2025 Activism

But if, like Grace Van Cleave, you are a candidate for State Senate in District 17, you will get more than an earful. As she tells us, “groceries, gas, utilities, housing, and health care. Those economic issues dominate almost every conversation.”

Especially since her campaign “is about building something better for our state and fighting for an Iowa that working families can actually afford.”

Knocking on doors is the bedrock of every local election. That’s why Grace is out canvassing almost every weekend. And as the days lengthen, early evenings, too. She also plays a mean yard sign game, that beloved barometer of local support.  All you have to do is ask, online or in person, and her team delivers. And when she’s at your door, she is likely to ask you.

After railing against mounting prices, many voters move to an issue over which the Iowa Senate has direct control – public education.  No surprise, parents want  “strong support for teachers and students. And public money to be spent on public schools,” confirms Grace.

“I also hear concerns about public health and the environment,” Grace reports. “Iowa has one of the highest cancer rates in the nation, and voters want sensible policies that protect clean water and public health.”.

Running for State Senate also involves reaching out to locally important organizations. Grace recently addressed the monthly meeting of Polk County’s AFSCME Local 1868.

Like all good Democrats, Grace supports unions. And works hard for their support in return. She has already been endorsed by Iron Workers Local 67. (Whose hoodie she is delightedly wearing in the pic at the top.)

One over-arching theme she hears from voters is how much people want real action, real solutions. “Iowans have been burned with the shiny lure of promises,” Grace notes. Voters want “leadership that is serious about improving outcomes rather than chasing political distractions.”

Iowans are looking for “government that is capable, focused, and serious about solving problems.” And the GOP disarray has not gone unnoticed in Iowa.

While voters “feel overwhelmed by the constant stream of national news and political conflict”, people in Iowa still care about Democracy. Iowans have “real concerns about the health of our Democracy. Voters talk about election rules, voting access, and the importance of protecting fair elections.”

On Saturday, starting with an early Meet ‘n Greet Breakfast gathering, Grace joined other Democracy-minded Iowans marching at the Iowa Capitol in the No Kings Rally.

Another thing Iowans share with much of the nation, and, certainly, Balloon-Juice, is love of pets. At age fifteen, Grace’s rescue dachshund, Molly, can no longer walk the campaign trail. But Grace deeply enjoys petting the dogs who greet her at their doorsteps. Which is much appreciated by both pups and their voters, alike.

 Candidate Grace Van Cleave greets handsome boy, Charlie, at his door.

To learn more about Grace, her website is here. Grace has generously offered to record short videos for Balloon-Juice, answering questions about Running in the Red in Iowa. You can leave your questions in the comments. Or send them to TaMara or MazeDancer.

TaMara can be reached via the Balloon-Juice sidebar. MazeDancer at PostCardPatriots at gmail dotty com. Or on BlueSky.  You can also use those same contact points to bring us your candidates for Running in the Red.

Any Dem Candidate running for any office in any Red State or District qualifies. Be they a shoo-in or a long shot, if they have, or aspire to have, a “D” by their name – and that name is not Fetterman – we want to meet them.

All you have to do is link them to the posts about Grace, and offer them the same chance for excellent, on-going, national exposure. Here is the launch for Running in the Red you can use, along with all the post in the series (here), for candidate recruitment.

You have fun tracking down contenders, we at Balloon-Juice get to learn from, and support, our Dem heroes out there Running in the Red. Energy-lifting, Trump-trouncing participation opportunities for us all.

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Let’s make this an activism open thread. Love to hear about any No Kings experiences or other activism ideas and adventures y’all are having.