Latest news with #BradSherman
Yahoo
28-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
2026 Iowa governor's race: Who's in, who's out and who's on the fence
Iowa's 2026 gubernatorial race got off to an unexpected start when Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds shocked observers by announcing she would not seek reelection. Reynolds' decision reset the state's political landscape and shifted the race to succeed her into overdrive. Republicans across the state began pondering whether to jump into the race, opening the door to a potentially crowded primary field. In the weeks that followed, several high-profile Republicans took their names out of the running, including Attorney General Brenna Bird, Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig and Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley. U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn ruled out running, reconsidered the possibility, and then ruled it out again. But the playing field has begun to settle as more Republicans finalize their decisions and the Democratic primary field steadies. Here's a look at who's running for governor in Iowa. State Rep. Eddie Andrews State Rep. Eddie Andrews launched his campaign at a rally on June 4. Andrews represents Iowa House District 43 and was reelected to a third term in 2024. His district includes Johnston, as well as parts of Urbandale and Saylorville. Andrews said he'll run a campaign focused on improving Iowa's education system, combating human trafficking, eliminating property taxes and fighting against the use of eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines. More: GOP state Rep. Eddie Andrews launches 'ground up' campaign for Iowa governor in 2026 Former state Rep. Brad Sherman Former state Rep. Brad Sherman announced in February he would run for governor, even before Reynolds declared she would not seek reelection. Sherman, a pastor from Williamsburg, was an early endorser of Republican President Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 GOP presidential caucuses. He has been involved in pastoral leadership and church ministry in Iowa for four decades and has worked with various anti-abortion organizations. More: Republican governor candidate Brad Sherman explains why he's challenging Kim Reynolds State Sen. Mike Bousselot (formed exploratory committee) State Sen. Mike Bousselot announced April 21 that he would form an exploratory committee for governor as he weighs a formal entry into the race. 'What people care about is that you show up and listen and you work hard for their vote,' he said. 'So that's what I'm doing. I'm exploring a run for governor, showing up to places around the state, and I'm listening to what is important to people.' More: Exploring a run for governor, Mike Bousselot goes on the attack against Rob Sand U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (formed exploratory committee) U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra announced May 13 he was forming an exploratory committee to weigh a run for governor, and he has aggressively made moves toward a formal campaign. He announced shortly after the committee's launch that he had raised more than $3.2 million. And he launched a $400,000 advertising buy across the state, which made him the first declared or potential candidate to air television ads. He has emphasized his closeness to Republican President Donald Trump. More: Exploring a run for governor, Randy Feenstra touts work on Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' State Auditor Rob Sand State Auditor Rob Sand announced May 12 he would run for governor. He is the only Democrat elected to statewide office in Iowa. Sand announced $8.6 million in fundraising at the end of last year, and he kicked off a statewide town hall tour targeting all 99 counties. He has said his goal is to help people across party lines talk to each other again and bring political balance back to the state. More: Iowa Auditor Rob Sand embarks on run for governor emphasizing differences with Democrats Political consultant Julie Stauch Political consultant Julie Stauch kicked off her gubernatorial campaign in June. Stauch is a fifth-generation Iowan and is the president and CEO of consulting company Julie Stauch and Associates. She previously was a K-12 teacher, small business owner and chief public affairs officer for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland. "Trust is the whole problem right now,' she said of politics. 'Nobody trusts anybody, and what we have to do is rebuild trust," More: Iowa governor election 2026: Democratic operative Julie Stauch launches campaign Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at bpfann@ or 515-284-8244. Follow her on X at @brianneDMR. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa governor's race 2026: Here's who's running and who's not
Politico
22-07-2025
- Business
- Politico
Why crypto matters in the midterms
Presented by Editor's note: Morning Money is a free version of POLITICO Pro Financial Services morning newsletter, which is delivered to our subscribers each morning at 5:15 a.m. The POLITICO Pro platform combines the news you need with tools you can use to take action on the day's biggest stories. Act on the news with POLITICO Pro. Quick Fix An esoteric financial regulatory issue has suddenly become an urgent consideration for lawmakers facing competitive races in the 2026 midterm elections. Super PAC money amassed by cryptocurrency companies that are lobbying for legislation aimed at making digital assets mainstream is threatening to shake up congressional races across the country and inject sensitive political considerations into Capitol Hill's crypto policy debate. The peril posed by the campaign cash helped deliver digital asset companies a pair of big wins last week when a larger-than-expected bloc of Democrats sided with Republicans on the House floor to help advance legislation that would legitimize digital assets. One bill creating new rules for so-called stablecoins is now law, but the campaign money is still looming large over Capitol Hill as lawmakers consider a second, broader market structure measure that is pending in the Senate. 'They make oil look like salad oil when it comes to the amount of money they spend,' said Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), a leading critic of the crypto sector who could become a target of the industry's campaign spending next year. 'They're the biggest by far.' The campaign finance strategy illustrates how crypto firms have brazenly used political spending to ascend as a major force in Washington, where regulators and lawmakers alike are embracing digital assets more than ever before. The crypto funds are primarily wielded by a super PAC network known as Fairshake, which said prior to the House votes last week that it will enter the midterms with more than $140 million in the bank. The group — which includes three affiliated super PACs — emerged as a major force in the 2024 elections, when it spent more than $130 million supporting industry allies and taking down critics in congressional races across the country. Republicans are almost uniformly on board with the industry's legislative agenda, so the money now looms especially large for Democrats, who are split over the issue. Dozens of Democrats benefited from crypto PAC spending last year, but the industry also went after members of the party who were seen as roadblocks to the industry's agenda. The group spent more than $40 million to help defeat former Senate Banking Chair Sherrod Brown, a key crypto critic who lost his Ohio re-election campaign to Republican Bernie Moreno — a crypto enthusiast. Lawmakers who are facing competitive 2026 re-election campaigns or seeking higher office now have to weigh the possibility that the replenished PAC war chest could be wielded against them if they oppose the industry's goals — or in support of their campaigns if they get on board. Seventy-eight Democrats voted last week for a crypto market structure proposal that Fairshake and its affiliates have signaled will be their primary consideration when they deploy their 2026 haul. A similar measure passed in the House last year got 71 Democratic votes. The Democratic 'yes' votes on the bill included many so-called front-liners who represent competitive districts — a sign that the super PACs are already having an impact. The sweeping proposal, known as the CLARITY Act, is the top priority for most crypto firms — including Fairshake's leading donors: the venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz and the digital asset firms Coinbase and Ripple. The rising influence of crypto companies is a major concern for industry skeptics and consumer watchdogs who warn that the industry's super PAC spending and lobbying have warped the policy debate. After the House votes last week, Bartlett Naylor, a financial policy advocate at the watchdog group Public Citizen, accused lawmakers of piling 'venality onto perversion onto corruption' and surrendering to an 'onslaught of crypto political spending.' A spokesperson for Fairshake, Josh Vlasto, said the 'progress we are seeing reflects a growing understanding of the need for clear rules to protect consumers and unlock American enterprise.' Crypto executives have attributed recent successes to grassroots support from their users. Rep. Warren Davidson, an Ohio Republican who was one of the crypto industry's earliest allies in Congress, said the sector was 'slow to recognize the role that that plays in shaping policy and what members of the House and Senate pay attention to.' 'To get something across the finish line, I think they realized, hey, you're going to have to spend money because the people that have been blocking them have spent a lot of money for a long time,' he said. It's TUESDAY — Send Capitol Hill tips to jgoodman@ As always, send MM tips and pitches to Sam at ssutton@ Driving the day Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman speak at the Integrated Review of the Capital Framework for Large Banks Conference, which kicks off at 8:30 a.m. … World Bank President Ajay Banga speaks at the Center for Global Development's conference on development economies at 9:10 a.m. … Senate Finance Committee meets at 9:45 a.m. to mark up the nominations of Joseph Barloon to be a deputy U.S. Trade Representative in the Geneva Office and Brian Morrissey Jr. to be general counsel at Treasury … The Securities and Exchange Commission holds a meeting of the Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee at 10 a.m. … Senate Finance holds a hearing on the nominations of Jonathan McKernan to be Treasury undersecretary and Alex Adams to be assistant Health and Human Services secretary for family support … Powell latest — The White House continued to signal Monday that President Donald Trump won't seek to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. But that doesn't mean the central bank chief's problems are going away. —Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday called on the Federal Reserve to do an institution-wide review of whether it is achieving its mission, Victoria Guida reports. 'What we need to do is examine the entire Federal Reserve institution and whether they have been successful,' Bessent said on CNBC. —On Capitol Hill, Victoria and Jordain Carney write that Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the Fed should remain politically independent but called for oversight of the central bank's expensive headquarter renovations. Thune told reporters he didn't know whether Powell could be fired over his management of the building upgrades, where costs have ballooned to $2.5 billion, but said when it comes to interest rates, the Fed is historically shielded from politics. —Meanwhile, the Fed 'took additional steps to defend the renovations underway at its headquarters in Washington,' Colby Smith writes in the NYT: 'The central bank published a virtual tour of the active construction site on Monday, including footage of asbestos caulking being removed and blast resistant windows being installed. The Fed, which has said it has scaled back its initial plans, highlighted changes made to a 2021 proposal submitted to a little-known planning board.' On Wall Street 'Not innovation' — GOP megadonor Ken Griffin's trading powerhouse, Citadel Securities, is firing a shot across the bow at cryptocurrency firms that want Wall Street regulators to let them trade blockchain-based versions of U.S. stocks without fretting about all the rules that govern stock trading today, Declan Harty reports. In a letter, Citadel Securities pressed the SEC on Monday to treat tokenized U.S. stocks 'in the same manner' as traditional stocks — the latest warning from a traditional financial giant about the crypto-led push. 'Simply put, while we strongly support technological innovations designed to address market inefficiencies, seeking to exploit regulatory arbitrage for 'look-a-like' securities is not innovation,' wrote Stephen Berger, global head of government and regulatory policy for Citadel Securities. At the regulators New PCAOB chief — The SEC on Monday named Public Company Accounting Oversight Board member George Botic to lead the audit watchdog on an acting basis, Declan reports. Botic, a certified public accountant, will succeed PCAOB Chair Erica Williams after she officially steps down Tuesday. Williams said last week that she would leave after SEC Chair Paul Atkins asked for her resignation, citing a desire to go in a new direction. On the Hill House passes financial services bills — The House passed a slew of bipartisan bills on Monday that are aimed at expanding investor access to private markets, increasing monitoring of foreign countries regarding U.S. financial services and tailoring SEC rules, Katherine Hapgood writes. Financial services funding plan advances — House Republican appropriators voted Monday evening to advance their fiscal 2026 funding bill for the Treasury Department, the Judiciary and the IRS, as well as federal support for Washington, D.C. The Financial Services subcommittee approved the measure in a 9-6 vote, sending it to the full committee for action, Katherine Tully-McManus and Jennifer Scholtes report. The bill proposes $23.3 billion, an 8 percent decrease to current funding, with the Treasury Department facing a steep cut of 20 percent. Not today — The Senate Agriculture Committee canceled a Monday vote to advance Brian Quintenz's nomination to be President Donald Trump's Commodity Futures Trading Commission chair, Declan reports. GOP megabill's final score — Over the next decade, the GOP megabill Trump signed on July 4 would increase the federal deficit by $3.4 trillion and cause 10 million people to lose health insurance, the Congressional Budget Office forecasted Monday, per Jennifer Scholtes, Robert King and Benjamin Guggenheim. While the newly enacted legislation would save more than $1 trillion by cutting federal spending on health care — with the majority coming from Medicaid — CBO predicts that the package's costs will far outweigh its savings. Jobs report The Bank Policy Institute has hired Evan Sekeris and Daniel Grodzicki as senior vice president and senior economists for their research team. The bank group has also hired Laurence (Laurie) Bristow as a vice president and research associate. Loughlin Cleary has rejoined the Independent Community Bankers of America as EVP for member relations. He most recently was president and national sales director for Lenders Cooperative.
Bloomberg
19-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Pres. Trump Signs First Law Governing Digital Currency
"Balance of Power: Late Edition" focuses on the intersection of politics and global business. On today's show, Michael Faulkender, US Treasury Deputy Secretary, discusses President Trump signing the Genius Act into law and how big he thinks the stablecoin market will grow & how that will translate to treasury demand. Rep. Brad Sherman (D) California shares his thoughts on why he voted no on the Genius Act, and whether or not he is frustrated with his Democratic colleagues who agreed with the legislation. (Source: Bloomberg)
Bloomberg
18-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Rep. Brad Sherman on Voting No on Genius Act
Rep. Brad Sherman (D) California shares his thoughts on why he voted no on the Genius Act, and whether or not he is frustrated with his Democratic colleagues who agreed with the legislation. He also discusses President Trump pressuring the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates and who he thinks could be the next potential Fed Chair. Representative Sherman speaks with Kailey Leinz and Tyler Kendall on the late edition of Bloomberg's 'Balance of Power.' (Source: Bloomberg)
Time of India
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
US Congressman raises Sindh human rights concerns with Pakistan delegation
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel In a significant diplomatic development, critical issues affecting the people of Sindh were raised during recent discussions between US Congressman Brad Sherman and a visiting Pakistani Congressman, a senior member of the US House of Representatives, voiced strong concerns over water scarcity, enforced disappearances, and systemic repression of the Sindhi Sherman took to social media to share that he had highlighted the urgent need to protect the Indus River -- the lifeline for tens of millions of Sindhis -- during his meeting with the delegation. "Protecting this vital water resource is essential," he stated, underscoring the environmental and humanitarian crisis unfolding in also expressed alarm over recent unrest in Moro, a city in Sindh, where two protesters, Irfan and Zahid Laghari, were reportedly killed while demanding water rights. "For years, Sindhis have faced political repression through enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings," Sherman said, citing Pakistan's Human Rights Commission's documentation of over 8,000 enforced disappearances since 2011 -- many of which have never been properly assured that he had raised the issue of enforced disappearances directly with Pakistani officials and pledged to continue pressing for accountability and Washington-based Sindhi Foundation welcomed Sherman's intervention and praised his advocacy for the people of organization in a press statement confirmed that it had also written to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, drawing attention to multiple threats to the very survival of Sindh and its to the Foundation, these threats include the illegal construction of canals over the Indus River to enable corporate farming, systematic enforced disappearances of political activists, and alleged manipulation of the 2023 census aimed at altering Karachi's demography -- all part of an effort, they claim, to divide Sindh along linguistic lines. The marginalization of the Sindhi language was also cited as a serious cultural concern."The Sindhi Foundation will continue to raise these pressing issues in political corridors across the U.S. and the world until the freedom and rights of the Sindhi people are fully realized," the organization development marks a rare instance of Sindh-related human rights concerns being raised at the highest levels of US policymaking, drawing international attention to the long-standing grievances of the Sindhi population.
