On The Trail: It's An Election Year, Charlie Brown

WAMU 88.5

Published January 8, 2020 at 11:06 AM EST

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders greets people during a campaign event in Winterset, Iowa. The 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses will take place on February 3, 2020, making it the first nominating contest for the Democratic Party in choosing their presidential candidate to face Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

Does it feel like this election season has already been going on for a… really long time?

Well, buckle up because things are about to get more exciting. The Iowa caucuses are less than a month away. And statehouses around the country are back in session, too.

Here’s some of what’s on the minds of state lawmakers this year, according to The Hill’s Reid Wilson:

In interviews with legislators from across the country, many said they would move to fund K-12 and higher education; expand childcare and early education; reconsider their tax codes; and address a shortage of qualified workers in a low-unemployment economy.

A growing number of states will consider spending millions or even billions to build new housing units to relieve a congested market and the growing homelessness crisis.

We talk to state legislators and Reid Wilson in the first edition of our series, “On The Trail.”

Produced by Avery J.C. Kleinman and Emmanuel Johnson.

GUESTS

Reid Wilson, National correspondent, The Hill; author, “Epidemic: Ebola and the Global Scramble to Prevent the Next Killer Outbreak”; @PoliticsReid

Jennifer McClellan, Virginia state senator (D); @jennmcclellanva

Brenda Landwehr, Representative, Kansas House of Representatives (R)

For more, visit https://the1a.org.