Iowa Primary: 'Battle Ground Primary' Features Healthcare

Iowa Primary: 'Battle Ground Primary' Features Healthcare
Published: 05 Jun, 2018
2 min read

Health care is running front and center in the three Iowa races.

Iowa went Trump in 2016, which saw the Democrats blown out of the water that year. Iowa Democrats are seeking to un-fracture their party which saw supporters defect from establishment candidate Hillary to outsider Progressive Senator Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primary caucuses. In fact, in 2016, Republicans stole the state Senate, making the state a trifecta of GOP control beginning in the 2017 legislative session.

Governor

Incumbent Gov. Kim Reynolds is alone representing the Republicans. Two Democrats are facing off, and its business versus labor. Fred Hubbell, a business owner is up against Cathy Glasson, a labor leader. The third, state legislator Nate Boulton quit mid-race after a sexual misconduct scandal. These three candidates have widely divergent philosophies on health care, explained here, by Vox.

"Expect health care and Trump’s approval rating to come into play in this race. Reynolds’s signature achievement is probably moving Iowa’s 600,000 Medicaid enrollees into managed care, a privatized version of the program where private health plans administer Medicaid’s benefits. Hubbell wants to reverse that privatization, while Glasson supports a more liberal single-payer option."

Iowa’s third US Congressional District: Again, more healthcare.

Republicans are listing their incumbent, Rep. David Young, who voted to repeal Obama Care. Democrats are running three candidates: former Bernie Sanders campaign aide Pete D’Alessandro, former insurance executive Eddie Mauro, and Cindy Axne, a former small-business owner. This race is all about progressive visions of healthcare and moderate. Check out their platforms from the Des Moines Register.

Iowa’s first US Congressional District

In the eastern part of the state, it’s a four-way race for the Democratic spot in the November general elections.  Republican Rep. Rod Blum is the incumbent Republican incumbent.   State legislator Abby Finkenauer, is leading the way as, potentially, the youngest women elected to Congress in US history. This race makes Blum vulnerable to the Democrats.

Battle Ground Primary

This race is considered a 2018 Battle Ground Primary for the House of Representatives according to the following criteria laid out by Ballotpedia.

  • Whether or not the seat is open (retiring or resigning incumbent)
  • Notable endorsements of multiple candidates
  • Significant fundraising from multiple candidates
  • Number of candidates
  • Incumbent's years in office (if seeking re-election)
  • Whether or not the district's general election is expected to be a battleground

Other Battleground Primaries are listed here.

You Might Also Like

Why Neither Side Wants the Truth About Voter ID
Why Neither Side Wants the Truth About Voter ID
Voter ID is treated like a five-alarm fire in American politics. That reaction says more about our dysfunctional political system than it does about voter ID itself. ...
06 Feb, 2026
-
3 min read
Oklahoma Independents Drive Massive Push to Open Primaries With State Question 836
Oklahoma Independents Drive Massive Push to Open Primaries With State Question 836
While much of the U.S. was slammed with severe winter weather over the weekend, volunteers for Oklahoma State Question 836 – which would end the use of taxpayer-funded closed primaries – made a final push to get their campaign to over 200,000 petition signatures....
27 Jan, 2026
-
3 min read
NEW POLL: California Governor’s Race Sees “None of the Above” Beat the Entire Democratic Field
NEW POLL: California Governor’s Race Sees “None of the Above” Beat the Entire Democratic Field
A new statewide poll conducted by the Independent Voter Project finds California’s independent voters overwhelmingly support the state’s nonpartisan primary system and express broad dissatisfaction with the direction of state politics....
12 Jan, 2026
-
4 min read