A veteran of Iowa political reporting is running the latest addition to this state’s blogosphere.  

The Iowa Daily Democrat debuted on March 9. Its managing editor Mike Glover covered Iowa politics and the statehouse for the Associated Press and appeared on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” program for two decades. After retiring from the AP, Glover created the Iowa Horserace website in 2013. That blog hasn’t been updated since January.

According to the new website’s “about” page,

The Iowa Daily Democrat is a progressive news source published by the Clarion News Service. We are committed to providing politically conscious Iowans and newsreaders with the stories that matter to progressives. Our reporting is faithful to the issues that deserve attention and are often denied it, our commentary is dedicated to fostering the progressive conversation and letting it grow, our principals are devoted to serving the common cause of Iowans that [sic] want to see better government, better citizenship and better public debate. The Iowa Daily Democrat is owned by a private company and is not funded by a political super PAC; our managing editor is a respected journalist, not a former political operative; our stories are real, not fabricated for political campaigns. We deliver daily news to more than 65,000 subscribers and manage an online source to capture and display our stories for easy reference. The Iowa Daily Democrat was founded with the expressed purpose of providing the public with a place to find forward-thinking voices while having their own voice heard.

If you are wondering how a brand-new blog has more than 65,000 subscribers already, the answer appears at the bottom of the daily e-mail bulletins: “You are receiving this email because you signed up for our daily newsletter, you have had direct contact with someone related to The Iowa Daily Democrat, or you were part of Jack Hatch for Governor’s contact list.”

I am seeking information on whether Hatch is an owner/investor in the Clarion News Service, or whether his campaign simply sold its e-mail list to the Iowa Daily Democrat’s owner. So far neither Glover nor Hatch has responded to my request for comment, but I will update this post as needed. For the record, this blogger wishes she had thought to inquire about purchasing the list. The universe of people who supported Hatch’s campaign surely includes many who would want to read a progressive take on Iowa news.

I welcome more voices in the political blogosphere and look forward to reading more from the Iowa Daily Democrat. There’s no shortage of important stories that receive little attention from the mainstream media.

During its first week, the Iowa Daily Democrat published several pieces by Glover and two by guest authors: a commentary on last weekend’s Iowa Agriculture Summit and a discussion of big money in politics, especially spending by outside groups.

The only article I found strange was Glover’s March 11 story titled, “Proposed Iowa Pipeline Draws Mixed Reviews from Environmentalists.” From my vantage point as an active member of various Iowa environmental non-profits, opposition to the Bakken oil pipeline appears to be overwhelming.

Glover quoted Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Executive Director Hugh Espey making the case against the proposal, while Des Moines Water Works CEO Bill Stowe said he was “not a huge opponent,” because Bakken oil “is going to move by rail or pipeline, and I think a pipeline is safer.”

No doubt some other environmentalists agree with Stowe, but to suggest that the community is split on the Bakken pipeline is misleading. For context, this story might have mentioned that at least ten Iowa environmental organizations have joined the coalition of groups opposing the pipeline. The Sierra Club’s Iowa chapter, which has roughly 5,000 members statewide, is mobilizing public opposition and plans legal steps to “fight the project every step of the way, and before every state and federal agency.”

UPDATE: Jason Noble reported for the Des Moines Register,

Filings with the Iowa Secretary of State show Hatch is the registered agent and “organizer” for the Clarion News Service. The company is headquartered at a building owned by Hatch in Des Moines’ Sherman Hill neighborhood.

Glover sent out an email announcing the website’s launch on Monday to the email list for Hatch’s now-defunct gubernatorial campaign.

Reached for comment last week, Hatch was evasive, calling the Iowa Daily Democrat and the Clarion News Service a “private venture with private investors.”

He declined to identify those investors, though, and would not say if he was one of them. More details on the company and its leadership will be forthcoming, he said.

“We’ll have a statement once the company is ready for that,” Hatch said. “I think it’s safe to say the investors want to see how this Iowa Daily Democrat works what kind of response it’s getting before they make any further declaration.”