Emily Holley is a lifelong Iowan and executive director of the 501(c)(4) organization Iowa Voices. -promoted by Laura Belin

We know that personal stories are powerful. Stories we hear from a mother, plagued with anxiety, who can’t afford her son’s autism medications. Stories from a rural physician who’s worried about his own patients foregoing cancer screenings simply because it’s too expensive.

I wholeheartedly agree with Ed Fallon: grassroots activists are excited about the Democratic candidates for state auditor and secretary of state. -promoted by desmoinesdem

The excitement around November 6 is above and beyond what we normally experience leading up to an off-year election. Coast to coast, young, progressive candidates are fueling that excitement — as is growing discontent over President Trump’s reign of error. Even conservative voters are pulling away from the Tweeter in Chief over his:

— Escalating trade war with China,
— Support for pipelines and fracking,
— Belief that “eminent domain is a wonderful thing,” and
— Lack of a moral compass.

In Iowa, two candidates firing up voters are Rob Sand, running for state auditor, and Deidre DeJear, running for secretary of state. Check out the great story about Rob and Deidre in Politico this week — and the entertaining comparison of Rob to Robert Mueller.