(DES MOINES) - Jimmy Centers, who has served as communications director for Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds since December 2013, and has worked for Branstad-Reynolds in various capacities since 2009, will depart the governor's office to pursue a career in the private sector. Centers' last day in the Branstad-Reynolds administration will be Friday, September 25. His new private sector opportunity will be announced at a later date by his new employer.

Ben Hammes (Ham-mess), who has served as the director of appointments to Iowa's boards and commissions and as a policy advisor in the Branstad-Reynolds administration since January 2014, will succeed Centers as communications director.

"It has been an incredible honor to serve as the communications director for Governor Branstad and Lieutenant Governor Reynolds and I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to serve in their administration," said Centers. "I will always remember the governor's and lieutenant governor's tireless commitment and passion to serve the people of Iowa and their steadfast commitment to do what is right for the state of Iowa. Ben Hammes will do an exceptional job as the new communications director for the administration."

Branstad and Reynolds offered their appreciation for Centers' service.

"Lieutenant Governor Reynolds and I have enjoyed working with Jimmy since 2009 when he served as a field director in Northeast Iowa on our 2010 gubernatorial campaign," said Branstad. "Jimmy has served in several capacities in our administration, including scheduling, deputy communications director and communications director. In each role, he brought energy, dedication and a tremendous work ethic while always looking for ways to evolve and improve our office's communications delivery and reach. We wish him well in his new endeavor and are pleased to bring Ben Hammes into a new role in which we are confident he will excel."

"Over the years, Jimmy has been an asset as a communications adviser and spokesman who always remembered that government serves the taxpayers," said Reynolds. "Jimmy's ability to effectively communicate in situations that require a rapid response, coupled with his ability to craft and implement effective communications plans for a variety of situations, will serve him well in his new career in the private sector. Though we're disappointed to see Jimmy move on, we know that we have a talented, capable professional in Ben Hammes, who is ready to move into his new role."

Jimmy Centers, 28, is a Peoria, Ill., native and a graduate of the University of Iowa.  During his time leading communications for Gov. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Reynolds, Centers leveraged emerging social media like Instagram, Snapchat, Meerkat and Periscope while managing and crafting governor's office messaging, coordinating communications from Iowa executive branch departments and agencies, writing speeches for the governor and lt. governor, organizing hundreds of events and press conferences, upholding the administration's steadfast commitment to transparency by handling all media inquiries, and being the on-the-record spokesman for Branstad and Reynolds. A photo of Centers can be found here.

Ben Hammes, 29, is a Story City, Iowa, native and graduated with a degree in political communications from the University of Northern Iowa in 2008.  Upon graduation, Hammes worked for Senator Charles Grassley in Washington, D.C. for just short of 3 years as a staff assistant and legislative correspondent.  He returned to Iowa in 2011 and worked for Congressman Tom Latham both in an official capacity and on his re-election campaigns until his announced retirement in late 2013.  Hammes has since served the administration in variety of capacities.  He and his wife, Morgan, reside in Clive.   A photo of Hammes can be found here.

The Des Moines / Henry County Labor Council, AFL-CIO, will once again hold its annual Burlington Labor Day Picnic at the 40 & 8 Park (located directly behind the Bee's Stadium or Community Field), 27l2Mt. Pleasant St., Burlington, Ia. on September 7, 2015 (4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.).

This year we will again have a jump house and other family activities to try and make the picnic fun for everyone and all ages.  The picnic is one of the council's longest standing traditions. This year will be the second year where the local unions will compete to see who has the largest turnout of members at the event which entitles them to hold the Milt Branchini award for the year. This is a fun competition geared towards getting everyone involved.

Due to the large crowds expected for Hillary Clinton, the event itself will be FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

However, anyone wanting to stay for the food and activities can purchase tickets are priced at $5.00 for a single, $10.00 for family, and $100.00 for a block of 10 tickets. Many of our locals purchase the block of tickets and distribute them to their members so they may attend. Additional tickets may be purchased at the picnic as well.

Hillary Clinton has long been a champion for working families. However, her appearance at the picnic should not construe an endorsement from the labor council. The authority for making Presidential Endorsement remains with the National AFL-CIO and International Unions.

To learn more, please contact Ryan Drew, 319-759-3188 or email rdrew@local150.org or Jon Garst 319-759-3814 

###

BOSTON – Even though 52 percent of likely Iowa Democratic presidential caucus voters say that the persistent controversy over Hillary Clinton's email would hurt her in a November general election, they are backing her by a 34-point margin over her closest Democratic rival, according to a Suffolk University poll.

Clinton (54 percent) overwhelmed a field that included Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (20 percent), Vice President Joe Biden (11 percent), former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (4 percent), and former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb (1 percent), while other candidates, including former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, received less than 1 percent. Nine percent of likely Democrats were undecided.

"There is a fierce loyalty to Hillary Clinton among likely Democratic caucus-goers in Iowa," said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center in Boston. "Despite reports suggesting her vulnerability, these Democratic voters say they don't believe she broke the law. They are sticking by her in large numbers, even though a majority believes the email scandal will hurt her in the general election."

Potential Biden candidacy

The poll tested Joe Biden's potential entrance into the Democratic fray, even though he has not reached a decision and plans to make a formal announcement of his intentions in a few weeks.

"Biden's modest early support despite a favorability rating of more than 87 percent shows a lack of organization and funding, as he is not officially a candidate," said Paleologos.

If Biden opts out of the race, his Iowa Democratic supporters would split 39 percent to Clinton, 29 percent to Sanders, and 18 percent to O'Malley, according to the poll's subset of second-choices for the Democratic nomination.

Women keen on Clinton

Clinton's strongest support was with women, who put her ahead by 43 points, 58 percent to Sanders' 15 percent and Biden's 13 percent.

"Historically, Democratic caucuses and primaries turn out a disproportionate amount of women, and Clinton is making the gender advantage work to her advantage," said Paleologos.

State Department email issue

Fifty-two percent of Democratic voters said the email issue will hurt Clinton if she becomes the Democratic nominee, while 36 percent said it will not. Voters who prefer Clinton were split, with 44 percent saying the email question will hurt her and 44 percent saying it will not.

Asked if Clinton broke the law by using personal email while serving as Secretary of State, 9 percent said she did, while 76 percent said she did not, and 15 percent weren't sure.

On the issue of honesty and trust, however, Sanders (32 percent) edged Clinton (29 percent) and Biden (18 percent). When voters were asked "which candidate best understands the problems facing people like you," Clinton (39 percent) led Sanders (32 percent), and Biden (10 percent).

When non-Clinton voters were asked what is holding them back from supporting Clinton, 18 percent indicated that they "liked another candidate better." Other responses included:

"untrustworthy/dishonest" (9 percent)
"email controversy" (9 percent)
"has a lot of baggage/issues" (5 percent)
"views on issues" (4 percent)
"she's a Clinton" (3 percent)
"won't make it" (3 percent)
"Wall Street/corporate" (3 percent)
"need change" (2 percent)
"not progressive enough" (2 percent)
"bad publicity/news" (2 percent)

Minimum wage

The poll showed overwhelming support for raising the minimum wage in increments to $15 per hour by the year 2020, with 85 percent of Democrats in favor and 11 percent opposed. A majority of Democratic voters (54 percent to 34 percent) would support an increase to $17.50 per hour by the year 2020, but they rejected raising the minimum wage to $20 per hour (51 percent to 34 percent).

Methodology

The statewide survey of 500 likely Iowa presidential caucus voters was conducted August 20-24 using live telephone interviews of Democratic primary voter households where respondents indicated they were very or somewhat likely to attend their local presidential caucuses. The margin of error is +/-4.4 percentage points at a 95 percent level of confidence. Marginals and full cross-tabulation data are posted on the Suffolk University Political Research Center website: www.suffolk.edu/SUPRC. For more information, contact David Paleologos at 781-290-9310, dpaleologos@suffolk.edu.

-----

Suffolk University, located in historic downtown Boston, with an international campus in Madrid, is a student-centered institution distinguished by excellence in education and scholarship. Suffolk University offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in more than 90 areas of study. Its mission is to empower graduates to be successful locally, regionally and globally