It's election day in Iowa, and the Democratic primary between Congressman Leonard Boswell and Ed Fallon is one of the highest-profile races in the state.

Both campaigns have expressed confidence about the outcome--Boswell's because of an internal poll reportedly showing him way ahead, and Fallon's because of direct voter contacts by the candidate, his staff and volunteers.

In this diary I will discuss Boswell's closing argument, as expressed in broadcast media advertisements as well as direct-mail pieces.

I will also go over the main rationale for Fallon's campaign and the key events during the final days before the primary.

Join me after the jump for more.

I wish I could say I saw this one coming, but I was pleasantly surprised Tuesday morning to read the Des Moines Register's editorial urging Democrats in Iowa's third Congressional district to give Ed Fallon "a chance to unleash some of his ideas and energy in Washington."

That's right, the same editorial board that endorsed Hillary Clinton five months ago because of her experience, readiness to lead and hard work in the Senate has determined that Congressman Leonard Boswell "falls short."

Join me after the jump for more on this endorsement and other recent developments in the campaign.

In just a few minutes, Iowa state legislator and candidate for Congress Ed Fallon will be joining us for a live blog at 1pm et over at the EENR Blog. Get your questions ready and let's get the conversation going!

One of the first candidates the bloggers of EENR decided to endorse was state legislator Ed Fallon running for Congress in Iowa's 3rd c.d. It wasn't a difficult choice. Ed Fallon is a progressive's progressive. In his 14 years as a legislator in Iowa's House, he never accepted PAC/lobbyist money. Fallon had his values in place long before it was the progressive thing to do to refuse lobbyist/PAC money. Here's a statement from Fallon about why he's running for Congress:

Our country needs and wants change.  I'm ready to take on the corporate interests who have corrupted our federal government.  I'm ready to give working families and the poor a voice in national politics.  I'm ready to do what I can to see that environmental issues are taken seriously inside the beltway.  I'm ready to apply what I've learned during 23 years of public service in Iowa and be a part of the solution in Washington.

More below the fold....

More background on this race can be found in my previous diaries here or at the Iowa progressive community blog Bleeding Heartland.

A little more than two weeks before the Democratic primary in Iowa's third Congressional district, Ed Fallon has challenged Congressman Leonard Boswell to shift his support as a superdelegate from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama.

It's a shrewd move for several reasons.

First, Iowa's third district went for Obama in January, as today's press release from Fallon underscores:

Fallon says, "Even though Hillary Clinton finished behind Barack Obama and John Edwards in the Third Congressional District, Congressman Boswell continues to ignore the will of the majority by saying he will cast his superdelegate vote for Clinton."

Fallon worked with John Edwards through the Iowa Caucuses and then endorsed Barack Obama in February. Fallon says, "Both Obama and Edwards are people whose principles reflect my belief that we need to get big money out of politics and stand up to the special interests to accomplish real change in this country. It's time to come together and focus on defeating John McCain in November."

Most of the Iowa Democratic Party establishment is backing Boswell (including many of Obama's high-profile endorsers). However, the activists who are strong Obama supporters clearly lean toward Fallon.

As I've written before, Fallon yard signs are often seen in the same yards as the Obama "HOPE" signs, while Boswell's yard signs are frequently paired with Hillary signs. Just last weekend I was with a friend who has both the Obama and Fallon signs in her yard on a busy corner. She was an Obama captain in a large Des Moines precinct. Her job takes her to many neighborhoods in the metro area, and she told me she hasn't seen any yards with signs for HOPE and Boswell (I have heard of a couple of those) or yards with signs for Fallon and Hillary (I have seen that combination only once).

Any further publicity that aligns Fallon with Obama, and Boswell with Clinton, can't hurt the challenger and may even sway some undecided Democrats.

Second, Obama is coming back to Des Moines this Tuesday for a victory rally on the night when he is expected to win a majority of the Democratic Party's pledged delegates. This will surely be a big media event.

Fallon spoke at a Nation for Change rally supporting Obama in Des Moines last month. Although Fallon will probably not be able to address the crowd this coming Tuesday, Obama's visit may generate some media coverage about which prominent Iowans are supporting Obama, and which are still with Clinton.

Third, since Boswell has rejected all invitations to debate, Fallon will not have many more opportunities to trip up the incumbent before the June 3 primary. Today's challenge is a way to shift the media narrative toward a subject less favorable to Boswell.

Speaking of debates, Boswell has said he could not spare the time for them because he is too busy working on the farm bill and other legislation. But Congress has already sent the farm bill to President Bush and is likely to be in recess during the last week in May. It's too bad that Boswell can't be straightforward about his reasons for not debating Fallon.

A final note before I end this post: after trying for more than a week, I have so far been unable to get any comment from Boswell's campaign or his Congressional office on whether Boswell was the Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee who on May 8 supported a Republican effort to add the Senate version of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (which includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies) to the fiscal 2009 Intelligence authorization bill.

I am still trying to get someone who works for Boswell to confirm or deny this speculation and will bring you up to date on this in my next post on the IA-03 primary.

Meanwhile, I welcome your comments and questions.

Less than a month before the Democratic primary to represent Iowa's third district, Ed Fallon is trying to make Congressman Leonard Boswell either debate him or pay a political price for refusing to debate.

Join me after the jump for more on that and other recent developments in the race.

I'm covering this campaign more frequently and in more detail at the Iowa progressive community blog Bleeding Heartland.

The Fallon campaign sent out this press release last week...

Fallon has received invitations to eight debates and has accepted them all. "Unfortunately," Fallon said, "Boswell has declined debate invitations from WHO Radio, the League of Women Voters, and Women for a Stronger America. Some of these groups have issued multiple invitations since February and have yet to receive any response from the Boswell campaign."

Is it because Boswell can't defend his vote for the Iraq War?

Is it because Boswell can't defend his vote in favor of repealing the estate tax?

Is it because Boswell can't defend his vote to the bankruptcy bill?

Is it because Boswell can't defend his vote to approve torture in the Military Commissions Act?

Is it because Boswell can't defend his vote for No Child Left Behind?

Is it because Boswell can't defend his continued support for NAFTA-like trade agreements?

Is it because Boswell can't defend the fact that 74% of his donations come from PAC's?

Is it because Boswell can't defend his vote to provide $14 billion in tax breaks and incentives for oil and gas companies?

Congressman Leonard Boswell's campaign has been giving the incumbent an image makeover as the June 3 primary approaches.

I learned from direct-mail pieces this month that Boswell is "Taking on George Bush for the Changes We Need," as well as "working to bring the troops home every day" and "Taking on powerful interests" to deliver health care to all Iowans.

These campaign communications bring to mind Ralph Waldo Emerson's quote: "What you do shouts so loudly in my ears I cannot hear what you say."

Progressive Kick has created a website that shows in quite an entertaining way what Boswell has been doing during his six terms in Congress. Let's just say he hasn't been much of a crusader against powerful interests.

Join me after the jump for more.

It's been a while since I've posted here about the Democratic primary to represent Iowa's third Congressional district, but I've been busy covering the race at Bleeding Heartland.

Today I want to bring you up to date on the increasingly negative campaign that six-term incumbent Congressman Leonard Boswell has been running against Ed Fallon.

For more background on the race, here are links to some of my previous diaries:

the introductory diary, with biographical information on Boswell and Fallon

The cases for Fallon and Boswell

Boswell and Fallon pick up the pace

Will Democrats vote on the issues?

Who would be a more effective representative?

Follow me after the jump for more...