Iowa State University

With midterms weeks away, potential 2028 contenders Andy Beshear and Donald Trump Jr. campaigned separately in Iowa college towns, underscoring the state's enduring role as a testing ground for presidential hopefuls even though Democrats have stripped it of its early-primary status. Beshear, stumping in Ames for gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand, urged Democrats to drop "advocacy speak" in favor of plain talk, arguing that governor's races this cycle will determine whether Iowa is competitive for Democrats in 2028. Trump Jr., appearing at a packed Turning Point USA event in Iowa City, warned against a Democratic "dystopian communist hellhole," though some attendees said the tone clashed with the spirit of the late Charlie Kirk.

Both men remain long-shot contenders in early 2028 polling — Beshear trails in the Democratic field, while Trump Jr. lags behind Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio among Republicans. Vance also recently visited Iowa to support GOP candidates, signaling the invisible primary is already underway.

A new report from Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand shows that while total salaries across Iowa's executive branch fell 7.6% from fiscal year 2016 to fiscal year 2025, pay in Gov. Kim Reynolds' office rose 35% over the same decade when adjusted for inflation, and the secretary of state's office saw a 10% increase. The report also found temporary and seasonal hiring in the executive branch grew from about 20,000 to 22,000 workers since fiscal year 2021, alongside a rise in turnover from 11.5% to 16.5% after the pandemic.

Sand, a Democrat running for governor this fall, said the analysis was prompted by questions about the impact of Iowa's 2023 government reorganization, which removed salary caps for cabinet-level directors, and a $500,000 budget increase for the governor's office approved the same year. Reynolds' office defended its hiring of experienced senior staff and cited broader savings from her restructuring efforts. The secretary of state's office said it has invested in specialized IT, cybersecurity, and poll worker training.

The Iowa State Appeal Board has approved a $287,500 settlement with Charis Paulson, a former director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, resolving a yearslong civil rights lawsuit against the state Department of Public Safety. Paulson, who spent nearly 30 years with the department and became one of the highest-ranking women in Iowa law enforcement, alleged she was pushed out of leadership positions, denied lateral transfers, excluded from key meetings, and retaliated against after complaining about gender discrimination between 2014 and 2019. The state admits no wrongdoing under the agreement.

Paulson filed a civil rights complaint in 2021 and sued later that year; she retired in March 2024. The case also produced a notable Iowa Supreme Court ruling on attorney-client privilege, which barred Paulson from deposing one state attorney but allowed questioning of another. The Attorney General's Office cited that ruling, along with the departure of officials named in the suit, as factors favoring settlement over trial. Paulson will dismiss her lawsuit with prejudice.