2012 Presidential Campaign Blog

Gov. Terry E. Branstad Thanks Matt Strawn for his Service to the Republican Party of Iowa

Gov. Branstad thanks Strawn for his service to the Republican Party of Iowa

(DES MOINES) – Gov. Terry E. Branstad today released the following statement thanking Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Matt Strawn for his service to the party on behalf of Iowa Republicans:

“I want to thank Matt Strawn for his three years of leadership at the Republican Party of Iowa. Matt took over at a time when the party was in desperate shape, and rebuilt it precinct-by-precinct, putting it in the strongest position in years. Under Matt Strawn’s leadership, we defeated an incumbent governor for the first time since 1962, gained control of the Iowa House with a 60-seat majority, won six seats in the Iowa Senate, restored a strong financial standing and have surged in Republican registration. Matt’s leadership will be missed, but I am confident a smooth transition will take place at the Republican Party of Iowa and we will continue our party’s successes this November.”

Gov. Branstad accepts President Obama’s invitation to event in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Gov. Branstad accepts President Obama’s invitation to event in Cedar Rapids

Governor’s public events previously announced for Wednesday have been canceled

(DES MOINES) – Gov. Terry Branstad today announced that he has accepted President Obama’s invitation to his event in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, January 25, 2012. Gov. Branstad will greet President Obama at The Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids then travel to the event at Conveyor Engineering and Manufacturing.

The Des Moines Register Releases Final Iowa Poll on Saturday, December 31, 2011

THE DES MOINES REGISTER TO RELEASE FINAL IOWA POLL RESULTS OF LIKELY 2012 REPUBLICAN CAUCUS-GOERS AT 8 P.M. EST ON SATURDAY, DEC. 31, 2011

Des Moines, IA- On Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011, at 8 p.m. EST, The Des Moines Register, a Gannett company, will release the initial findings of the year’s final Iowa Poll of likely 2012 Republican caucus-goers, exclusively through DesMoinesRegister.com.<http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/> The poll will be published in the Des Moines Sunday Register on Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012.

This exclusive poll is closely watched by candidates and national media as a barometer of voters’ opinions in the leadoff caucus state in the days before voting begins in the presidential nominating process. In this highly volatile race, a different candidate led each of the three previous polls.

The results, tabulated from December  27-30, 2011 are the final in a series of polls that have surveyed Iowans on the Republican presidential field.

The University of Iowa’s Student Newspaper ‘The Daily Iowan’ Endorses Ron Paul for President

‘The Daily Iowan’ Endorses Ron Paul for President
Endorsing Paul “the only logical conclusion”

ANKENY, Iowa – The University of Iowa’s student newspaper, The Daily Iowan, today endorsed GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul.

Caucus for Ron Paul on Jan. 3

The Daily Iowan Editorial Board endorses Texas Rep. Ron Paul for the Iowa Republican presidential caucuses.

The reasons for endorsing Paul over the other Republican contenders are numerous and warranted. The differences between their beliefs on governing primarily motivate our decision.

Paul is a candidate who appeals to voters across the political spectrum. He has also been exceptionally consistent in his time in Congress. He doesn't play political games — even with his opponents — and remains truthful to his word. This alone is a redeeming quality in a candidate in today's political sphere.

Despite the mainstream media writing him off as being unable to win Iowa, he is now polling in second place and may even be the most popular candidate in Iowa, given the margin of error.
The full article can be viewed here.

University of Iowa Hawkeye Poll; Gingrich 29.8%, Romney 20.3%, Paul 10.7%, Bachmann 8.5%, Perry 8.2%, Santorum 5.3% #iacaucus

Hawkeye Poll: Gingrich still leads, but support may be softening

Newt Gingrich continues to retain his frontrunner status in Iowa among candidates seeking the Republican presidential nomination, but his support in the state may be declining, according to a University of Iowa Hawkeye Poll released today.

With the Iowa caucuses just three weeks away, Gingrich retains his lead over Mitt Romney, with 29.8 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers indicating that they would vote for Gingrich and 20.3 percent of the respondents supporting Romney if the caucuses were held today. Ron Paul placed third with 10.7 percent. Among other candidates, Michelle Bachman had 8.5 percent, Rick Perry had 8.2 percent, Rick Santorum had 5.3 percent, Herman Cain had 4.4 percent, and John Huntsman had 1.5 percent.

Cain's announcement to suspend his campaign occurred midway through polling. A comparison of responses before and after his announcement on Dec. 3 shows his support decreasing from 6.5 percent to 2.9 percent. After Cain's departure from the race, the survey found support for Gingrich dropping from 37.7 percent to 24.4 percent. The prime beneficiaries appear to be Paul, whose support increased from 7.1 percent to 13 percent; Perry, who went from 4.8 percent to 10.4 percent; and Santorum, who went from 2.7 percent to 7.0 percent. The percentage of respondents who were not sure who their choice would be also increased from 5.6 percent to 13.8 percent. Cain supporters appear to spread out among the other candidates in the race.

Frederick Boehmke, associate professor of political science in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and faculty adviser of the Hawkeye Poll, says that although Gingrich is currently in the lead, he may be losing support.

"Gingrich's 29.8 percent share among likely GOP caucus-goers still gives him a nine-point lead over Romney, but our results show that his support may be starting to slide as it has with previous frontrunners," Boehmke says. "The gap has closed to 5.1 percentage points even though Romney's support has changed very little."

Gingrich's lead over Romney is smaller among "very likely" caucus-goers, with 29.0 percent stating they would vote for him if the caucuses were held today compared to 22.6 percent who identified Romney as their preferred candidate. This gap widened among those "somewhat likely" to attend the caucuses, with 31.2 percent supporting Gingrich and 16 percent supporting Romney if the caucuses were held today. Among "very likely" caucus-goers, Bachmann placed third with 11.2 percent of respondents.

Similar results occur among "strong" Republicans—28.9 percent would vote for Gingrich and 23.1 percent would vote for Romney if the caucuses were held today. Gingrich's lead is larger when looking at Iowans who identify as Republican but "not strongly." Of those, 35.9 percent would vote for Gingrich and 20.7 percent would vote for Romney in the caucuses. Of those who identified as "not strong" Republicans, 8.6 percent said they would support Paul.

"Gingrich faces at least two obstacles according to our data," Boehmke says. "His run at the top may be starting to tail off as it has for previous front-runners. He also faces the challenge of turning out his supporters on caucus night, which will be critical since the gap between him and Romney is narrower among 'very likely' GOP caucusers and 'strong' Republicans."

Caroline Tolbert, professor of political science in CLAS and co-author of the 2011 book Why Iowa?, says campaigning in Iowa matters for support on caucus night.

"Bachman, Santorum, and Ron Paul have campaigned extensively in Iowa, while Gingrich has spent little time in the state. Romney built a strong network of support in Iowa four years ago that voters remember today," Tolbert says. "Candidate support among strong Republicans and very likely caucus-goers is our best predictor of success in the caucuses, given expected low turnout. While Gingrich is polling well, his minimal staff and grassroots organization in Iowa suggests he may be unable to turnout supporters on Jan. 3 to the same degree as the others."

In Iowa, Independents can register to caucus on caucus night. Of those who identified as Independent leaning Republican, Gingrich still leads (32.3 percent), but Paul (18.5 percent) is preferred over Romney (13.2 percent). Paul fared well among all Independent groups (19.6 percent).

Tea Party supporters may be mobilized this election. Seventy-four percent of likely Republican caucus-goers support the Tea Party. Among respondents who "strongly" or "somewhat" support the Tea Party movement, Gingrich's support is more than twice as high as Romney's. Sixteen percent of supporters would vote for Romney, while 33.8 percent would vote for Gingrich. Bachman had the backing of 11.5 percent of Tea Party supporters and Paul 10.8 percent.

"Gingrich has become the Tea Party candidate in this race, and this bodes well for him," Tolbert says. "Turnout of Tea Party supporters on caucus night could be key to his success in the state."

Romney does better among those who did not express support of the movement, with 38.6 percent of those who "neither support nor oppose" and 36.9 percent of those who "oppose" the movement supporting him.

Preference between the two front-runners varied due to basic demographic factors. Romney received slightly more support among female Iowans than among male Iowans; 23.7 percent of female Iowans would vote for Romney if the caucuses were held today, while 17.6 percent of male Iowans indicated the same preference. In contrast, more male Iowans expressed support for Gingrich (34.4 percent compared to 24.1 percent of female Iowans).

Romney's greatest support came from respondents aged 70 or older (27.9 percent), with other age groups ranging from 11.7 percent (aged 18-34) to 18.8 percent (aged 55-69). Preference for Gingrich was steady across all age groups. If the caucuses were held today, 25.2 percent of Iowans aged 18-34, 35.8 percent aged 35-54, 24.6 percent aged 55-69, and 31.5 percent aged 70 years or older would vote for Gingrich.

Detailed analysis of the poll follows. Topline results for the polls are available at: http://news-releases.uiowa.edu/2011/december/121211Caucus_Hawkeye_Poll_topline.pdf. Poll methodology is available at:http://news-releases.uiowa.edu/2011/december/121211Caucus_Hawkeye_Poll_Methodology.pdf.

Michele Bachmann Iowa Schedule December 8-10, 2011

Bachmann Returns to Iowa, Energizes Supporters for Jan. 3 Caucuses

Washington, D.C. – Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann returns to Iowa tomorrow to energize supporters in the Hawkeye State. Bachmann will stress her conservative credentials during her visit, emphasizing the need to reduce the size of government, lower taxes, shrink the deficit and protect America's boarders.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Interview with Fox New Channel's "FOX & Friends"
7:15 am ET

Quad Cities Media Availability
1:00 pm CT
Quad Cities International Airport,
Visitors Center
2200 69th Avenue
Moline, Ill.
 
Quad City Times Editorial Board Meeting
NOTE: This event is closed to press.
1:45 pm CT
Quad City Times
500 East 3rd Street
Davenport, Iowa
 
Cedar Rapids Gazette Editorial Board Meeting
NOTE: This event is closed to press.
4:30 pm CT
Cedar Rapids Gazette
500 3rd Avenue Southwest
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
 
Five Seasons Republican Women Meet & Greet
6:00 pm CT
Cedar Rapids Country Club
550 27th Street Drive SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
 
Friday, December 9, 2011

Nationwide Insurance Employee Town Hall
2:00 pm CT
Nationwide Insurance, 2nd Floor Cafeteria
1100 Locust Street
Des Moines, Iowa

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Veterans' Issues Forum
2:30 pm CT
Varsity Theatre
1207 25th Street
Des Moines, IA
 
ABC News Republican Presidential Debate
8:00 pm CT
Sheslow Auditorium - Drake University
2507 University Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa

Branstad: National Popular Vote Initiative would compel candidates to ignore Iowa in favor of population centers

Branstad: National Popular Vote Initiative would compel candidates to ignore Iowa in favor of population centers

(DES MOINES) – Gov. Terry Branstad today said the National Popular Vote Initiative is a deeply flawed movement that would eliminate Iowa’s influence on national elections by stripping its electoral votes in favor of a national popular vote.

“The National Popular Vote plan will do nothing but shift candidates’ focus from battleground states, like Iowa, to mega-population centers,” said Branstad. “The Founding Fathers crafted an electoral system that requires our presidential candidates to appeal to citizens from many different states and constituencies, which allows smaller states like Iowa an important say in who becomes our president.”

Under the proposed National Popular Vote Plan, the electoral vote system would be thrown out. This means candidates would essentially have to “buy” states in the form of advertising, and the influence of personal, grassroots interaction with voters would be significantly diminished, if not eliminated altogether.

“The National Popular Vote will do nothing but allow candidates to look past smaller-populated states and focus instead on cities with major media outlets,” said Branstad. “There is a reason only eight states and the District of Columbia have adopted this plan. America wants a candidate that represents the people of the country, not just those of larger, metropolitan areas.”

Branstad also pointed out that a National Popular Vote system would force candidates to appeal more to their base, rather than to independents.

For more information, please visit www.governor.iowa.gov.

Iowa GOP Chair Strawn: First in the Nation Iowa Caucuses Set for January 3, 2012 #iacaucus

Iowa GOP Chair Strawn: First in the Nation Iowa Caucuses Set for January 3

Des Moines – Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Matt Strawn tonight made the following statement after the Party’s State Central Committee approved a motion to hold Iowa’s First in the Nation Precinct Caucuses on Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. (Iowa time).

“On behalf of over 600,000 Iowa Republicans, I’m excited to announce the first step Iowans will have to replace Barack Obama and his failed presidency will be next January 3 at our First in the Nation Iowa Caucuses,” said Strawn. “A January 3 date provides certainty to the voters, to our presidential candidates, and to the thousands of statewide volunteers who make the Caucus process a reflection of the very best of our representative democracy.”

Iowa’s precinct caucuses, which occur at over 1,700 precinct locations across the Hawkeye state, are best-known for the presidential preference poll that occurs along with traditional party organizing activities such as the election of precinct committeemen and platform discussions.

Strawn noted that the decision to hold the precinct caucuses on January 3 mirrored the decision made by Iowa Republican and Democrat officials during the 2008 presidential cycle when Iowa held the First in the Nation Caucuses on January 3 and New Hampshire held the First in the Nation Primary on January 8, 2008.

Strawn noted this process is best served with Iowa and New Hampshire continuing in lead-off roles as the First in the Nation Caucus and First in the Nation Primary, respectively. He said, “At a time when more and more Americans feel disconnected from our national leaders, we need places like Iowa and New Hampshire that require those who seek to lead us, actually meet us, look us in the eye and listen to our hopes and concerns for our families and our Nation.”

Strawn also expressed solidarity with his counterparts in New Hampshire, “I will do everything in my power on the RNC to hold Florida accountable for creating this mess, but the culpability for creating a compressed January calendar does not end there. The actions of early state newcomer Nevada have also exacerbated this problem and unnecessarily crowded the January calendar. Time remains for Nevada to respect the process, honor tradition and rectify the problem in a way that will restore order to the nomination calendar.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio Campaigns in Iowa. Will Headline Fundraisers for Jones County Sheriff Candidate Rick LaMere

Sheriff Joe Arpaio Campaigns in Iowa
“America’s Toughest Sheriff” to Headline Fundraisers for Jones County Sheriff Candidate Rick LaMere
 
ANAMOSA, IA – The Citizens for Rick LaMere Campaign will host a fundraiser for Jones County Sheriff candidate Rick LaMere September 17, 2011. Joining the Jones County GOP candidate will be the controversial Sheriff Joe Arpaio, “America’s Toughest Sheriff”, of Maricopa County, AZ.
 
WHO: “Jones County Sheriff Republican Candidate Rick LaMere” and “Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, AZ”
 
WHAT: Fundraiser for Jones County Sheriff Candidate Rick LaMere
 
WHERE: J&P Cycles, 13225 Circle Drive, Anamosa, IA (speech by candidate Rick LaMere & Sheriff Joe Arpaio) and National Motorcycle Museum, 102 Chamber Drive, Anamosa, IA (spaghetti dinner)
 
WHEN: J&P Cycles reception and speeches from 3:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. followed by a Spaghetti Dinner at the National Motorcycle Museum from 5:00 P.M. – 7:00 P.M.
 
Special guest for the event will be “America’s Toughest Sheriff”, Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona. Sheriff Arpaio manages the nation’s third largest Sheriff’s Office.
 
A veteran of the U.S. Army, Sheriff Arpaio has served as a top U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Agent infiltrating drug organizations around the world. With over five decades of law enforcement experience, Sheriff Arpaio is now famous for making his inmates wear pink underwear and for opening Tent City in 1993, for convicted inmates.
 
While in Iowa, Sheriff Arpaio will also be visiting several locations, meeting Iowans from all over the state and delivering his message regarding the importance of getting involved with your local politics and making sure your opinion counts – whether you are voting for your local Sheriff or the President of the United States. Previously, Sheriff Arpaio spoke in New Hampshire, invited by the Republican Party, and he now looks forward to addressing the people of Iowa! He will be at the following locations (times are approximate):
 
Friday, September 16, 2011
04:50 PM        Arrival at Eastern Iowa Airport
07:00 PM        McOtto’s Restaurant Highway 151 & 64, in Anamosa.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
09:00 AM        Darrell’s Restaurant, 225 S. Main Street in Monticello.
04:00 PM        Guest Speaker at J & P Cycles located at 13225 Circle Drive in Anamosa
05:00 PM        National Motor Cycle Museum – Spaghetti dinner, 102 Chamber Drive in Anamosa.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
09:30 AM        Granite City Food & Brewery, 4755 1st Avenue SE in Cedar Rapids.

Iowa GOP State Central Committee Announces That 9 Candidates Will Be Included On The August 13, 2011 Straw Poll Ballot

Iowa GOP State Central Committee Announces Straw Poll Ballot
9 candidates included on the ballot for the August 13 event

DES MOINES- With the Iowa Straw Poll just three weeks away, The Iowa GOP State Central Committee today released the ballot for the 2011 poll, scheduled to take place August 13 on the campus of Iowa State University.  The final ballot was decided at the 3rd quarter public meeting of the Committee.

Those who reserved space at the Straw Poll were guaranteed to be on the ballot. Candidates who reserved space includeCongresswoman Michelle Bachman, Herman Cain, Congressman Thaddeus McCotter, Congressman Ron Paul, Governor Tim Pawlenty and Senator Rick Santorum.

In addition to those who reserved space, Speaker Newt Gingrich, Governor Jon Huntsman and Governor Mitt Romney were included on the ballot. A write-in option will also be available.

The Iowa Straw Poll rules, including the ballot finalization process, were passed by the State Central Committee at the 2nd quarter meeting. The Iowa GOP extended invites to an exhaustive list of candidates and potential candidates to attend two meetings outlining the rules prior to the land allocation meeting on June 23.

During a similar meeting in the 2007, the State Central Committee added Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Senator John McCain and Senator Fred Thompson to the ballot that included each of the candidates who reserved space. (Governor Mitt Romney, Governor Mike Huckabee, Senator Sam Brownback, Congressman Tom Tancredo, Congressman Ron Paul, Governor Tommy Thompson, Congressman Duncan Hunter and John Cox)