Primary election debates 2026 edition

About this episode

The episode discusses primary election debates in Iowa and the recent legislative session shutdown.

This week, we’ll talk about primary election debates in Iowa’s open-seat elections for governor and the U.S. Senate, and of course we’ll revisit the marathon shutdown of the 2026 legislative session. On Iowa Politics is a weekly news and analysis podcast that aims to recreate the kinds of conversations that happen when you get political reporters from across Iowa together after the day’s deadlines have been met. Tackling anything from local to state to national, On Iowa Politics is your weekly dose of analysis and insight into the issues affecting Iowa. This episode was hosted by Jared McNett of the Sioux City Journal. It features Gazette Des Moines Bureau Chief Erin Murphy, Gazette Deputy Bureau Chief Tom Barton, Sarah Watson of the Quad City Times and Gazette columnist Althea Cole. Read the articles mentioned in this episode: (1:53) Dispatches from Des Moines: A bittersweet reflection and farewell (2:00) Marathon, 2-day session finishes Iowa lawmakers’ 2026 work (11:50) What’s in Iowa’s property tax legislation? (16:15) Abortion policy distinctions drawn in Iowa GOP gubernatorial primary debate (25:46) Zach Wahls, Josh Turek clash on immigration, outside spending

People in this episode

Host: Jared McNett

Guests: Erin Murphy, Tom Barton, Sarah Watson, Althea Cole

Topics covered

• primary election debates
• Iowa elections
• governor
• U.S. Senate
• legislative session
• political analysis
• Iowa politics

Keywords

• Iowa politics
• primary debates
• 2026 elections
• legislative session
• governor race
• U.S. Senate race
• political commentary

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sioux City Journal, Gazette, Quad City Times

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