Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Former television anchor Liz Mathis defeated Cedar Rapids businesswoman Cindy Golding on Tuesday.
After years in television, Liz Mathis didn't let a few nasty robo-calls urging voters to question her about "what homosexual sex acts she endorses" ruin her day. That could be because the former news anchor from Robins knew she had the crucial District 18 special election for a state senate seat locked up. The win in one of the most expensive Iowa state elections ever allows Democrats to keep its majority in the senate and hold back pushes to ban gay marriage and other controversial measures. “Tonight I want to thank the voters of Senate District 18,” Mathis said in a statement after a convincing win to claim the vacant District 18 seat. "And I also want to thank the organizations that represent equal rights for all in the state of Iowa." …
Friday, November 4, 2011
The District 18 election has seen its fair share of outside influences and large issues, but many say the key to victory is sweating the small stuff.
Nathan Aarhus said he's voting Republican in the Iowa State Senate District 18 race to restore "balance" by ending the slim Democrat majority in the upper chamber. The one seat Senate majority has allowed Democrats to block hot-button legislation that would otherwise be brought to vote and to the desk of Republican Governor Terry Branstad. If Republicans win the seat they evenly split the Senate, allowing them to propose controversial legislation to further regulate abortion, curtail labor rights, unfund pre-school education and undo Iowa's tolerance of same-sex marriage. The stakes are high. Loads of outside money is flooding into the district, and the national media has pounced on the district. Many eyes are watching from around the …
Thursday, September 29, 2011
As Democrats tabbed former television new anchor Liz Mathis to vie for the now empty Marion senate seat, she and her challenger, Cindy Golding, insisted the campaign will be about the economy.
By Hannah Hess IowaPolitics.com Both candidates in the high-profile Iowa Senate District 18 race were reluctant Wednesday to answer questions about same-sex marriage, a hot topic likely to be on the minds of voters in the special election that will determine control of the Iowa Senate. Liz Mathis, a former television news anchor from Robins who officially became the Democratic candidate in the race Wednesday night, said voices from New York, Des Moines and Washington, D.C., “are coming in and they’re trying to make gay marriage the issue of this campaign and of this district.” She said she supports same-sex marriage, which is legal in Iowa and five other states, but does not believe it will be the cornerstone of the campaign for the Nov. 8…
Friday, September 23, 2011
Businesswoman Cindy Golding gets the nomination to run for the Nov. 8 special election for District 18.
Cindy Golding emerged from a nominating convention on Thursday evening as the GOP candidate for an all-important senate seat in Eastern Iowa. Golding will run against, most likely, former newsanchor Liz Mathis. They are seeking the District 18 seat vacated by Democrat Swati Dandekar, who resigned to accept Republican Gov. Terry Branstad's appointment to a $137,000-a-year job on the Iowa Utilities Board. The race has enhanced meaning because it could swing the balance of power. Democrats hold a 25-24 majority in the Senate. The majority has allowed them to block legislation pushed by the Republican-led Iowa House and Branstad. “I’m extremely proud of Linn County Republicans for coming together and showing the state that we can work together…
