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Happy Tuesday, and Welcome to Cornhole Champions. I’m Zachary Oren Smith. Tomorrow, we’re going to air our 2025 finale for the show. But before I do I have some conversations from the Democratic primary in one of Iowa’s most competitive congressional districts.
Former Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights is challenging Republican Congressman Zach Nunn for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District. As the first woman to lead Iowa House Democrats, Konfrst has spent seven years fighting for reproductive rights, healthcare access, Medicaid funding, and school voucher accountability while building power in the minority.
This week on Cornhole Champions, Konfrst explains why voters feel frozen by political uncertainty, how Democrats can win even when outnumbered, and what effective opposition actually looks like in Iowa politics.
Catch my conversation with state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott of West Des Moines, one of the other Democrats running for this seat, on Friday.
Cornhole Champions is a weekly politics and policy podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line, hosted by Zachary Oren Smith and produced by Rebecca Steinberg, with music by Avery Mossman and art by Desirée Tapia.
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Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line. It’s produced by me and edited by Rebecca Steinberg. Our music is by Avery Mossman and show art by Desirée Tapia. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.
Your friendly neighborhood reporter,
Zachary Oren Smith
Political correspondent
Iowa Starting Line
