Gibbons Grabs the Attention of NRCC’s Young Guns Program
- Monday, February 8, 2010, 13:10
- Iowa, News Center
- 1,302 views
- 13 comments
Iowa Candidate Takes Important Step toward ‘Young Gun’ Status
Washington- The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has officially announced former Iowa State wrestling coach Jim Gibbons (IA-03) as an ‘On the Radar’ candidate, an important first step in its Young Guns program. Founded in the 2007-2008 election cycle by Reps. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and Paul Ryan (R-WI), the Young Guns program is a member-driven organization dedicated to electing open-seat and challenger candidates nationwide. Gibbons is running in Iowa’s Third Congressional District.
The Young Guns program is designed to assist Republican candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives achieve goals and benchmarks throughout the election cycle focused on the fundamentals of a winning campaign. By achieving ‘On the Radar’ status, Gibbons has already proven his ability to build a successful campaign structure and achieve important fundraising goals.
“The NRCC is committed to working with Jim Gibbons as he continues to meet the rigorous goals of the Young Guns program,” said NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions. “Jim is an accomplished, independent leader who has already built significant momentum behind his campaign. I am confident that Republicans will be successful in our effort to defeat Leonard Boswell, who is an out-of-touch politician solely focused on his party’s big-government, big-spending agenda rather than job creation.”
Gibbons has a distinguished record of success both on and off the mat, but he is best known for his involvement with Iowa State’s wrestling program, where he was a three time All American wrestler. After winning the NCAA’s title in his weight class in 1981, Gibbons transitioned to coach, leading the Cyclones to the 1987 national championship. Under his leadership, the Cyclones produced 33 All Americans, 7 individual NCAA champions and several top four team performances. Gibbons remains active in the wrestling community by volunteer with various youth wrestling programs.
Having achieved certain benchmarks to place him on the road to victory, Gibbons now faces a new set of rigorous goals that will help him advance to the next level of the Young Guns program and help him build a competitive, effective and winning campaign.
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13 Comments on “Gibbons Grabs the Attention of NRCC’s Young Guns Program”
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The NRCC getting involved in a primary race isn’t that a bit counter to what they have stated as a party. I thought we were going to let the people choose in the primary, what the Tea Party think about this? Sounds more like jumping the gun than young guns.
A guy pushing 50 is a young gun? I guess it is the Grand OLD Party after all. I was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives at age 35, so I guess I was a really, really young gun. Why did I run so young? Hey I was a lawyer and there wasn’t much divorce work to do back then.
Make..
You need to re-read the article. NRCC is not endorsing Gibbons nor is it giving him money. All that NRCC has announced here is that Gibbons has achieved the benchmarks necessary to be considered one of their “On the Radar” candidates. Meaning, Gibbons has met fundraising goals, has a solid campaign structure in place and has a solid plan towards moving towards November.
The other 3rd CD candidates could receive the same recognition if their campaigns have reach the same benchmarks…and they have so far failed to do so.
Hawk, be honest buddy. The whole program is designed to empower and reward moderates. As MOST true conservatives are grassroots focused and not airwar focused. This is nothing less than the same old tired “You can’t win” BS of the past all dressed up with lipstick and bad perfume.
This is a complete joke. It just proves that money is everything to the NRCC. Jim Gibbons has ZERO momentum in his campaign right now. All he has is money. I have yet to meet someone in person that says “Gibbons is my guy.”
Thus far he’s proven to be an empty suit and politics as usual. WE DON’T EVEN KNOW WHERE HE STANDS! He doesn’t talk about the issues. He just hides behind a bunch of annoying Google ads. We dont’ even know where the guy lives. Yes, I know, there is nothing wrong with him running even if he lives outside the district. I get that and I’m fine with that. But for me it’s a matter of integrity. He says he lives in the district, nobody knows where. He has yet to come out and say, “I live right here.” That’s all I want.
Until he actually starts to be conservative, I’m writing this guy off as another moderate that’s pretending to be conservative. He’s a RINO with no ideas.
Wayward… So are you insinuating that guys like Eric Cantor, Kevin McCarthy and Paul Ryan are “moderates”? That’s pretty funny Wayward..considering McCarthy has a lifetime rating of 100%, Cantor 96%, and Ryan 92% conservative rating by the American Conservative Union. Moderates these folks are not.
Wayward…Rino.. You do understand that to win ANY campaign..its going to take #1. money. Gibbons has shown he can raise it….I mean cmon, Gibbons DID out raise Boswell in the last quarter by a significant amount and it takes #2. campaign organization…Gibbons has obviously proven that he’s built a solid organization supporting him
Oh and “Rinohunter”…You say Gibbons “has no momentum”… Hmm..that’s pretty funny to hear you say that..because if Gibbons supposedly has “no momentum”…then the other guys in the 3rd CD race must be moving at glacial speed.
Hawk…
I think what you are seeing here with some of the comments is that real 3rd district voters are NOT taking kindly with a candidate in Gibbons who is not telling the truth about where he lives, where he has worked, or even where his real hometown is. (all posted in error on his website and facebook pages). What is he hiding? Is it true he doesn’t live in the 3rd district?……that would only make sense as 2/3 of his funding came from outside the district. Is Gibbons in tight with special interest money?…..that would only make since since almost 1/3 of his available primary funding came from one special interest source (Rastetter ethanol and associated entities). Is he simply a bought and paid for candidate?
3rd district voters are NOT really liking what they see in this hugely special interest funded candidate, and it is reflected in the polls. If Gibbons really wants to tout “on the radar” shouldn’t he be at least “on the radar” in the polls and not be polling behind even Funk in Polk county?
One voter mentioned today that Gibbons seems like the “wonderbra candidate, as he seems to have no visible means of support within the 3rd district.”
Rino and Waward and makemethink are on to something.
Wow, have any of you negative people actually visited with Jim? He is a strong conservative from a strong Catholic family. He has been at the same job for several years. The only reason the name of the company has changed is due to business buyouts to another company. I know his family and he would be a strong conservative voice for Iowa.
bam…wow..that is news to me and i am sure to all of us.
Can you tell us the exact date Principal Financial Group was sold to Edward Jones? How about when Edward Jones was sold to Wachovia?
This will be not only new news to all of us, but the market as well….looks to me to be some more fibbing going on in that campaign.
We all are familiar with “single-issue” candidates, but doggone, we gots us a single-issue blog-poster.
You kill me, Mirage. Dam offers a personal character endorsement of Gibbons and you’re not secure enough to let it go. You immediately go on the defensive. Is anyone over there at the Zaun campaign confident?
Sessions and the NRCC are concerned about one thing: defeating Boswell. Gibbons has momentum and D.C. noticed.
donlee…
momentum?….is Gibbons now moving up another tenth of a point in the poll?….is he above Funk in Polk county yet?
Frankly, it isn’t DC noticing that counts. As the 3rd district poll this week clearly reveals, it is voters in the 3rd district that really counts, and they overwhelmingly are supporting the popular Brad Zaun, even though Zaun got in the race well after the other contenders.
You mean the poll that Victory Enterprises did? The same group that hasn’t gotten a poll right….EVER, Mirage?