Record absentee votes point to hefty turnout in Iowa primary

Wealthy Des Moines businessman Fred Hubbell easily won the five-way Iowa Democratic primary race Tuesday to run against Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who advanced to the fall campaign uncontested in her primary. Hubbell, who provided millions of dollars of his own money to fund a high profile campaign, significantly outperformed competitors including a union local president, a physician, a former party chairman and a mayor.

Blagojevich files paperwork asking Trump to commute sentence

Illinois' imprisoned ex-governor, Rod Blagojevich, has filed paperwork asking President Donald Trump to commute his 14-year prison term for corruption that included seeking to sell an appointment to the Senate seat Barack Obama vacated to become president. A spokesman for Blagojevich's lawyers told the Chicago Tribune it was submitted Tuesday to the Department of Justice.

Iowa state official fired for sexually explicit language had recently …

Less than a month before Gov. Kim Reynolds fired him, Dave Jamison said 100 percent of his staff had taken sex harassment prevention class Iowa state official fired for sexually explicit language had recently completed sexual harassment prevention training Less than a month before Gov. Kim Reynolds fired him, Dave Jamison said 100 percent of his staff had taken sex harassment prevention class Check out this story on USATODAY.com: https://usat.ly/2LYoPJU Dave Jamison was independently warned by as many as three high-ranking executives of the Iowa Finance Authority to tame his sultry talk. Then Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt.

Despite Trump’s public bravado, his legal team readies for a showdown with Mueller

President Donald Trump participates in the U.S. Coast Guard Change-of-Command ceremony at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, June 1, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File President Donald Trump participates in the U.S. Coast Guard Change-of-Command ceremony at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, June 1, 2018.

U.S. appeals ruling that Trump could not block Twitter followers

Crowd cheers when valedictorian quotes Trump. Then reveals it was Obama - Ben Bowling graduation speech Courtesy of Ben Bowling - Bell County high school student and valedictorian Ben Bowling wanted to share some words of wisdom with his graduating class, but there was a twist that no one saw coming.

Romney to host his annual elite political summit in Utah

Mitt Romney , a candidate for U.S. Senate in Utah, is set to host his annual gathering of top Republicans, wealthy political donors and powerful business leaders. The guest list at the three-day, invitation-only event beginning Thursday in Park City, Utah, is largely under wraps, but Gov. Gary Herbert has it on his schedule.

Democratic hope primary heralds return to relevance in Iowa

After nearly a decade of disappointing elections, Iowa Democrats hope the primary will begin what they acknowledge could be a slow return to relevance in what has historically been swing state dominated lately by Republicans. Democratic losses in four straight elections have handed the GOP most of the state's congressional delegation, both legislative chambers and the secretary of state's office.

The Latest: Swanson announces bid for Minnesota governor

The announcement Monday marks a shift for the Democrat, who in January said she intended to seek a fourth term as attorney general rather than run for governor. But she changed her mind after party activists at the state convention this weekend endorsed another candidate as attorney general who has criticized Swanson as too cautious.

Karen Tumulty: Lesser known election wave equally important

A decade ago, Colorado entrepreneur and philanthropist Jared Polis made history as the first openly gay man elected as a non-incumbent to Congress. But most voters did not get a glimpse of his longtime partner Marlon Reis until the night Polis won the Democratic primary, when the couple created a sensation by sharing a hug onstage at a victory party.

In key governor’s races, Democrats split on education

Education is a subterranean divide between Democrats r... . FILE- In this April 9, 2015, file photo, U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., listens during a closed door meeting with representatives of the marijuana industry in Denver.

In key governor’s races, Democrats split on education Source: AP

A subterranean divide among Democrats between backers of teachers unions and those of charter schools and other education innovations is helping shape key gubernatorial primaries, even as red-meat issues like guns, inequality and President Donald Trump have dominated the races. In California, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's campaign has been kept afloat partly by more than $20 million spent by a political committee funded by supporters of charter schools and other educational initiatives.

The Times’ recommendations for Tuesday’s California primary

Voters who pass up the June 5 election will find in November that others have made many of their decisions for them. For example, the state's top-two primary system dictates that in five months, there will be two finalists to succeed Gov. Jerry Brown, and polling suggests that one of them will be Lt.

GOP may face uphill battle

It might be an uphill task for Republicans to unseat Democratic incumbents Gov. Tom Wolf and Sen. Bob Casey in November. But with the dust settled from the May primary election, state Republican Party Chairman Val DiGiorgio said he is excited to begin working on get-out-the vote campaigns for gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner and U.S. Senate candidate Lou Barletta.

Governor Brown Appoints Two District Court of Appeal Justices

Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the appointment of Judge Gail Ruderman Feuer as associate justice, Division Seven of the Second District Court of Appeal, and Judge Allison M. Danner as associate justice of the Sixth District Court of Appeal. Gail Ruderman Feuer, 58, of Los Angeles, has been appointed associate justice, Division Seven of the Second District Court of Appeal.

Cox might not be flashy, but hea s running an intriguing race for governor

Looking at the dismal political landscape for Republicans in California these days, I almost forgot that when I moved to Orange County from Ohio, the state actually had a healthy number of Republicans holding statewide office. In 1998, Pete Wilson was governor, Bill Jones was secretary of state, Matt Fong was treasurer, Dan Lungren was attorney general and Chuck Quackenbush was insurance commissioner.

California’s open primaries are a cautionary tale about political reform

At a time of broken politics and polarization, the impulse to seek out reforms to the political process is understandable. California, which will hold important primary elections Tuesday, offers a cautionary tale about how good intentions alone are not enough.