It's only April, but the campaign brochures for Iowa's legislative races should be ready for the printing press soon, and they likely won't be friendly.

Republicans, eager to grab the majority in the Iowa House, are sharpening their knives for the contest.

They'll be looking to paint Democratic lawmakers as freewheeling spenders willing to raise Iowans' taxes to extend their spending spree.

GOP challengers also will hammer Democrats in more conservative districts for refusing to bring up a measure for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

And they'll try to whip up even more anger over Democrats' attempts to change collective bargaining laws in ways that favor unions or "fair share" legislation.

Gov. Chet Culver initially threatened to veto a collective bargaining bill passed by Democratic lawmakers, saying the public should have had more input in the process. He and Democratic legislative leaders have been in talks for weeks to try to find some consensus among stakeholders.

But no middle ground could be found. Lawmakers are sending him the original bill unchanged, and Culver will have 30 days to sign or veto it.

The bill would give public employee unions the ability to bring up more topics at the bargaining table. The measure is opposed by Republicans, who say it will mean higher property taxes, and by many local elected officials who have to sit on the other side of the bargaining table.

The decision Culver has to make puts him in a tight political spot. He can either decide to anger organized labor, one of the Democratic Party's biggest backers, or open himself up to criticism that he's paying back unions for their support.

Democrats, in charge of both chambers of the Iowa Legislature, will be touting some of their big accomplishments on the campaign trail. They'll say the public smoking ban they passed will help save lives and protect the public from the dangers of second-hand smoke.

They'll point to commitments they kept to extend pay raises to Iowa's public schoolteachers. And they'll tout a new statewide penny sales tax for schools as a way for rural school districts to share in the wealth of sales tax revenues. The tax replaces the local-option sales tax, so voters won't notice an increase.

Democrats command a wide 30-20 majority in the Iowa Senate, which is seeing several GOP retirements this year.

That shifts the spotlight this campaign season to the House, where Democrats have a far slimmer 53-47 advantage.

House Republicans have tried repeatedly to force Democrats to take votes against measures meant to curb illegal immigration. They're looking for that one vote they can put on a critical campaign flyer or TV ad for Democratic incumbents.