By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
Sen. Tom Harkin announced Saturday that he will not seek another term in office — putting another dent in Democrats' chances of hanging onto control of the Senate in the 2014 election.
An obscure special election for a state legislative seat in the eastern part of the state could decisively shift the balance of power in Des Moines, and give resurgent Republicans the ability to move a slew of items on their stalled agenda.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry has telephoned influential Republicans in early-voting New Hampshire and Iowa in recent days as he weighs whether to enter the race for the GOP presidential nomination.
"He looked forward to the opportunity to have a face-to-face and talk about great things that could happen in Iowa as well as the nation," Mrs. Reynolds said. "He just said he looked forward to seeing me soon."
Among those contacted, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds said Mr. Perry left a message for her, but didn't indicate whether he planned to run.
