ITR Live: Iowa Politics and Conservative Policy

Iowans for Tax Relief
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ITR Live is published by Iowans for Tax Relief, bringing you insights on Iowa politics, conservative tax policy, government accountability, and the fight for limited government. Hosted by Chris Hagenow, each episode features sharp commentary, behind-the-scenes analysis from the Iowa Capitol, and an occasional laugh—always with the taxpayer in mind. Whether we’re breaking down the latest legislation, tracking local government spending, or exploring how policies impact your wallet, ITR Live keeps you informed and engaged. Subscribe for honest conversations about conservative politics in Iowa.

  1. 3d ago

    More Taxes, More Government: The Case Against Amendment One

    Chris Hagenow and John Hendrickson mark a somber Friday in the Hendrickson Library — the 25th anniversary of September 11th and the one-year anniversary of the passing of Charlie Kirk. Both get a moment of reflection before the episode moves on to the business at hand. The main event is Amendment One. The opposition campaign has officially launched, led by Common Good Iowa and a coalition of progressive interest groups and public and private labor unions. Chris walks through their arguments — service cuts, school funding, emergency response — and finds the same thread running through all of them: a baseline desire to make it easier to raise taxes. John frames it cleanly: these are the tax eaters, and their language of "fully fund" and "invest" is code for more government spending. Chris closes with the complete ITR campaign playbook — no hidden agenda, no complicated counter-arguments. Just a simple message: this amendment makes it harder to raise your taxes, and most Iowans agree that's a good thing. ITR is traveling the state and wants to come to your meeting. If you have a group, reach out. 0:06 Welcome 1:53 9/11 at 25 5:48 Charlie Kirk anniversary 8:20 Housekeeping & vote yes reminder 9:03 ITR on the road — come find us 10:20 Trivia: H.R. Gross answer & new Civil War question 13:08 The opposition campaign launches 14:32 Breaking down their arguments 18:04 The tax eaters — what they really want 20:49 ITR's campaign playbook 25:17 Sign off

  2. Sep 4

    Labor Day, the Ad Wars, and What Voters Are Actually Talking About

    With Labor Day marking the official start of the campaign sprint, Chris and John survey the advertising landscape taking shape across Iowa's major races. What are prevailing themes in these campaigns, and what issues should candidates address?The policy conversation centers on affordability and what's actually driving voter concern heading into November. John references a Washington Times piece on the economy as the dominant issue of the cycle, and Chris draws the through line from federal deficit spending to consumer prices to Iowa's case for fiscal restraint — and for Amendment One. John and Chris also plug a co-authored piece with Tom Sands making the business climate case for the amendment, using Washington state's income tax spiral as the cautionary example.

  3. Aug 28

    More Taxes, More Government: The Amendment 1 Debate

    Chris Hagenow and John Hendrickson are back together in studio after John has been out on what Chris generously describes as a paleo-conservative world tour. The conversation opens with a survey of the Iowa governor's race, including a new Suffolk University poll showing Rob Sand with a modest lead over Zach Lahn and Ashley Hinson ahead of Josh Turek in the Senate race. Chris and John assess where the race stands with Labor Day approaching, what issues are actually moving voters — and whether the water quality and cancer conversation dominating the campaign trail reflects what Iowans are thinking about at the dinner table. John brings back a dispatch from the State Policy Network's annual conference, where Iowa's decade of conservative reform was a consistent topic of conversation. Colleagues from around the country — including states playing nothing but defense — noted that Iowa is doing something rare: leaders who said they'd cut taxes and did, who said they'd do school choice and did. Governor Reynolds drew particular praise. Chris closes with a recap of his Iowa Public Radio River to River debate on Amendment One against a League of Women Voters representative. The opposition's arguments — service cuts, police and fire defunding, budget paralysis — got a thorough airing and a thorough rebuttal. The episode ends with the national debt crossing $40 trillion and a reminder of why Iowa's fiscal foundation is worth protecting. 0:09 Welcome back & John's return 2:36 Trivia 4:51 Suffolk poll: governor's and Senate races 9:03 Water quality vs. kitchen table economics 10:14 Sand's economic program 11:44 Lahn elevating tax policy 12:59 Is it always the economy, stupid? 14:09 What real Iowans are talking about 15:46 The ongoing case for tax relief 17:57 John's national dispatch 19:40 Iowa's reputation among conservative peers 20:54 Reynolds and the vision beyond reelection 24:23 River to River: the Amendment One debate 26:02 Rebutting the opposition's arguments 28:30 Washington state: the cautionary tale 29:59 The forces that always want more 32:13 National debt hits $40 trillion 34:26 Iowa's fiscal foundation 35:09 Sign off

  4. Aug 7

    More Taxes, More Government: The Left's Playbook for Iowa This Fall

    Chris Hagenow and John Hendrickson are back in the Hendrickson Library for a wide-ranging episode — and opposition to the constitutional amendment is starting to emerge, which means it's time to sharpen the arguments. Chris leads with the amendment, because voices on the left are now claiming that protecting income taxes from a simple majority vote will somehow cause other taxes to go up. Chris and John take that argument apart piece by piece, drawing on Iowa's own recent history to show why the premise doesn't hold. The real lesson: every time someone argues Iowa will inevitably need to raise more revenue, they're making the case for why this protection needs to be in the Constitution. From there, the conversation turns to local government and the ongoing fallout from the property tax reform law. The city of Dubuque's complaint about a $200 million drop in taxable value gets a close reading. Bond elections are on the horizon in Johnson County and Urbandale, both for law enforcement facilities. The episode closes with a look at the Sand-Muhlbauer ticket's "local control" messaging tour and what it actually means: they want local governments to be able to keep raising property taxes. 0:00 Welcome & headset chaos1:57 Trivia4:34 Amendment one: opposition is emerging6:00 The "other taxes will go up" argument9:48 Distrust of government13:41 Dubuque and the property tax bill backlash15:10 The inflation argument18:57 Bond elections24:28 Sand-Muhlbauer "local control" tour29:43 John's immigration debate with Vance Ginn30:58 John's Herbert Hoover Library visit & sign off

  5. Jul 30

    ITR Foundation Local Government Symposium Debrief

    Chris Hagenow welcomes ITR Foundation Research Director Sarah Curry back to the studio. The occasion: a debrief on ITR Foundation's second annual Local Government Symposium, and it sounds like it was the best one yet. Sarah and Chris walk through what the symposium is and why it exists — local elected officials don't have the same depth of resources available to state legislators, and too often the information they do receive comes filtered through national associations with agendas that don't match Iowa. ITR Foundation is trying to fill that gap with practical, Iowa-focused content for the city council members, county supervisors, and school board members who are running local government on a part-time basis while holding down jobs and raising families. The conversation covers the day's major themes: what the proper function of a city actually is (police, fire, roads — not homeless task forces or economic development grants), why the free market allocates resources better than government, and what local officials should take from the property tax reform law that is now on the books — namely, that relitigating it is a waste of time and energy. The symposium also featured sessions on communicating with constituents, local endorsements, open meetings law, and a school board track that introduced benchmarking — why comparing Waterloo to Sioux City makes more sense than comparing Waterloo to Waukee. Before and after the symposium discussion, Chris makes sure listeners know about the amendment one campaign. Vote yes. MakeTaxHikesHarder.com. 0:12 Welcome & Sarah Curry returns 1:14 Amendment one reminder — and Sarah goes on record 2:13 What is the Local Government Symposium? 3:33 Why local officials need a different kind of resource 9:13 Free market vs. government in service delivery 10:04 UBI and scope creep: what cities shouldn't be doing 12:31 Property tax reform: stop relitigating, start implementing 13:38 Communications and constituent outreach 16:00 Local endorsements — more powerful than you think 19:27 Open meetings law and legal guardrails 22:15 School board breakout: benchmarking districts correctly 25:06 Chris's legislative update: property tax law is settled 30:08 What's next for ITR Foundation's local government work 30:45 Sign off & vote yes

  6. Jul 24

    Vote Yes: The Campaign to Protect Iowa Taxpayers Is Official

    Chris Hagenow and John Hendrickson are back in the Hendrickson Library — John rolls in with a red solo cup of cream soda, and the energy is right. This one's worth tuning in for. The big news: ITR officially launched its campaign yesterday. The website is live at MakeTaxHikesHarder.com. The mission is straightforward — make sure Iowans know the constitutional amendment is on the ballot this fall, and know to vote yes. Chris walks through what the amendment does and why it matters. From there, New Jersey's admission that over 6,000 noncitizens were added to its voter rolls — and 400 of them voted — gives Chris and John an opportunity to revisit the election integrity debate. Governor Reynolds was asked about it at the same press conference where she signaled support for the amendment, and her answer hits the right notes. The episode closes with two Chicago Tribune editorials on tax policy that John flagged — both making the case that Illinois is falling behind its neighbors on property tax and income tax reform, and that spending is the root of the problem. When the Tribune editorial board starts sounding like ITR, something might actually be changing. 0:13 Red solo cup 2:31 Campaign launch: MakeTaxHikesHarder.com 3:08 What the amendment does 5:59 16 states already have this — including blue ones 7:48 Washington state: what happens without it 9:39 History: this was on the ballot in 1999 10:14 What the amendment doesn't do 11:35 Public support 12:16 Two things Iowans need to know before November 14:41 Iowa's decade of income tax progress 15:08 New Jersey: 6,000 noncitizens on the voter rolls 17:11 The case for voter roll integrity 18:05 Chris's University of Iowa panel story 20:07 Chicago Tribune on property taxes and Illinois 22:13 Tribune on income taxes: Iowa as the model 26:03 Sign off & vote yes

  7. Jul 9

    Faith, Patriotism, and the Fight Over Iowa's Ballot

    Chris Hagenow and John Hendrickson are back in the Hendrickson Library — Dr. Pepper Zero firmly in hand — for a wide-ranging episode covering American patriotism, election integrity, faith in politics, and Iowa voter registration trends. The episode opens with a reflection on America's 250th birthday. Chris wanted more. The fireworks, the parades, the national moment — it didn't feel commensurate with what 250 years of the greatest experiment in self-government deserves. John connects the muted celebration to decades of failure to teach American history, and the two discuss why the left's framework for America — defined by grievance rather than gratitude — is increasingly out of step with how the rest of the world sees this country. From there, a Des Moines Register story catches their attention: a coalition of faith leaders warning that voting integrity laws are "the moral issue of our time." Chris and John take that claim seriously — and find it wanting. The conversation gets at something deeper than any specific piece of legislation: when social justice becomes the gospel, what happens to the actual gospel? The back half covers Iowa's new voter registration numbers — Democrats and Republicans both added voters coming out of the primaries, while independents declined — and what that tells us about Rob Sand's argument for a jungle primary. Spoiler: it doesn't hold up. The episode closes with a clear distinction between what conservatives mean when they talk about election law versus what the left is actually proposing, and a reminder to flip your ballot over this fall and vote yes on the constitutional amendment. 0:10 Welcome 1:09 Trivia 3:16 Smithsonian: correcting the American history narrative 5:23 Fourth of July rhetoric from the left 9:10 America at 250 16:48 Faith leaders and voting rights 18:35 The Save Act and voter ID 22:21 When social justice becomes the gospel 26:53 Iowa voter registration numbers 28:39 Sand's jungle primary argument falls apart 30:45 Election law reform vs. what the left actually wants 34:07 Reform vs. revolution 35:06 Candidates on taxes — next episode 35:32 Vote yes & sign off

  8. Jun 26

    New ITR Foundation Poll: Iowa's Races, Issues, and a Big Amendment Number

    Chris Hagenow and John Hendrickson are back in the Hendrickson Library for a special episode: the first public look at the ITR Foundation's June 2026 general election poll. These are, as far as Chris knows, the first published numbers of the cycle on Iowa's major statewide races — and the results are worth paying attention to. The poll covers the generic ballot, issue priorities, candidate matchups in all three major statewide races, and — most importantly for ITR — the constitutional amendment to require a two-thirds legislative supermajority to raise income taxes. Chris and John walk through what the numbers say, what they mean, and what they don't. The headline from the amendment question: 74% of Iowans support it — higher than in any previous poll — including 72% of independents and 60% of Democrats. Chris makes the case that whatever the margin of error, whatever the exact sample, the underlying message is unambiguous: Iowans want protection from future tax increases, and they want it written into the constitution. Tune in for the full breakdown of the governor's race numbers (closer than most Republicans assume), the Senate and AG matchups, and what the issue priority data says about the environment heading into November.0:14 Welcome & housekeeping1:46 Trivia: Coolidge answer & new Civil War question3:25 Iowa Dept. of Revenue income tax report4:55 About the ITR Foundation poll & Cygnal methodology9:17 Right track / wrong track & generic ballot10:55 Top voter issues: economy, taxes, immigration14:35 US Senate: Hinson vs. Turek15:27 Governor: Lahn vs. Sand15:47 Attorney General: Bird vs. Williams17:00 Sand's name ID advantage — and its limits20:38 The constitutional amendment explained22:13 74% support — breaking down the numbers24:00 Why the amendment resonates across party lines28:25 ESA / school choice numbers31:45 What it all means heading into November34:31 Sign off

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About

ITR Live is published by Iowans for Tax Relief, bringing you insights on Iowa politics, conservative tax policy, government accountability, and the fight for limited government. Hosted by Chris Hagenow, each episode features sharp commentary, behind-the-scenes analysis from the Iowa Capitol, and an occasional laugh—always with the taxpayer in mind. Whether we’re breaking down the latest legislation, tracking local government spending, or exploring how policies impact your wallet, ITR Live keeps you informed and engaged. Subscribe for honest conversations about conservative politics in Iowa.

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