Latest news with #JulieStauch
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
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Democrat Julie Stauch launches 2026 Iowa gubernatorial bid
Democrat Julie Stauch launched a campaign for Iowa governor on June 3, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Julie Stauch for All Iowans) Democrat Julie Stauch published a resume and cover letter Tuesday for a job she hopes Iowans will hire her for in 2026 — the Iowa governor's seat. Stauch, 68, is a former Democratic political operative who has worked on the Iowa caucus campaigns for Democratic presidential candidates including Pete Buttigieg in 2020, Bill Clinton in 1996 and Michael Dukakis in 1988. She has also worked on state campaigns, including Democrat Mike Franken's 2022 U.S. Senate race against U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, as well as having served as chief public affairs officer for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland. A handful of other Democrats, including State Auditor Rob Sand, have also joined the race to become the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 2026. The Republican primary field is also expected to be contested following Gov. Kim Reynolds' announcement that she will not seek reelection, with U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra and Iowa Sen. Mike Bousselot, R-Ankeny, announcing exploratory committees for a run in 2026. Republicans have held a trifecta of control at the Iowa Capitol for several years, and Iowa has had a Republican governor for more than a decade. In an interview with the Iowa Capital Dispatch Tuesday, Stauch said she believed 2026 will see a change in party control because of growing dissatisfaction and disagreements within the Republican Party, pointing to issues like the use of eminent domain in carbon sequestration pipeline projects. She said Iowans are looking for change, and she believes there's more appetite for non-GOP candidates in the upcoming state elections than in previous recent cycles. 'This is a huge change here coming at us,' Stauch said. '… People don't trust anybody. They don't trust any institutions. They don't trust any political party.' Stauch said she believes her campaign is a way to address voters' concerns because she is coming into the field as a person who can both argue on behalf of Iowans' top interests, while also having experience on working across the aisle to get important measures moved forward. Stauch said her launch of a resume and cover letter, available on her campaign website, was a way to build trust. On her website, she allows for Iowans to submit requests for 'interviews' in the style of job interviews during a hiring process, where she plans to meet with Iowans and talk about her qualifications to become governor and learn about their top concerns. 'I'm really taking this seriously about I'm applying for a job,' Stauch said. 'And I'm interviewing with all the different people who are the decision makers on a job, to find out what they want to see, if we can work together… because that's how we have to we have to build trust.' Though Stauch has years of experience in politics, this is her first time running as a candidate. The West Des Moines Democrat said her top issues heading into the campaign are improving Iowa's water quality, supporting public schools, addressing current problems in Iowa's health care system and protecting eminent domain. However, she said her goal on the campaign trail was learn what issues Iowans want their governor to champion. 'If Iowans would come back and say they don't care about any of the things that I care about, I would make their (top issues) the priority, because that's what the governor's supposed to do,' Stauch said. 'And we have had 15 years of governors that really don't care about the people of Iowa.' Sand, the only Democrat to currently hold statewide elected office in Iowa, is currently considered a frontrunner in the race to become the 2026 Democratic nominee for Iowa governor. Stauch argued that her campaign is offering a different approach on how to 'connect and and get to know Iowans' from Sand's campaign that could offer a model for other Democrats in future elections. She also said she believes having candidates compete in primaries is an overall benefit for the party, serving as a way to have candidates hone their messages and get more members of a party registered to vote ahead of the general election. 'Think about caucus years and how all that competition inside a party — whether it's Democrat or Republican –all that competition builds your numbers, builds your base, builds your enthusiasm, and you get more people turning out in the general,' Stauch said.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Adventureland's former owner settles lawsuit over 11-year-old's drowning
DES MOINES, Iowa — An Iowa amusement park's former operator has agreed to pay an undisclosed amount to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of an 11-year-old boy who drowned on a water ride in 2021. A company that previously owned Adventureland park in the Des Moines suburb of Altoona, along with its former CEO and three managers, reached a settlement with the family of Michael Jaramillo on Sunday. Jury selection had been scheduled to start Monday for a trial over the lawsuit brought by the family. The settlement terms are confidential. Michael Jaramillo, his parents, two brothers and another family member were strapped into a 1,700-pound (770-kilogram) raft on the Raging River ride on July 3, 2021, when it flipped over. All six hit their heads on the surface under the water, but Michael Jaramillo and one of his brothers could not get out of their seatbelts and were trapped, head-down, underwater for about 10 minutes, according to the family. Julie Stauch announces run for Iowa governor The lawsuit alleged that for years, Adventureland failed to properly maintain and repair its rides, including the Raging River. It also said the park continued to operate the water ride on the day of the accident despite reports of serious problems. The park's former owner, Adventure Lands of America, former CEO Michael Krantz, and the three managers, denied that the ride had been operated improperly or insufficiently supervised. But Fred Dorr, an attorney for the family, said Tuesday that their lawyers believe they built a strong case that the park and its employees were responsible. 'Imagine the terror going on in those kids' minds,' Dorr said. 'And then you turn to the jury and say, 'What's that worth, to watch your child die like that?' An attorney for Adventure Lands of America did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment Tuesday. However, in answering the lawsuit, the defendants said the accident resulted from 'a series of unexpected and intended factors' and that, in the 38 years the ride operated before the accident, no raft had overturned. Krantz is a member of a Des Moines-area family that began operating Adventureland in the 1970s and sold it and other affiliated assets months after the accident to the subsidiary of an international amusement park company based in Spain. In March, Herschend, a company based in the Atlanta area, purchased the Spanish company's U.S. properties, including Adventureland. Herschend operates the Dollywood theme park in Tennessee and Silver Dollar City near Branson, Missouri. Iowa News: Adventureland's former owner settles lawsuit over 11-year-old's drowning WHO 13 Farm Report: Tuesday, June 3 Julie Stauch announces run for Iowa governor Iowa veteran passes halfway point on Appalachian Trail Newton nonprofit holds fundraiser to install safe haven baby box Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
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Julie Stauch announces run for Iowa governor
DES MOINES, Iowa — After years of managing and working in campaigns at the local, state and federal levels, Julie Stauch is making a run for the state's highest office. It's her first time seeking public office, Julie tells WHO 13 News that she is treating it like a job resume with a cover letter and actual resume listed on her campaign website. You can learn more about her background and the different organizations she has been involved with, including the 24 campaigns spanning across all levels of government. Iowa veteran passes halfway point on Appalachian Trail 'Iowans are disgusted with our elected leaders, and we want change,' said Stauch (D). 'We are done with the destruction created by a Governor and Legislators who are destroying every aspect of our state, playing childish games with people's lives. We value our water, our soil, our children's futures, our schools, our communities and our county governments. We need leaders who embrace those values. I am one of those leaders.' Stauch is one of a couple of Iowa Democrats to jump into the field, with State Auditor Rob Sand announced his bid for office just several weeks ago. You can watch the full interview with Stauch with WHO 13's Zach Fisher attached above. Stauch discusses why she decided now was the appropriate time to run, and a campaign trail she plans to circle four times over the next year. Iowa News: Julie Stauch announces run for Iowa governor Iowa veteran passes halfway point on Appalachian Trail Newton nonprofit holds fundraiser to install safe haven baby box Storms move in, along with cooler air Miguel Angel Jimenez wins playoff in Iowa for 3rd PGA Tour Champions victory of the year Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Iowa governor election 2026: Democratic operative Julie Stauch launches campaign
After working backstage to organize several state and federal political campaigns, Democrat Julie Stauch is launching her own bid: for Iowa governor. Stauch's announcement sets up a likely primary against State Auditor Rob Sand, the first major Democrat to announce a run. Her 2026 election bid also comes after a handful of Iowa Republicans have entered or expressed interest in the race, following Gov. Kim Reynolds' surprise announcement that she isn't seeking reelection. Stauch, 68, said she's promising to be a problem-solver for all Iowans. "Trust is the whole problem right now. Nobody trusts anybody, and what we have to do is rebuild trust," Stauch said in a Monday, June 2, interview with the Des Moines Register. "Any candidate who wants to win, if you're not working on building trust with Iowans, you're not going to win because it's so bad right now, both federally and at the state level, that getting people to engage and get out and help your campaign and win won't happen unless they have a sense that they can trust you." Stauch is a fifth-generation Iowan and is the president and CEO of the Des Moines consulting company, Julie Stauch and Associates, and previously was a K-12 teacher, small business owner and chief public affairs officer for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland. "I think the most important thing to know is I started working in the eighth grade in my dad's greenhouses where we had to do 20 hours of work while doing school and other things," Stauch said. "I basically have worked ever since, and I think that matters." She lived in New York, Ohio and North Carolina before returning to attend Iowa State University to study elementary education and child development. Stauch's involvement in local, state and national politics spans several elections, working in more than a dozen campaigns. She was campaign manager for former U.S. Senate candidate Michael Franken in 2022, was the state political director for Pete Buttigieg's presidential campaign in 2020 and served on the national advance staff and as Iowa press secretary for the Bill Clinton-Al Gore presidential ticket in 1996. Her gubernatorial bid is her first attempt at public office. She said she is focusing her campaign on supporting public schools, clean water and Iowans' health care access. "The reason I'm running right now is because we have a lot of problems here in Iowa that need to be solved, and I can't just stand by and watch the same processes occur without actually using good problem-solving skills, and that's why I'm doing this." Eminent domain is another issue she'd prioritize as governor, Stauch said. The discussion around eminent domain was a highly contested policy issue during the 2025 legislative session, centering around the Iowa Utilities Commission's granting of powers to Summit Carbon Solutions for its proposed carbon capture pipeline in the state. "It's an abuse of the eminent domain laws to take private property for a private company," Stauch said. "That's what's wrong with this pipeline stuff. Utilities, it's OK, roads, it's OK. There are situations where we need those laws, but they're being abused right now." More: What is eminent domain? What to know about Iowa's bill limiting it for carbon pipelines An Iowa bill that would restrict eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines awaits approval from Reynolds, who is weighing whether she will sign it into law. But Stauch said her gubernatorial campaign's main priority will be a product of what comes forward during discussions with Iowans over the next year before the 2026 elections. "I also think it's going to be, what does the election teach us as leaders, because elections are lessons. Not everybody learns from them, but they are lessons in what needs to happen, and so we'll just see how that turns out," Stauch said. Stauch said Reynolds' decision not to seek reelection didn't sway her plan to run for governor. She said a wide-open governor's race will open up dialogue between Iowans and boost voter engagement. "There's just so many good things out of this happening," she said. "I expect we'll see primaries at almost every level in this, and that will be very good for both parties." She took aim at Sand, saying, "I am running to beat him, and he's got to run to beat me instead of waiting to start his campaign." Stauch said she plans to hit the road over the next year to meet Iowans across the state and answer their questions about her application "for the job of Iowa governor." "I learn things from talking with them," Stauch said, noting she has held a meeting with voters in Wayne County. "I've learned quite a bit already, and I haven't even truly hit the road yet." Sabine Martin covers politics for the Register. She can be reached by email at or by phone at (515) 284-8132. Follow her on X at @sabinefmartin. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa governor election: Democrat Julie Stauch launches 2026 campaign
