On Nov 6th, Iowans and even some of Pleasant Valley’s own students, went to the polls to have their voices heard through voting for US and state representatives.
Though a “blue wave” was largely predicted, the nationwide results were not clearly indicative of this. Though Democrats did take control of the House by achieving a gain of 27 seats, Republicans maintained the Senate with a gain of 4 seats.
While having each chamber controlled by a different party seems like a case of unifying bipartisanship, many constituents think that it may inhibit the ability of Congress to get things done. An anonymous PV student said, “Without one party being the majority, it will be impossible for anyone to agree on anything. I don’t think we will see major progress because nothing will ever get enough votes to pass.”
With two incumbents, Steve King (R) and Dave Loebsack (D), and two new candidates, Cindy Axne (D) and Abby Finkenauer (D), Iowa had a Democratic gain of two seats in the US House of Representatives. Iowa’s US senators were not up for re-election this cycle, but will be in 2020.
A largely watched election by many Iowans was the showdown between Kim Reynolds and Fred Hubbell. While running a campaign based on increased jobs and economic growth, Reynolds was not favorable according to many young people, which influenced her reputation here at Pleasant Valley.
In terms of Iowa’s legislature, Republicans retained control, and Pleasant Valley’s very own Chris Cournoyer won a seat for District 49 of Iowa’s State Senate. Sydney Cournoyer, daughter of Chris and 2018 Pleasant Valley graduate, says, “The leadership skills my mother learned from being president of Pleasant Valley School Board will be great for her new job as senator,” Cournoyer commented. “She excels at standing up for what she believes in and she will stand up for Iowa like she did for Pleasant Valley.”
