IDP Chair Rita Hart Answers Readers Questions

SummaryOur guest Monday was Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart.Also on the call were readers from Washington, D.C., Decorah, Carroll, Council Bluffs and the metro area of Des Moines. Hart’s leadership was framed through her razor-thin 2020 congressional loss and her experience as a teacher and farmer in eastern Iowa. Hart says that race exposed major structural gaps between Democratic and Republican party support—organization, resources, and communications—and convinced her the party had to rebuild its basic capacity to win close races.Hart describes her chairmanship since 2023 as a nuts-and-bolts overhaul: paying down debt, expanding staff (from a few part-timers to a larger team), and committing to year-round organizing instead of parachuting in during election season. A key priority has been reconnecting the state party to county parties—especially rural counties—after discovering even basic infrastructure had eroded (she cites not even having a complete list of county chairs early on). She says the party is now active in all 99 counties and that internal governance has improved, with a more functional, less factional state central committee.Candidate recruitment is a major theme. Hart says the party has worked intentionally to recruit a strong, diverse, and younger slate, including personally calling candidates after the last cycle to learn what worked and to encourage future runs or help with recruiting. She acknowledges not every slot is filled, but argues Democrats are “ahead of the game” compared to recent years.The discussion turns to the Iowa caucuses. Doug Burns argues Democrats should “go first” regardless of national penalties, saying appearing to surrender looks weak. Hart responds that Democrats in Iowa aren’t unified on the issue, so she’s used listening sessions and a statewide survey, while also pursuing a formal process with the DNC. She believes Iowa has a strong case, but repeatedly emphasizes that the best argument for Iowa’s early status is winning meaningful races in 2026—making the state more competitive and demonstrating that “if you can win here, you can win anywhere.” Richard Bender agrees that Democrats being shut out while Republicans go first is a structural disadvantage, and suggests Iowa could still act first even without DNC blessing, banking on candidates finding ways to show up and benefit from the media presence.Messaging and issues come up next. Mary Pyatt presses the party to nationalize an economic message around tariffs and farm impacts; Hart says the IDP is already pushing accountability messaging and using farmer stories at press conferences. On voter registration, Hart concedes Democrats face a disadvantage but calls registration a “lagging indicator” tied to losing cycles; she says the bigger task is persuading independents and disaffected voters through direct, local conversations about the consequences of one-party Republican control (schools, economy, health care, rural hospitals, cost of living). Local activists describe efforts to re-register voters purged from the rolls.The group also discusses the governor’s race and Democratic branding. Some participants worry Rob Sand’s criticisms of the party could damage down-ballot Democrats; Hart argues voters are prioritizing authenticity and that Sand’s town-hall-heavy approach shows a path forward—show up everywhere, talk directly to people, and build momentum across parties.Asked what she’d do with an unexpected $1 million, Hart says she would invest it almost entirely in organizing—more trained field organizers and a permanent year-round program tied closely to county parties. Bender echoes that a serious statewide GOTV operation and rural capacity-building are essential. Hart points to strong rural caucus turnout as proof that investment can work.In closing, Hart reflects on how political communication has changed—less local news, fragmented information sources, and higher costs—and says building a stronger communications operation is now indispensable. She also cites recent Iowa special elections where Democrats outperformed expectations as a blueprint: recruit early, fund adequately, organize aggressively, and run smart campaigns—especially when Republican nominee-selection processes push candidates too far right for the median voter.Optional quick pull quotes / moments* Hart: her 2020 race taught her “we had to strengthen the party itself” to get candidates “across the finish line.”* The recurring refrain: win in 2026 to strengthen Iowa’s case for 2028.* Light moment: a fire truck breaks down in Rita’s driveway mid-call; Chuck Offenberger jokes about Democrats going first and teases the overuse of the word “folks.”Monday Podcast Guest is Author Scott Anderson, King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion, and Catastrophic Miscalculation.Here are Four Reviews of this book: “[A] masterly new account of the Iranian revolution, illustrates the stubborn American blindness that hastened the shah’s demise and helped the mullahs prevail. It was an ‘obliviousness’ that ‘became willful, an ignorance to be maintained and defended,’ Anderson writes. . . . This is an exceptional and important book. Scrupulous and enterprising reporting rarely combine with such superb storytelling.”—The New York Times“Mr. Anderson is a first-rate writer of histories. . . . King of Kings is a sweeping, gripping book, one that makes past times and dead people (often weird, complex and evil) spring to life with its narrative verve and attention to detail. . . . Riveting. . . . Exquisite.”—The Wall Street Journal“Anderson succeeds precisely because he eschews structural, quasi-philosophical queries for an energetic account that concerns itself with, as he puts it, ‘a few core questions’. . . . As a result of this inquiry, Anderson finds an answer at once simpler, more instructive, and truer than those of many scholars. . . . Anderson has also consulted the best scholarship on the revolution. . . . Anderson thus offers a readable page-turner that’s also attuned to those core questions. . . . Anderson’s book [is] one of the best on 1979.”—The Atlantic“Veteran journalist Anderson takes readers through the final years of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s regime in Iran, tracing the political machinations that kept him in power and the corruption that helped turn the Iranian public against him. It is attentive to both the shah’s own oblivious rule and the world-historical mistakes that his American allies made in their attempt to prop him up.”—The Washington PostDo you have a Substack column? Substack writers: Ready to grow revenue?We’re launching a six-month Substack Growth & Monetization Lab with strategist Sarah Fay, beginning in May. Monthly online small-group sessions will focus on audience growth, conversion, and sustainable income.Cost: $497 (complimentary for Okoboji Writers’ Retreat participants)Limited enrollment. 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