the effect of making English the state's only official language. The names of Des Moines, Dubuque, and Cerro Gordo counties were unaffected.
Iowa was the first Midwestern state to legalize same-sex marriage.[2] It was not by legislation, but through judicial activism. On April 3, 2009, in a unanimous decision, the Iowa state supreme court overturned a 10-year-old ban on same-sex marriage. The decision states, "“This approach does not disrespect or denigrate the religious views of many Iowans who may strongly believe in marriage as a dual-gender union, but considers, as we must, only the constitutional rights of all people, as expressed by the promise of equal protection for all.” The only way to overturn this decision is through an amendment to the state constitution, which would not be possible until 2012 at the earliest.[3]
In 2017, the Iowa legislature, with massive GOP majorities,[4] passed and enacted legislation massively expanding gun rights, including enacting and expanding a stand-your-ground law, providing legal advantages to gun owners, and giving additional rights to minors, among other provisions.[5] The state also enacted voter ID legislation,[6] defunded Planned Parenthood,[7] and passed a law outlawing abortion if the child's heartbeat is detected.[8][9][10] As Iowa governor, Kim Reynolds, shifted Iowa's supreme court from having a liberal-leaning philosophy to being conservative.[11]
The state Constitution of Iowa, like all of the other 50 states, acknowledges God or our Creator or the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe. It says in the preamble:
- WE, THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF IOWA, grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuance of those blessings, do ordain and establish a free and independent government, by the name of the STATE OF IOWA, the boundaries whereof shall be as follows:
Contents
Elected officials
Federal
- Sen. Chuck Grassley (R)
- Sen. Joni Ernst (R)
- Rep. Ashley Hinson [R, IA–1]
- Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks [R, IA–2]
- Rep. Cindy Axne [D, IA–3]
- Rep. Randy Feenstra [R, IA–4]
Statewide
- Governor Kim Reynolds (R)
- Lt. Governor Adam Gregg (R)
- Secretary of State Paul Pate (R)
- State Auditor Rob Sand (D)
- Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig (R)
- State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald (D)
- Attorney General Tom Miller (D)
Notable past political figures from the state
- James F. Wilson, Radical Republican U.S. representative and senator
- Albert B. Cummins, conservative-turned-progressive-turned-conservative governor and U.S. senator
- William B. Allison, Radical Republican and Stalwart known for bimetallism efforts
- Guy Mark Gillette, New Deal-era Democrat who broke with FDR over court packing
- Jack R. Miller, Republican U.S. Senator from the state
- H. R. Gross, U.S. Representative, 1949–1975, known for his opposition to congressional junkets
- Benton F. Jensen, Republican U.S. Representative from the 7th district, 1939–1965
- Bourke Hickenlooper, conservative Republican who served as governor (1943–45) and senator (1945–69) from the state
- Fred Schwengel, Republican U.S. Representative from the state's 1st congressional district spanning from the 50s to the 70s
References
- ↑ https://www.britannica.com/topic/list-of-U-S-states-by-date-of-admission-to-the-Union-2130026
- ↑ Iowans dismiss three justices
- ↑ The Des Moines Register, Unanimous ruling: Iowa marriage no longer limited to one man, one woman, by JEFF ECKHOFF and GRANT SCHULTE, April 3, 2009 [1]
- ↑ Russell, Joyce (November 9, 2016). Iowa Senate Turns Republican in Tuesday Voting. Iowa Public Radio. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
- ↑ De Lea, Brittany (April 13, 2017). Iowa Passes Massive Expansion of Gun Rights, More States to Follow?. Fox Business. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
- ↑ Klukowski, Ken (May 6, 2017). Iowa Adopts Voter-ID Law. Breitbart News. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
- ↑ Hellmann, Jessie (May 19, 2017). Four Planned Parenthood clinics to close in Iowa after defunding. The Hill. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
- ↑ Iowa governor signs 'fetal heartbeat' abortion ban into law. Reuters. May 4, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ↑ Freiburger, Calvin (May 4, 2018). Iowa governor signs bill banning abortions on babies with beating hearts. LifeSiteNews. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ↑ Berry, Susan (May 4, 2018). Iowa Bans All Abortions After Point of Detection of Fetal Heartbeat. Breitbart News. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ↑ Pitt, David (July 3, 2019). Iowa Supreme Court takes a right turn under Gov. Reynolds. Associated Press. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
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