Is the Iowa Republican Party making a comeback? After taking a beating from Democrats in 2006 and 2008, GOP officials sound a lot more optimistic than they did in January.

After the November presidential election, many inside and outside of the Republican Party called on its leaders to reform its message, tactics, and appeal in order to become relevant to voters again. Eight months later, Iowa Republicans — and even some national party members — are looking at an Iowa House special election as proof that they’ve got their mojo back.

On Sept. 1, voters in Iowa House District 90 — which is located in southeastern Iowa — will choose between Democrat Curt Hanson and Republican Steve Burgmeier to fill the seat vacated by former state Rep. John Whitaker, D-Hillsboro, who was appointed by President Obama to be the Iowa executive director for the Farm Service Agency.

While Republicans argue that a victory here will be a sign of things to come in 2010, Democrats hope to keep the seat occupied by a Democrat, stressing that local issues specific to the district will matter most to voters.

Both political parties are investing heavily in the race, and outside groups — mostly conservative — are pouring in resources as well. The National Organization for Marriage, a Washington, D.C.-based group that opposes same-sex marriage, recently spent $86,000 on television and radio ads in support of Burgmeier. Two leading conservative groups in the state, The Iowa Family Policy Center and Iowans for Tax Relief, are also pouring money into the special election with ads targeting Hanson. He has benefited from support from the Democratic Party and its traditional allies, such as labor unions and progressive organizations, including Democracy in America.

So if you live in Van Buren, Jefferson, or Wapello Counties, make a trip back home to vote or get an absentee ballot for this important race. Political campaigns matter, and elections have very real consequences — consequences that will shape the future and consequences that we all have to live with.

Young people played a critical role in the 2008 election, and they can do the same in future elections. Voting in an Iowa House special election may not be as appealing as, say, voting for Barack Obama. It’s probably unlikely that Hanson will give a speech that will.i.am will turn into a cultural phenomenon. But while this election may not be as sexy as the presidential race, it’s an important race nonetheless.

Although Democrats in power have fallen on hard times politically as of late, the Republican Party has offered nothing new to voters in their effort to regain power. Very little has changed about and within the Republican Party. In fact, GOP candidates are running on some of the same tired ideas of years past. Most Republicans continue to be unwilling to accept marriage equality for all, and many continue to rail against any type of government intervention into the economy.

Obviously, I’m partisan on these matters. But I, along with the rest of you live in the 21st century, and Republicans should join us.

The state with the lowest divorce rate is Massachusetts, according to the federal government’s National Vital Statistics System. While being the country with the largest economy in the world, we are the only developed nation without universal health insurance.

And you know what? I like my government. I want it to intervene in society to make sure there are roads for transportation, to make sure that the food I eat won’t harm me, and even to provide a social safety net so that we all have a platform of opportunity and well-being to stand on. While the Democratic Party is far from perfect, its leaders have offered a far more compelling message as to how to move this state and our country forward into the 21st century. Republican leaders, for the most, still fail to do so.

So on Sept. 1, I encourage you to vote if you live in Iowa House District 90 . There are Republicans who see this as an opportunity to gain political power once again. If you agree with me, then they don’t share your values. If you disagree with me, then, well … that’s a different column.