• WHAT: Roundtable discussion with Iowans
• WHO: MapLight's Pamela Behrsin and Iowa Pays the Price co-chairs David Niffenegger and Brad Anderson
• WHERE: Java Joe's coffee shop, 214 4th St., Des Moines, IA

• WHAT: Roundtable discussion with Iowans
• WHO: MapLight's Pamela Behrsin and Iowa Pays the Price co-chair Brad Anderson, as well as Iowa state Representatives Art Staed and Liz Bennett.
• WHERE: Rush Nicholson Law Firm, American Building, 101 2nd St SE #100, Cedar Rapids, IA

• WHAT: Bipartisan event with Iowa City residents
• WHO: MapLight's Pamela Behrsin and Iowa Pays the Price co-chair Brad Anderson, as well as former Iowa Congressman Jim Leach
• WHERE: Larew Law Office, 504 E. Bloomington St. #504, Iowa City, IA

• WHAT: Roundtable discussion with Iowans
• WHO: MapLight's Pamela Behrsin, Iowa Pays the Price co-chair Brad Anderson, Iowa State Representative Cindy Winckler, and Iowa State Representative Jim Lykam
• WHERE: Independent Insurance Services, 3956 North Pine St., Davenport IA

• WHAT: Roundtable discussion with Iowans
• WHO: MapLight's Pamela Behrsin and Iowa Pays the Price co-chair Brad Anderson
• WHERE: Vinny Vanucchi's restaurant, 180 Main St., Dubuque, IA

• WHAT: Roundtable discussion with Iowans
• WHO: MapLight's Pamela Behrsin and Iowa Pays the Price co-chair Brad Anderson
• WHERE: Sidecar Coffee, 2215 College St., Cedar Falls, IA 50613

• WHAT: Roundtable discussion with Iowans
• WHO: MapLight's Pamela Behrsin and Iowa Pays the Price co-chair Brad Anderson
• WHERE: Law Office of Joseph LaPointe, 202 1st St. SE ste. 102, Mason City, IA

• WHAT: Roundtable discussion with Iowans
• WHO: MapLight's Pamela Behrsin and Iowa Pays the Price co-chair David Niffenegger
• WHERE: Sioux City Main Library, the Gleeson Room, 529 Pierce St., Sioux City, IA

(DES MOINES) - Iowa Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today congratulated new Iowa House Speaker-select Linda Upmeyer, new House Majority Leader Chris Hagenow, new House Majority whip Joel Fry and new Assistant House Majority Leader Zach Nunn following the House Republican caucus' leadership election today at the Iowa State Capitol.

"Today is a historic day as Republican Linda Upmeyer will become the first female speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives. I congratulate Speaker-select Upmeyer and am eager to work with her, Majority Leader Chris Hagenow, Majority Whip Joel Fry and Assistant Majority Leader Zach Nunn to continue building Iowa for the future," said Branstad. "In Iowa, women are leading in key positions throughout state government - Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds, State Auditor Mary Mosiman, Senate President Pam Jochum, the most female department directors in Iowa history, and soon the Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives."

In addition to Iowa Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, State Auditor Mary Mosiman, Senate President Pam Jochum, and Speaker-select of the House Linda Upmeyer, Iowa has more female department and agency directors than ever before. They include :

"As the co-chair of Right Women Right Now, I'm proud to see Speaker-select Upmeyer being a trailblazer and role model right here in Iowa. Speaker-select Upmeyer, Majority Leader Hagenow, Majority Whip Fry and Assistant Majority Leader Nunn are dedicated public servants and will be strong leaders for the Iowa House Republican caucus as they continue to partner with us to bring high-quality careers to Iowa, focus on student-centered education that raises achievement in our schools, increases family incomes and makes government more efficient and effective," said Reynolds. "I look forward to continuing to work with Iowa House Republicans and leaders in the Senate to continue moving Iowa forward."

Iowa Biodiesel Board releases data showing 76 percent of voters support expanding biodiesel in Renewable Fuel Standard

ANKENY, Iowa - As the parade of presidential hopefuls continues at the Iowa State Fair this week, the Iowa Biodiesel Board reminds them just how important biodiesel is to the state's voters.

According to the group's annual independent public opinion research, the state trade association said today 76 percent of voters in Iowa widely support expanding the Renewable Fuel Standard to increase biodiesel use in the United States.

The majority of voters surveyed also said a presidential candidate's view on the RFS is important to their vote.

Grant Kimberley, executive director of the Iowa Biodiesel Board, said a candidate's support for renewable fuels should be a central campaign issue, both in Iowa and beyond.

"Growing a diverse, domestic energy supply is one of the most critical challenges our nation faces," Kimberley said. "There are many foreign security threats today, which only strengthen the argument for domestic fuel production. The RFS has helped us move in that direction, but it's a policy constantly under threat. Where the next president stands on this matters to voters."

The IBB has reached out to several campaign leaders, inviting candidates from both parties to tour one of the state's 12 biodiesel plants. The group plans to share the voter data with the campaigns.

"As a sustainable, commercially available advanced biofuel with economic and environmental benefits, biodiesel is a shining success in what America's innovative farmers and small business community can achieve in energy production," Kimberley said.

Iowa is the top biodiesel-producing state, supporting 4,376 full-time equivalent jobs.

A professional public opinion research firm, Moore Information, conducted the online survey of 500 Iowans in late July.

Biodiesel is made from a variety of resources including soybean oil, recycled cooking oil and animal fats. The Iowa Biodiesel Board is a nonpartisan state trade association representing the biodiesel industry.

With just six months until the Iowa caucuses, businessman Donald Trump (17 percent) leads the field of Republicans among likely GOP caucus voters, according to a poll from Suffolk University.

Meanwhile, a subset of voters who watched the Aug. 6 Republican debate said that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Dr. Ben Carson were the most impressive candidates.

The Suffolk University Iowa poll showed Gov. Scott Walker of neighboring Wisconsin second at 12 percent; Rubio, 10 percent; retired neurosurgeon Carson, 9 percent; and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and businesswoman Carly Fiorina tied at 7 percent.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush polled at 5 percent, followed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich (3 percent), while former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were tied at 2 percent. Six other candidates received 1 percent or less, while 20 percent of voters were undecided.

"It appears that Donald Trump's lead is strong so long as the number of active opponents remains above a dozen," said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center in Boston. "If the Republican field were winnowed down to five or six candidates, Trump's 17 percent probably wouldn't be enough to win in Iowa, as polling indicates that his further growth has limitations. The long-shot candidates staying in the race help keep Trump on top?at least for now."

Debate Impact

The race was closer among viewers of last Thursday's debate: Trump and Walker were tied at 14 percent, with Rubio (11 percent), Carson and Fiorina (tied at 10 percent), and Cruz (9 percent) close behind. However, among likely caucus voters who skipped watching the FOX NEWS debate, Trump (21 percent) led Carson (10 percent) by a wider margin, with Rubio and Walker tied at 8 percent.

"In the absence of a debate, Trump's lead widens because he swallows up the political oxygen, but when that oxygen is spread out more evenly in a debate, it breathes life into the other candidates, and the race gets closer," said Paleologos.

When viewers were asked about Trump after seeing him debate, 55 percent said they were less comfortable with him as a candidate for president, and 23 percent said they were more comfortable. Forty-one percent said the debate moderators targeted Trump unfairly, while 54 percent disagreed.

Debate performance

Both Rubio and Carson benefited from strong debate performances and are within striking distance of the leaders. When debate viewers were asked which candidate was most impressive, Rubio led with 23 percent, followed by Carson with 22 percent. Carson and Rubio also topped the field at 12 percent each as viewers' second choice?an indicator of future growth potential. When viewers shared in their own words which debate moment they remembered most, Carson dominated, with 25 percent mentioning his closing remarks, brain surgery comments, or providing other positive feedback.

Though she did not appear on the evening debate stage, Fiorina made her mark among afternoon debate viewers, 82 percent of whom said Fiorina was the most impressive of the seven candidates in the earlier debate. Among viewers of either debate, 93 percent said Fiorina should be invited to debate the top tier of Republican candidates in the future.

History of Suffolk Research in Iowa

In the most recent Iowa Republican primary for U.S. Senate, the April 2014 Suffolk University poll was the first to show then-State Sen. Joni Ernst overtaking front-runner Mark Jacobs. In May, Suffolk polled three bellwether counties?Black Hawk, Boone, and Washington?all of which indicated a landslide win for Ernst. She went on to defeat her four Republican opponents with a 38-point margin.

Methodology

The statewide survey of 500 likely Iowa presidential caucus voters was conducted Aug. 7-10, 2015, using live telephone interviews of Republican primary voter households where respondents indicated they were very or somewhat likely to attend their local caucuses for president in six months. The margin of error is +/-4.4 percent at a 95 percent level of confidence. Marginals and full cross-tabulation data are posted on the Suffolk University Political Research Center website. For more information, contact David Paleologos at 781-290-9310, dpaleologos@suffolk.edu.