The sun was shining, and the temperature was rising as Rotarians and guests entered the Wakonda Club for the last meeting before Thanksgiving.
Our speaker today was Tom Beaumont, national political reporter for the Associated Press. Beaumont covers national politics from the Midwest, with a focus on U.S. Senate races in battleground states. In 2016 he covered former Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. Beaumont is based in Des Moines, joining the AP in 2011 after working as The Des Moines Register’s chief political reporter.
Mr. Beaumont served up many thoughtful morsels for consideration. He began by providing a concise and fascinating history of the Associated Press. He described the organization as the largest, farthest reaching, and oldest news organization in the world. The AP employs 3,200 people in over 100 countries around the world. The AP is a subscription-based wire service providing print, text, and photos. Interestingly, 80% of the AP’s revenues come from non-newspaper sources. Online services such as Google and Yahoo News are subscribers as is the U.S. Department of Defense. He suggested his audience download the AP app as he finds it user-friendly and a good source of news, political and otherwise.
Mr. Beaumont briefly touched on the current political environment created by those who promote the idea that many in the media are purveyors of “fake news.” He believes the AP has remained above this controversy, in part, because the AP does not have an editorial division and because it is seen as a respected and impartial reporter of news.
The recent mid-term elections in Iowa and around the country were the next topic Mr. Beaumont addressed. He cited statistics to suggest the flip of two Iowa congressional seats from Republican to Democrat mirror what was seen in other districts across the country, mainly that suburban voters were walking away from the Republican Party. He suggested Governor Reynolds winning numbers indicate many Republican voters in the fourth congressional district skipped voting for Rep. Steve King but voted in the governor’s race.
Concerning the results nationally, Mr. Beaumont indicated that vote totals affirmed that many of Donald Trump’s core supporters remain, but that the size of this group may be contracting. He mentioned that the Republican Party did not see gains in states where Hillary Clinton won in 2016, but the Democrats saw gains in some Trump states. He offered some insight about the states he is watching as the country heads into the 2020 presidential election. Mainly, that Arizona, which elected its first Democratic senator in many years, and Georgia, which has a still-to-be-called gubernatorial race, and Nevada are states that could be trending more Democratic.
Mr. Beaumont concluded after fielding a wide range of interesting questions from a very appreciative crowd.
Now, we turn to Thanksgiving. On this most American, no, human of holidays, I wish you and your families all the best of the season. I hope you will have the opportunity to reflect on all for which you are thankful and, in doing so, you will think about all that warmed your heart this year; the people who inspired you by lifting others higher and, in the process, made us all better, the blessings big and small that gave you the desire, strength, and stamina to play a role in something larger than taking care of self. May we all try harder to carry and spread the hopeful light of Thanksgiving into the days and months ahead. Like you, I am thankful for so many things, but I am most thankful for having the opportunity to share life with family and friends in this magnificent time.