TERRY BRANSTAD, the governor of Iowa, is sitting on a vault full of political capital, thanks to his early, ardent support of Donald Trump. Before he moves to Beijing as ambassador to China in the spring he seems to be wasting no time spending it. The governor and the Republican legislature he helped elect have moved at rapidly in recent weeks to enact policies that are moving the once reliably moderate state in a sharply conservative direction.
The longest-serving governor in American history, Mr Branstad oversaw a near-total Republican victory in his state in 2016. Besides embracing Mr Trump’s presidential candidacy, he poured his energy into supporting Republican candidates for the state Senate. Mr Trump won Iowa handily; down-ballot Republican candidates also prevailed. Republicans in the state now hold both legislative chambers and the governor’s office for the first time in two decades, allowing them to enact an agenda with virtually no opposition.
Last month, they flexed their new muscle by enacting perhaps the most sweeping public policy change in recent memory: a top-to-bottom rewrite of the law governing collective bargaining for public-sector workers. That was just the start:...Continue reading
Source: United States http://ift.tt/2nb6a1G
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