The Daily Iowan WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2019
INSIDE POLITICS 6
THE DAILY IOWAN | DAILYIOWAN.COM | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2019
5 7%
85.3% of Iowa’s population is white
decrease in national black-voter turnout between 2012 and 2016
26.7% of the voters in 2016 were minorities
Shivansh Ahuja/The Daily Iowan
A crowd gathers to watch Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. speak during the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines on Aug. 11.
SOURCE: Pew Research Center
Lack of representation in a white caucus state
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Student-fee boost to support cinema
The state of Iowa’s population is predominantly white, and with Iowa being a first-in-the-nation caucus state, some members of underrepresented comunities are not feeling engaged with 2020 presidential hopefuls. BY JULIA SHANAHAN
julia-shanahan@uiowa.edu Since January, The Daily Iowan has covered more than 50 events across eastern Iowa and other parts of the state that featured one or more 2020 presidential hopefuls, and one thing has proved consistent: the crowds of attendees are largely white. Iowa City School Board member Ruthina Malone said she has seen a lack of engagement between minority communities and presidential campaigns in Iowa. Malone attended around six events in the Iowa City area so far this year and a couple in past election cycles. “Oftentimes we see candidates showing up at predominantly black churches, and they make their pitch there, or going to predominantly black universities and colleges,” Malone said. “You can’t just do it that one time to get their support and then forget about them for four years and show up again.” Some Iowans say 2020 presidential campaigns are not doing enough to engage the underrepresented communities in the first-in-the-nation caucus state. With white people composing 85.3 percent of Iowa’s population, the results of the Iowa caucuses are not representative of the U.S., where the national population is 60.4 percent white Malone, an African American woman, said issues important to her in this election cycle include the wage gap among black women compared to white women and men, the child-mortality rate among black women, and affordable health care. She said that while her identity will play a significant role in deciding who she will caucus for in February, it’s important to remember that minority communities are not monolithic groups of people with identical values. “I’m not saying that, you know, you need to treat minorities different, but you need to treat them equally as important as other groups,” Malone said. At an ice-cream social event hosted by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in West Branch, Iowa, on Aug. 19, Earnest Harvey said he took a day off of work to see the senator. Harvey said this was the first candidate he had seen so far ahead of the 2020 caucus. Harvey said his identity as an African American male will play a large role in who he caucuses for, because being an African American male is tough, he said, pointing to racist interactions between black people and police officers that sometimes go viral online. Harvey said he wants to hear candidates talk more about police brutality and how they plan to
Jenna Galligan/The Daily Iowan Iowa caucus-goer Earnest Harvey poses for a portrait at an ice-cream social for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in West Branch on Aug. 19. hold law-enforcement officials accountable for acts of violence. He added that he thinks society has come a long way in terms of acceptance, but that dialogue surrounding race still needs to be more open. “I think both sides have to open their hearts and souls and listen to one another,” Harvey said. “It’s not just all African Americans and not just all caucasions, it’s everybody.” He added that the rights of LGBTQ Americans and women were two other important issues for him. In the 2016 presidential election, black voter-turnout rates fell for the first time in 20 years nationwide, according to the Pew Research Center. Voter-turnout rates among black voters reached a record high of 66.6 percent in 2012, and dropped to 59.6 percent in 2016. Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and other minority groups accounted for 26.7 percent of the vote in 2016, which is unchanged from 2012. In the 2018 midterm elections, all racial and ethnic groups saw historic increases in voter turnout nationally. Because the state of Iowa does not ask a person to identify their race or ethnicity when they register to vote, there are no records on voter turnout among minorities in Iowa. Deidre DeJear, the state director for Sen. Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, said the campaign is focused on engaging the small percentages of other races that make up Iowa. DeJear said she has met Iowans who have gravitated toward her campaign because they feel like Harris represents them.
“These are folks who sometimes don’t believe that the system was meant for them to participate in just based on historical experiences, and experiences that their parents and their grandparents may have had,” DeJear said. DeJear was the first African American woman to clinch the Democratic nomination for Iowa secretary of state in 2018. DeJear said what often happens in the realm of campaigns and politics is that people wait to engage people of color until the end of the election cycle, because people of color are often considered unreliable voters. “And whether [people of color are] reliable or not, from our position, they should be included from the beginning and not at the end,” DeJear said. “Because people aren’t just numbers. They’re folks with issues and challenges.” Iowa Asian and Latino Coalition Chair Prakash Kopparapu said his organization has worked to advocate for Asian and Latinx communities, especially in election years. The coalition endorsed Harris after the 500-member organization cast private ballots to determine who to endorse. Kopparapu said the organization’s original goal was to help engage Asian and Latinx individuals and aspiring politicians in elections and local politics, and has since expanded the organization to include anyone who wants to join to support their mission. He said they have endorsed not just Asian and Latinx candidates, but also white and African American men and women in the Des Moines community and
around the state. “Almost all the presidential campaigns come to Iowa think they’ll be meeting 100 percent Caucasian voters, and so they staff accordingly 100 percent Caucasian staff,” Kopparapu said. “… They come here, and all of a sudden they see this Asian-Latino coalition.” He said the organization has met with 16 presidential candidates, both before and after their endorsement, and that some candidates and campaigns such as South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sanders, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang made remarks about being taken aback by the large amount of members in the coalition. Kopparapu said feeling like he is represented in a candidate’s platform is extremely important in deciding who he will vote for, whether that’s in national or local elections. He highlighted the fact that there is
only one person of color on the Des Moines City Council, and said this is an example that reflects many governing bodies in the U.S. “The way the decisions are being made, as of today around the country, is based on if you’re there,” Kopparapu said. Kopparapu said other candidates that were popular among the coalition for an endorsement were Yang, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro. Jason Noble, Iowa communications director for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign, said in an email to the DI that the campaign’s African American coordinator has held roundtable discussions regarding the racial wealth gap and hosts other events across the state. Additionally, the Latinx coordinator is currently hosting a series of Spanish-language events around the state. The Sanders campaign has also held roundtable discussions with underrepresented communities in Iowa. Eventually, one of the Democratic candidates will have to face off with President Trump, who has been criticized by Democrats for villainizing Mexicans and Latinx communities crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. He’s also been called a white supremacist by some of the 2020 candidates, including former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, former Vice President Joe Biden, Harris, Sanders, Warren, Yang, and Buttigieg. This Democratic field of presidential hopefuls is one of the most diverse in American history, with five women and several people of color vying for the U.S. presidency. Harvey, an Iowa caucusgoer, said he thinks candidates often say what they think people — including minorities — want to hear, but a more important measure of character, was what they do once in office. “It’s about what you do once you get that title,” Harvey said.
Representation in nation’s first-to-caucus state
Eighty-five percent of Iowans are white. As the first state to begin winnowing presidential candidates for the political-party nominations, a lot of political attention is on the Hawkeye state, and some politically active people of color are questioning how engaged 2020 presidential campaigns are with underrepresented communities. Shivansh Ahuja/The Daily Iowan Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., speaks at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox during the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines on Aug. 10.
The Daily Iowan Ethics and Politics Initiative is funded by a private donor and will appear biweekly this semester. The team’s mission is to understand, interpret, analyze, and report on topics, trends and personalities that shape politics in Iowa and the United States, and to recognize the importance of a strong ethical foundation in its pursuits. Email daily-iowan@uiowa.edu with story ideas, press releases, or reader comments.
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Webinar series aims to help grad students
A new webinar series in the UI graduate school has increased early action on awards applications and will likely lead to more success among students. The 10-webinar series will offer convenient and accessible advising.
Agreement may bring bike sharing to Iowa City streets BY CHLOE O’CONNOR
chloe-oconnor@uiowa.edu
of Regents. UISG adviser Bill Nelson, the IMU executive director, estimated the Student Activity Fee has not been raised in the past four or five years. Bijou originally submitted a request for $250,000 in funding from student governments. This proposal was voted down by the 2018-19 Student Senate. The legislation provides $65,000 to Bijou to pay for a new digital projector and accessories. Of that amount, $52,000 comes from the proposed student-fee increase, while the other $13,000 in funding will be from reversions in the UISG and Graduate and Professional Student Government budgets. The funding is added to the $56,000 annual operating budget for Bijou, provided by both UISG and GPSG. At the conclusion of fiscal 2021, the $2 fee increase will contribute to the proposed combined deferred-maintenance fund maintained by UISG and GPSG. The proposed fund provides student organizations with money to maintain and replace equipment. The fund would be designed to provide equipment maintenance and
The Iowa City City Council paved the way Tuesday night for ridesharing company Gotcha Mobility to bring a dockless, electric-assisted bike-share system to downtown streets in the next 90 days to improve transportation accessibility. The passage of the resolution, which allows the city to sign a contract with the company, comes two years after the city council’s implementation of the Iowa City Bicycle Master Plan and a couple of months after its addition of new bike lanes to city streets. “It will be just another transportation option that will be available to the community to quickly, easily, accessibly, and inexpensively get around town,” Iowa City Transportation Services Director Darian Nagle-Gamm said. There is no set number of bikes Throgmorton that will serve the city yet, but several hundred are estimated to find a home in Iowa City. The bike-share system will begin with bikes available in the downtown area and will then spread outwards to suburban neighborhoods. Nagle-Gamm said the implementation of the bike-share system will allow students easier, faster access to campus-wide classes and activities, as well as allow other members of the community a more economic transportation option. “It will enable students to move around a lot better than they would otherwise be able to do,” Iowa City Mayor Jim Throgmorton said. Throgmorton said the bike-share agreement with Gotcha will also benefit Iowa City by aiding in the decongestion of busy roads and lower the city’s carbon emissions. “It will enable people to not drive automobiles if they choose not to,” Throgmorton said, adding that 19 percent of Iowa City’s CO2 emissions come from transportation. “We have made a major com-
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Katie Goodale/The Daily Iowan UISG President Noel Mills speaks during a UISG meeting in the Blackbox Theater of the IMU on Aug. 27.
Fan-favorite local coffee shop Java House is celebrating its 25th birthday in Iowa City. The business, started by a University of Iowa student, first served customers from the second floor of Prairie Lights. Now it has five locations, with a sixth expected to open in North Liberty this fall.
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The Iowa City City Council passed a resolution that makes it possible to offer bike sharing in Iowa City.
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Java House celebrates 25 years in business
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A proposed $2 student-fee increase will pay for new equipment in FilmScene’s new Chauncey Building location, allowing Bijou to use the space rent-free. BY RYLEE WILSON & ELEANOR HILDEBRANT daily-iowan@uiowa.edu
University of Iowa students could see the continuation of student discounts on memberships and tickets at the new Gilbert Street location of FilmScene, as well as a Student Activity Fee increase of $2 to make that possible. UI Student Government passed a resolution to propose a $2 student-fee increase at its Tuesday meeting. The increase will fund equipment for the new FilmScene location in the Chauncey Building and create a deferred maintenance fund for use by student organizations. In return for the student-fee investment in equipment for the FilmScene theater, students will receive a $1.50 discount on all FilmScene tickets, as well as a 30 percent discount on memberships. All Bijou Film Board events will remain free for students. The equipment purchased by UISG will allow Bijou access to FilmScene facilities rent-free. The proposed student-fee increase is subject to approval by the Student Fee Committee and the state Board
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2020 CAUCUS
Bullock, Bennet hope for breakout moment Buzzerio ready to lead Hawkeye volleyball
Iowa volleyball senior Meghan Buzzerio is one of three team captains for the Hawkeyes this year. Entering the 2019 season, Buzzerio has one key goal in mind for the team: making the NCAA tournament.
SPORTS, 8
Big Ten has standout performances in Week 1
From veteran Big Ten players like Jonathan Taylor to a player new to the conference like Justin Fields, the Big Ten was home to a number of remarkable performances in the first week of the new college football season.
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Tune in for LIVE updates Watch for campus and city news, weather, and Hawkeye sports coverage every day at 8:30 a.m. at dailyiowan.com.
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and U.S. Senator from Colorado Michael Bennet are holding between 0 and 2 percent in national polls, but neither have any plans to exit the race, calling it “wide open.” BY SARAH WATSON
sarah-e-watson@uiowa.edu About five months out from the Iowa caucuses, Susan Daggot — wife to U.S. Senator from Colorado Michael Bennet — clutched a couple pages of notebook paper in her hand and launched into her husband’s presidential pitch to a group of about 15 people in an office on the eastern side of Iowa City. She was presiding over the opening of her husband’s second Iowa campaign office in Iowa on Tuesday, which marks an expansion of Bennet’s Iowa campaign despite Bennet remaining near the bottom of the pack in polling and donations. “We are playing catchup,” Daggot told the group of mostly undecided caucus-goers, referencing Bennet’s bout with cancer delaying his entry into the race. “But he is a guy who deeply, deeply believes that we’ve seen troubles in the past… and we can, as Americans, come together.” After a Labor Day week-
Megan Nagorzanski/The Daily Iowan Liam Bogs, 7, of Cedar Rapids teaches Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., during the Hawkeye Area Labor Council Picnic at Hawkeye Downs on Monday. end swing in Iowa, two Democrats hugging the bottom of the polls are emphasizing that five months is enough time to build a following in the first-inthe-nation caucus state.
“My whole plan is to be there every step of the way,” Montana Gov. Steve Bullock said after completing 12 events across Iowa where he focused on counties that swung from
Obama to Trump in 2016. Bullock and Bennet’s holiday weekend swings also came after the Aug. 28 deadline to qualify for the September debates, which half of the 20-candidate
field qualified for. Both Bullock and Bennet told The Daily Iowan in interviews they’re focusing on campaigning person-to-person in Iowa and New Hampshire rather than grasping for poll numbers and donations to qualify for the debates. Both are polling between 0 and 2 percent in national polls according to realclearpolitics. Although both candidates are aiming to qualify to be on the October debate stage, the televised debates aren’t essential to their runs for president, the pair said. Between Labor Day and October marks the time when campaigns either sink or swim, said Bret Nilles, Democratic Chair. “Usually this is the point where the campaigns really need to kick off in terms of how much alignment they can get and how much energy they can create on their own,” Nilles said. Nilles, who attended Bennet’s town hall in Cedar SEE BREAKOUT, 2