, Five.
That's the number of House Republicans who voted against the bill to ban gender-affirming care for Iowa youth. It's the same number of House Democrats who voted against the bill to curb eminent domain abuse in the Judiciary committee a few weeks back.
And it's also the number of Iowa's most powerful corporations, all of whom have remained silent in the face of Gov. Reynolds' attack on the LGBTQIA community.
In my opinion, there should have been more than 5 Republicans who believe "everybody should get the opportunity to be happy". And there should've been more Democrats voting for the planet, land, and against greenwashing schemes. Big corporations caring only about their bottom line... well, what's new.
So it was refreshing to be in the CCI Action office over the weekend for our first Candidate and Campaign Worker Training. We talked about building power to build community and using elections to advance and win on the issues that make our communities inclusive and thriving for all.
It was quite the contrast to Kim Reynolds who is using her power to bully, exclude, and limit civic participation by those she is supposed to serve. Reynolds and her destructive agenda, though the consequences are very real, will not last. Fear, division and hatred aren't sustainable. Gov. Reynolds must not have gotten that memo.
That's why we're more committed than ever to the long haul work of building lasting governing power - for our people, the planet, and places we love. We're not backing down.
Onward,
Matthew Covington (he/him) Strategic Operations Director
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