Steve Pope / The Gazette

Lawmakers agreed to Gov. Terry Branstad’s demand to establish a biennial budget process during a contentious 2011 session that took until June 30 to finalize a spending package just hours before they faced the prospects of an unprecedented government shutdown.

Republicans who hold a 60-40 edge in the House teamed with Branstad last year to pare down the state’s general fund to about $6 billion over objections from Democrats who return to the Statehouse will a 26-24 majority in the Senate thanks to Sen. Liz Mathis’ special election win in Marion last November.

The good news for budget-makers is they expect to have about $250 million in increased revenue available and don’t have a billion-dollar gap to fill like they previously faced.

The bad news is commitments that legislators already have made for things such as a 2 percent increase in base “allowable growth” funding for K-12 schools, higher spending for Medicaid driven by a tough economy, and a collective bargaining agreement that calls for state employees to receive a 3 percent pay boost next fiscal year are projected to top $300 million.

On top of that, lawmakers and Branstad want to provide commercial property tax relief that will require a state investment of at least $50 million to “backfill” lost revenue to local governments, both parties have agreed to embark on a mental-health redesign that will cost the state $42 million next fiscal year, Branstad wants to start education reforms that carry a yet-to-be-decided price tag, higher education is clamoring for more state aid and the list goes on.

 ”It’s going to be another tight budget year,” said House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha.

“Iowans work hard and when they send us their money they expect us to be good stewards with it,” the speaker said. “We’re going to go through and look at every dollar.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, D-Des Moines, said the growing state revenues could make it a little easier to pass legislation dealing with commercial property taxes and Iowa’s mental health system. There is broad agreement among Democrats
and Republicans that changes are needed in both areas, he noted.

Branstad says 86 percent of the fiscal 2013 state budget is set so he doubts the session will have to span its scheduled 100-day run.

“We think it’s going to be a shorter session because there’s no need to be the fighting over these big budget items,” he said.

“I’m sure there are those who want to spend less and those that want to spend more, but as far as we’re concerned we resolved those things for the big items and we don’t want to revisit the old fights,” Branstad added.

However, Sen. Jack Hatch, D-Des Moines, co-chairman of the Legislature’s human services budget subcommittee, said only about half of the new budget has been finalized and lawmakers will maintain their responsibility to appropriate money and not abdicate that role to the governor.

“The Legislature did not give up in any way the lack of flexibility in determining the priorities of our state,” said Hatch, who plans to unveil his budget proposals this week. “We still have discretion on that budget.”

Democrats say the state’s cash and emergency reserves are full, the budget has a healthy ending balance and spending is running well below the 99 percent statutory limit, but Republicans continue to portray the state’s fiscal position to be more dire than it really is.

“I expect a fight over the budget because these guys keep saying there’s a budget crisis — not true,” Hatch said.

Rep. Scott Raecker, R-Urbandale, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said there will be a lot of issues on the table again when the split-control Legislature convenes on Monday.

“I am confident that we will find ways to fund the priority initiatives for Iowans,” he said.

Iowa’s three-month average unemployment rate has fallen below the required 6 percent needed to qualify for the federal government’s “tier 3″ extended unemployment benefits, the state said. That reduces the extended weeks available to Iowans from 47 weeks to 34 weeks after Jan. 14.

Iowa’s unemployment rate was 5.7 percent in November.

“While Iowa is fortunate to have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, it does effect the overall benefit eligibility for the state,” said Director Teresa Wahlert. “The change in Iowa’s eligibility will affect approximately 4,200 individual in the first quarter of 2012.”

The extended unemployment compensation program has three tiers, with each carrying varying weeks of maximum eligibility, the state agency said. Tier 1 carries a maximum of 20 weeks; tier 2, a maximum of 14 weeks, and tier 3 a maximum of 13 weeks.

Iowa also offers up to 26 weeks of eligibility for unemployed workers.

The week ending Jan. 14 will be the last week in which unemployed workers can establish tier 3 eligibility, the state said. After Jan. 14, about 300 individuals per week will exhaust tier 2 benefits and will not be eligible for tier 3.

Unemployed workers will receive written notification prior to the expiration of all available benefits. Jobless workers now receiving tier 3 benefits will not be affected by this change, the state said.

Written by: Donnelle Eller

Des Moines Register

January 4, 2012

A piece written by University of Iowa journalism Professor Stephen Bloom has caught a firestorm of criticism this week from some who say it was inaccurate and overly critical of Iowans. On Tuesday, UI Associate Professor Kembrew McLeod wrote on Bloom’s Facebook wall, calling Bloom a “self-important jerk” and throwing in a few obscenities.

“… [Y]our Atlantic piece sunk my opinion of you further — and I didn’t think it could get that low,” Kembrew wrote.

None of Iowa’s three state universities have formal policies regarding public content posted on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. That leaves the lines regarding appropriate interactions among colleagues on the web unclear.

The UI caught some heat earlier this year when the school’s @UIowaPolitics Twitter account posted a tweet saying, “I didn’t know Bachmann was in town. Bah-dum-bum,” following reports of a cougar loose in Iowa City.

Followng that incident, UI President Sally Mason said university officials might consider developing a university social-media policy.

“You know, I think we’ll probably look at this opportunity to examine whether a policy would be appropriate,” Mason told the DI in September. “These technologies are evolving so quickly that it’s sometimes hard to figure out exactly what we should be doing, and we should be monitoring it.”

That apparently hasn’t happened, though. UI spokesman Tom Moore said Thursday that university policy forbids faculty from doing anything illegal but does not specifically address social media.

Annette Hacker, a spokeswoman for Iowa State University, said that university has no specific policies regarding use of social media, but individual departments may enforce policies.

James O’Connor, a spokesman for the University of Northern Iowa, also said the school has no official social-media policy, but a statement on UNI’s official Facebook page states, “… We ask that you provide the same respect to others, keeping your comments civil and professional, and refrain from engaging in personal attacks on other persons posting on the site.”

David Perlmutter, the director of the UI School of Journalism who has written about social media and blogging, said journalism faculty represent themselves, not the school.

“No faculty member represents the university,” he said. “They represent themselves as individuals unless they’ve been empowered by being a higher administrator or by a higher function.”

Perlmutter also said he personally does not condone incivility.
“I think 99 percent of the time, it’s unnecessary to be vulgar, and uncivil, and mean-spirited,” he said.
Michael Bugeja, the director of ISU’s School of Journalism who also teaches media-ethics courses, said he feels social media are “a barometer of knee-jerk reaction.”

“Just based on how social media is so easily shared, you’re not having a private conversation with one person,” Bugeja said. “You’re having it with a multitude of people. If that’s the case, you might want to stop the knee jerk and start thinking critically. In the end, it’s not about the names we call something or someone, it’s about the facts we bring to light.”

Some feel the line a professional employee draws on social networks should be left to the employee in question.

“I don’t think there’s a clearly right or wrong place to draw the line, but I do think that it’s very important for every faculty member to think about where he or she wants to draw the line,” UI law Professor Todd Pettys said.

Written by: Asmaa Elkeurti

The Daily Iowan

December 16, 2011

Messingham spent his first two seasons as Iowa State’s tight ends coach and was receivers coach this past season. He will coach Cyclone quarterbacks in addition to his coordinator duties in 2012.

“I am excited about Courtney taking over the reins of the offense,” Cyclone coach Paul Rhoads said in the statement. “Courtney has coached at every level of college football and has head coach and coordinator experience. He has earned this opportunity through hard work and positive results as a coach and as a recruiter. We have the right man.”

Under Messingham’s guidance, senior receiver Darius Reynolds had 43 catches and seven touchdowns this season. Darius Darks finished his career with 127 catches, tying him for seventh on the all-time Cyclone list. Josh Lenz finished the season with 39 catches.

First-year receiver Aaron Horne had 38 catches for 431 yards, while Jarvis West had 25 receptions for 141 yards and Albert Gary 23 catches for 287 and two scores.

“I appreciate Paul Rhoads giving me this opportunity,” Messingham said. “This Iowa State football program is on the rise, and I’m fortunate to be a part of it. We have already started getting ready for the 2012 season.”

Messingham replaces Tom Herman, who left for the offensive coordinator position at Ohio State. Rhoads says there is no timetable for hiring a receivers coach but a search is underway.

Messingham helped Collin Franklin post the second most receptions for a tight end nationally in 2010, finishing the season with 54 catches for 530 yards and three touchdowns.

Messingham also oversaw the Iowa State kickoff return and punt coverage teams. The Cyclones kickoff return unit ranked third in the Big 12 at 23.9 yards per return in 2011. West, a freshman, ranked second in the league at 25.95 yards per return. That figure ranks second in school career history among Cyclones that returned at least 20 career kickoffs. It ranks fifth in single-season school history.

Messingham’s punt-coverage unit ranked fourth nationally in 2009, allowing an average of only 2.19 yards per return.

A veteran coach of 22 years who played quarterback and defensive back at Northern Iowa, Messingham joined the Iowa State coaching staff as tight ends coach after leaving Missouri State in 2009. He is a former head coach at Upper Iowa University and offensive coordinator for the Bears, working as special teams coordinator and receivers coach under former Iowa State associate head coach Terry Allen in 2008.

Messingham also coached three seasons at Southern Mississippi. That stint included two years as receivers coach (2005-06) and a season as running backs coach and recruiting coordinator (2007).

The Waterloo native and his wife Carol, have a daughter, Taylor.

Written by: Andrew Logue

Des Moines Register

January 4, 2012

After receiving criticism from teachers, parents and community members about overcrowded elementary classrooms, the district has begun the process to hire more teachers.

The goal is to hire and have 8.5 teachers in place by Jan. 17, Assistant Superintendent Becky Furlong said. The new teachers will be distributed between Coralville Central, Garner, Kirkwood, Longfellow, Penn, Van Allen and Wood elementaries. The new positions were posted online Tuesday.

The new teachers will be hired as long-term substitutes. Superintendent Steve Murley said that these new positions will be filled by certified teachers, but that the long-term substitute contract will give the district more freedom in addressing

their staffing needs for future years.

“It will allow us the opportunity to give us the greatest flexibility as we plan for staffing next year,” Murley said.

Furlong said hiring long-term substitutes in place of full-time teachers will cost the district less money, allowing the district to hire more teachers now. She also said that there will be a larger pool of candidates to choose from in the summ

er, if the district hires full-time teachers then.

“The people that we hire will be highly qualified and we will hire the best people that we can,” Furlong said.

Murley said that the district has a rigorous hiring process for new teachers that takes much longer than it does to fill a long-term substitute position.

“If we want teachers in front of kids by Jan. 17, the long-term substitu

te teacher hiring process is most effective for us, to get staff in front of students as quickly as possible,” Murley said.

The district developed new ways to count students in classrooms this year, and now includes special education students who spend at least half of their time in the classrooms in their counts, a group that previously was left out.

It then looked at schools districtwide to determine which schools had the most immediate need. Kindergarten through second-grade classrooms with more than 24 students and third- through sixth-grade classrooms with more than 32 students

were identified as most in need for this school year.

The district also gathered information from the schools regarding individual classroom situations, including the poverty rate and resources available in the building, when making staffing decisions.

“We attempted to use the funds that we had to address as many of the outlier classes as possible,” Murley said.

Murley said the district will readdress the staffing needs when it receives classroom projections for next year. The district requested projections from Executive Director of Administrative Services Paul Bobek at the School Board meeting on Dec. 20. Murley said the district might eventually hire these new teachers on a full-time basis.

“It’s not unlikely that some of these people could be converted to full-time contracts between now and the end of the school year,” Murley said. “And if not then, then by the start of the next school year,” Murley said.

Overcrowding in schools has been addressed in the district several times this year.

Longfellow, which held some of the largest classes in the dist

rict, will be receiving more than two of the full-time teachers this month.

“In general we are really excited,” Longfellow Principal Chris Pisarik said. “It’s a great opportunity to enhance the learning of the students, not only here at Longfellow but throughout the district with all of these pieces that are being

added.”

At a meeting at Longfellow Elementary between Murley, School Board members and members of the Longfellow community in early December, the parties discussed possible solutions to overcrowding issues. Murley said that a short-term solution would be that Shelter House students would no longer automatically attend Longfellow.

This change was never implemented and is no longer being pursued.

“Now that we are able to increase the number of staff (at Longfellow), we don’t have to worry about decreasing the number of students,” Murley said.

Crissy Canganelli, the executive director of the Shelter House, said that the district could not treat Shelter House children any differently other children in the district.

“You could not ask us to require that children (from Shelter House) go to different schools randomly just based on the fact that there is room in the classroom unless all children that are new to the district are being assigned in that manner,” Canganelli said.

Written by: Alesha L. Crews

Iowa City Press-Citizen

January 3, 2012

Josh O'Leary / Iowa City Press-Citizen

The Johnson County Republicans huddled one last time, local Democrats worked the phones, and Dave Panther tallied up thousands of coffee beans by hand.

On the eve of Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses, with voters poised to converge in school gyms, church halls and community centers across the county and the state today, local political leaders spent Monday making final preparations after months of build-up.

Meanwhile, inside the Hamburg Inn No. 2, the famed Iowa City diner that has become a regular stumping spot on the campaign trail, Panther emptied the jars that customers have been filling in what the restaurant has dubbed the Iowa Coffee Bean Caucus.

President Obama was the Hamburg’s overwhelming winner, collecting 6,442 coffee beans and repeating his 2008 victory. For the Republicans, Michele Bachmann, despite the polls showing her behind the lead pack, was the Hamburg’s top Republican bean-getter with 1,147, defeating Mitt Romney by nearly 300 votes.

Bachmann, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum made stops at the restaurant in recent months, though all the candidates were extended invitations, Panther said.

“Regardless of being on the left or right, it’s just being able to see them personally and what they’re all about,” said Panther, who owns a restaurant that has hosted the likes of Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton over the years. “It’s an opportunity a lot of states are never given.”

On Monday night, several dozen members of the Johnson County Republicans gathered for a final meeting before the caucuses. Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, who traveled to Iowa to do some last-minute campaigning for friend Newt Gingrich, was on hand and looking forward to his first caucus experience.

“It’s something I’ve heard about all my life, but I’ll get to witness it up close and personal,” Burgess said. “It’s made for a very interesting day, and I’m sure tomorrow will be even more interesting. … From what I’ve seen today, clearly people take this very, very seriously. That’s certainly commendable and a tribute to the system you have here.”

Bob Anderson, chairman of the Johnson County Republicans, said caucus organizers are expecting an 8 percent to 10 percent increase over the nearly 4,000 people who turned out to caucus in the county in 2008.

“Republicans are committed that this is going to be a year of hard work and success, and we’re going to give it our best,” Anderson said.

Cindi Michel, secretary for the Johnson County Republicans, is preparing to lead a caucus at Washington Township School in the southwest corner of the county tonight.

“I feel like it’s a civic duty,” Michel said. “If you stay home, you don’t have a right to complain about things.”

At the same time, more than a dozen volunteers were crammed into the small Iowa City office where Obama’s campaign has been working since fall. Rosanne Cook of Iowa City was among the president’s supporters dialing fellow voters, urging them to come out to the caucuses.

“He’s had a mighty tough road to hoe,” Cook said of Obama. “But he’s done some good things and I continue to support him. I know it’s important to show there’s strong support. We don’t believe in what the Republicans are doing, and we’re going to stand up for what we believe in.”

Will Reasoner, a University of Iowa freshman and an organizer for the Obama campaign, said the caucuses are an important step toward building excitement for the 2012 election.

Obama is scheduled to give a live address to Democrat caucus-goers via a webcast today, and Reasoner was eager to hear his message.

“We’re using this as a stepping stone for the general election in the fall,” said the 18-year-old Reasoner, who will be able to participate in his first caucus and cast his first vote in a presidential election.

“I’m excited that I’m actually able to cast my vote for President Obama,” he said.

Written by: Josh O’Leary

Iowa City Press-Citizen

January 2, 2012

Defensive coordinator Norm Parker is retiring.

Press-Citizen/ Matthew Holst

Parker, 70, an original member of coach Kirk Ferentz’s staff, will coach in the bowl game — and then no more, he said Sunday.

“I would like to personally thank Gary Barta, Kirk Ferentz, the coaches and players at Iowa, along with the fantastic fans,” Parker said in a press release. “It has been a great time, one that myself and my entire family greatly appreciate.

“… My wife Linda, and all the members of our family, were very pleased to be members of the Hawkeye family. We truly enjoyed our time here. After 48 years of doing something I love, it is time to enjoy some time with the grandkids.”

The colorful Parker has battled diabetes, which has resulted in the loss of a leg. He coached from press boxes and maneuvered the practice field in a golf cart.

Shortly after the amputation, Parker had to be driven wherever he went.

“Before last spring, that was a real process for him,” Ferentz said two weeks ago. “I think it was a huge thing for him when he was able to drive again, which I think was May, so he can pretty much come and go as he pleases now.

“It’s really been a turnaround year for him.”

Never did Ferentz consider asking Parker, who is completing his 13th season at Iowa, to retire.

“I’ve been around coaches who as they get older have a tough time communicating,” Ferentz said. “I never thought it was age-related; I thought it was people-related.

“That has always been one of his strengths and it’s one of the things he does as a defensive coordinator or just in talking to people. He has a way — usually, in a very concise way — of getting to what is important and saying it in a way that can be entertaining.

“But, there’s usually a pretty good message. If you listen closely, there’s usually a pretty good story.”

Defensive tackle Mike Daniels agreed.

“He’ll give you a lesson on life, if you listen to him closely,” Daniels said on media day. “What he’s overcome — football’s nothing compared to what he’s fought through.”

Parker last week was voted assistant coach of the year by the American Football Coaches Association. He will be honored next month in San Antonio.

He also coached at Vanderbilt, Michigan State, East Carolina, Illinois, Minnesota, Wake Forest and Eastern Michigan.

When asked last summer about his eventual retirement day, Parker said:

“I hope when the day comes that I can’t do it anymore, I have enough brains to say that’s it.”

Written By: Randy Peterson

December 11, 2011

HawkCentral Iowa City Press-Citizen

Emmy-award winning comedian John Oliver will perform in the Iowa Memorial Union Main Lounge at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28. The University of Iowa’s Hancher and SCOPE Productions are collaborating to present the show.

A purveyor of satirical comedy, Oliver has gained fame through his work as Senior British Correspondent on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” His stand-up has been described as “comedy for smart people” with a political edge. The 2012 election is a likely source of fodder for his Iowa City performance.

Oliver has found success and fame through his recurring role as the antagonistic Professor Ian Duncan on NBC’s comedy, “Community.” His Comedy Central series “John Oliver’s New York Stand-up Show” also showcases his work as a political humorist.

Tickets are $40 for nonstudent and senior citizen, and $22 college student and youth. Tickets are available from both the Hancher Box Office and the University Box Office as well as all Ticketmaster outlets.

The Hancher Box Office, located on the first floor of the south end of the Old Capitol Mall near the parking ramp, is open for phone (319-335-1160 or 800-HANCHER) or walk-up business from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays. Tickets may be ordered online at www.hancher.uiowa.edu.

The University Box Office is located in the IMU and can be reached by phone at 319-335-304.

Any remaining tickets will be available for sale one hour before show time at the IMU Main Lounge.

To receive UI arts news by e-mail, go to http://list.uiowa.edu/archives/acr-news.html and click the link “Subscribe or Unsubscribe,” then follow the instructions.

PHOTOS: http://www.hancher.uiowa.edu/media.

STORY SOURCE: University Communication and Marketing, 300 Plaza Centre One, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-2500

MEDIA CONTACTS: Rob Cline, Hancher, 319-335-3827, rob-cline@uiowa.edu; Zoey Miller, SCOPE Productions, 515-554-2119, zsm1992@gmail.com; Steve Parrott, University News Services, 319-384-0037, steven-parrott@uiowa.edu

University of Iowa News Release

Dec. 6, 2011

Reuters | Politico

In a sample of 982 registered voters in Iowa, Gingrich leads Obama 45.6 percent to 43.3 percent, with 11.1 percent undecided, while Romney leads with 42.6 percent to 41.7 percent, with 15.7 percent undecided. Both leads, however, are within the margin of error of +/- 3.5 percent, suggesting that the race is effectively tied.

“The fact that both currently fare equally well among voters for the general election may be an advantage for Gingrich,” says Frederick Boehmke, associate professor of political science in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and faculty adviser to the Hawkeye Poll. “Electability has been an important part of Romney’s appeal, but if Republican caucus-goers see other candidates as just as electable, then Romney will lose that advantage and his support might start to slide.”

According to the same poll, Gingrich currently retains his lead over Romney, with 29.8 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers indicating that they would vote for Gingrich and 20.3 percent of the respondents supporting Romney if the caucuses were held today.

The race is even tighter among Independents, with Obama and Romney deadlocked at 37.4 percent to 37.5 percent and Obama showing a slight lead over Gingrich at 41.0 percent to 39.6 percent. The differences are again within the margin of error of +/- 3.5 percent.

“Independents, comprising a third of the electorate, are key voters in the general election. If Romney leads Obama in a head-to-head race among Independents it suggests Romney may be the more electable candidate in terms of broad appeal,” says Caroline Tolbert, UI professor of political science in CLAS.

Detailed analysis of the poll follows. Topline results for the polls are available at: http://news-releases.uiowa.edu/2011/december/121511GE_Hawkeye_Poll_Topline.pdf. Additional topline data from the same poll can be found with the Hawkeye Poll released Monday, Dec. 12 at http://news-releases.uiowa.edu/2011/december/121211Caucus_Haweye_Poll.html.

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Sources of support Amongst female voters in Iowa, Gingrich fares better than Obama, with 43.8 percent of the vote versus 41.3 percent for Obama. Male voters also prefer Gingrich over Obama by about 2 percent. It appears that Romney has a slight edge over Obama amongst males (43.8 to 42.0 percent). Female voters are nearly evenly split between Obama and Romney.

“Turnout among young voters will likely be critical for Obama in 2012 since that remains his strongest set of supporters. However, the margin is small and younger voters may be less likely to turn out in 2012,” Boehmke says.

Among 18 to 34 year olds, 46.7 percent would vote for Obama if the election were held today while only 35.4 percent would vote for Romney. Romney leads the race across all other age categories, however, with a 3 percent advantage amongst 35 to 54 year olds, 2 percent for 55 to 69 year olds, and 12 percent for voters aged 70 or older. Obama leads Gingrich by 2 percent among young voters (aged 18 to 34). Obama trails Gingrich, however, among voters aged 35 to 54 by 5 percent, voters aged 55 to 69 by 2 percent, and voters 70 and older by 3 percent.

“Gingrich has a greater advantage than Romney among voters with a worse view of the economy, which could turn out to be an important advantage given continued high unemployment and relatively slow economic growth,” Boehmke says.

Voters who reported the economy is “very poor” prefer Gingrich (64.5 to 22.7 percent) over Obama, while the same voters preferred Romney over Obama by a smaller, but still sizeable margin of 59 to 27.9 percent.

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Tea party and Occupy Wall Street movements Gingrich and Romney also appear to have the support of voters who sympathize with the Tea Party movement, though Gingrich appears to have greater support from Tea Party supporters. Obama leads among those who support the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Voters who said that they “strongly” or “somewhat strongly” support the Tea Party movement would choose Romney (71.6 percent) over Obama (12.9 percent) in the 2012 presidential election and would even more lopsidedly vote for Gingrich (81.2 percent) over Obama (8.7 percent). Among those who “neither support nor oppose” the Tea Party movement, Obama received a smaller share of votes (34.9 percent) compared with Romney’s 40.9 percent. Of those respondents, Gingrich (40.6 percent) is preferred over Obama (34.9 percent). For those who “strongly” or “somewhat strongly” oppose the Tea Party movement, Obama is the preferred candidate. Obama earned 70.5 percent of the vote share compared with Romney’s 17.1 percent and an even greater 76.8 percent vote share against Gingrich (14.8 percent).

Of respondents who support the Occupy Wall Street movement “strongly” or “somewhat strongly,” 62.5 percent would vote for Obama if he ran against Mitt Romney (21.4 percent) in 2012 while a similar 64.6 percent of such voters would vote for Obama over Gingrich (24.8 percent). Among voters who neither support nor oppose the OWS movement, Obama would win by a 26.5 percent margin over Romney (56.8 percent to 30.3 percent). Similar numbers emerge for Obama (58.3 percent) over Gingrich (36.9 percent). Among those who “strongly” or “somewhat strongly” oppose the Occupy Wall Street movement Romney has a two to one margin (60.3 to 29.2 percent) and Gingrich does even better (62.7 percent) over Obama (29.2 percent).

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Four years ago, the Hawkeye Poll was the first to see Barack Obama moving closer to then-leader Hillary Clinton among Democratic caucus-goers, and to indicate Mike Huckabee was gaining traction with Republicans. Obama and Huckabee would go on to win the state’s first-in-the-nation caucus in January 2008.

The Iowa caucuses will be held Jan. 3, 2012. For related stories and information, visit the UI Election 2012 website at http://www.uiowa.edu/election.

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About the Hawkeye Poll

The poll was conducted by the Hawkeye Poll Cooperative, comprised of UI faculty and graduate students in political science. The faculty adviser for the poll is UI Associate Professor of Political Science Frederick Boehmke. The poll used the facilities of the Iowa Social Science Research Center, directed by UI Sociology Professor Kevin Leicht. UI Professor of Political Science Caroline Tolbert is a member of the Hawkeye Poll Cooperative and co-author of Why Iowa? The poll is a teaching, research, and service project of the Department of Political Science in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. CLAS and the Provost’s Office fund the poll.

STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa News Services, 300 Plaza Centre One, Suite 371, Iowa City, Iowa 52242

MEDIA CONTACTS: Frederick Boehmke, Hawkeye Poll, 319-335-2342 (office), 716-866-9277 (cell), frederick-boehmke@uiowa.edu; Caroline Tolbert, Hawkeye Poll, 319-335-2358 (office), 319-621-8452 (cell), caroline-tolbert@uiowa.edu; Kelli Andresen, University News Services, 319-384-0070 (office), 319-330-9951 (cell), kelli-andresen@uiowa.edu; Cassie Cumings-Peterson, Hawkeye Poll, 651-373-4305 (cell), 319-335-2319 (office), cassie-cumings-peterson@uiowa.edu; Natasha Altema, Hawkeye Poll, 404-625-3372 (cell), 319-335-3844 (office), natasha-altema@uiowa.edu STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa News Services, 300 Plaza Centre One, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-2500 MEDIA CONTACT: Kelli Andresen, 319-384-0012, kelli-andresen@uiowa.edu

University of Iowa News Release

Dec. 15, 2011