Laura Belin
Laura Belin has been called “probably the hardest-working — and perhaps the best — political reporter in the state” and “one of the best investigative reporters in the state.”
Appears in 122 Episodes
New poll, candidates spar in governor & Senate races
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks spent most of the show on news from Iowa's 2026 campaigns: a poll shows Iowa as "competitive terrain," a forecaster calls the governor's ...
Battleground race updates, green light for school book ban
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks began with a big GOP investment in Iowa's U.S. Senate race, a look at other battleground races, worrying poll numbers for one Congression...
Iowa GOP drama, No Kings, 2026 campaign news
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks dug into last week's drama in the Republican primary for governor: Eddie Andrews surviving a challenge to his nominating papers and point...
2026 campaign news, health insurance tax, second funnel
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks began with candidates at risk of getting knocked off the primary ballot: Democrat Xavier Carrigan in IA-03, Republican candidate for gove...
Iowa candidate filings; legislative work on health care
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks spent half the show reviewing which Republicans and Democrats will be and won't be on the June 2 primary ballot for state and federal off...
Iowa angles on Iran war; governor's race and legislative news
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks began with news related to the war against Iran: two Iowa soldiers killed and returned to U.S. soil, the Iowa delegation's votes and comm...
Iran strikes, governor using state plane, campaign news
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks began with Iowa political reaction to the Trump administration's new military campaign in Iran and Iowa angles from last week's State of ...
So much funnel week news
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks began with Iowa political reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on President Donald Trump's tariffs. The rest of the show focused on ...
Sizing up Wahls vs. Turek after Democratic primary shake-up
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks dove into the shake-up in the Democratic race for U.S. Senate after Nathan Sage ended his campaign and endorsed Josh Turek. They discusse...
Notable 2026 endorsements and legislative happenings
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks began with news from the 2026 campaign trail: big endorsements for Chris McGowan in the fourth Congressional district, Matt Windschitl dr...
Trump in Iowa, GOP gubernatorial debate, 4Q fundraising
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks began with news about the partial government shutdown and the status of federal budget negotiations. They covered Donald Trump's latest I...
Three campaigns end, one begins, and lots of legislative news
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks began with Iowa political reaction to another tragedy in Minneapolis. Next, they covered breaking news from the 2026 campaign trail, as t...
Governor's speech, other officials' wish lists, two Dems running for Ag Sec
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks each shared a favorite quote from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., then got right to it, discussing key points from Governor Kim Reynold...
Below-the-radar news from Congress; Iowa legislature's opening day
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks began with news from Congress: Zach Nunn votes to extend health insurance subsidies, Mariannette Miller-Meeks votes to override Trump's v...
Senate race TV ad, special election takeaways, Iowa legislative preview
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks began with Iowa political reaction to the U.S. attack in Venezuela and whether this could become a 2026 campaign issue. On the campaign f...
Looking back on Iowa politics in 2025
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks began with some news from the Republican primary campaign for governor and a quick preview of the December 30 special election in Iowa Se...
Congress wraps for 2025, governor flips on summer food aid
Laura Belin and Dennis Hart cover the week in Iowa politics, starting with the latest news about the Iowa National Guard members recently killed or wounded in Syria. T...
Divisions among Iowans in Congress, legislative campaign news
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks began with the tragedy in Syria, where two Iowa National Guard members were killed and three wounded in an ambush over the weekend. As th...
IA-02 in play, Miller-Meeks ads, Iowa Supreme Court win for Sand
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks covered a wide range of stories, starting with what last week's special U.S. House election in Tennessee could mean for Iowa's second Con...
Another Feenstra no-show, pro-Sand TV ad, special election previews
Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks review a (surprisingly not slow) week in Iowa politics. They discussed a forum featuring every GOP candidate for governor except the fron...