The most difficult part of a campaign to evaluate is the grassroots organization that each campaign is building. Typically, it’s impossible to know how good of an organization a campaign has built until the votes are counted. In the lead-up to the 2008 Iowa caucuses, the Romney campaign was widely considered to have the best grassroots organization in the state. As we all know, Mike Huckabee soundly defeated the vaunted Romney organization.

The lesson that people should take from the 2008 caucuses isn’t that Huckabee built a better organization than Romney, but that he stitched together a better coalition of groups to support his campaign. Another lesson that was learned was that the bravado with which a campaign speaks about its organization doesn’t always correlate to how it performs on Election Day.

For the last couple of weeks, candidates have been submitting the necessary petition signatures to the secretary of state’s office to place their name on the June 8th primary ballot. For the most part, campaigns look at the task of collecting signatures as more of a chore than a tool to help build a campaign organization.

In the 2nd Congressional District, newcomer Rob Gettemy submitted nearly 3,000 signatures to place his name on the ballot. When he announced that he was a candidate just over a week ago, many thought that it might be difficult for him to collect the necessary 1224 signatures. Gettemy proved the naysayers wrong and collected almost three times the signatures he needed.

Gettemy’s ability to collect a massive amount of signatures in a short period of time has turned some heads and gotten people talking about his campaign. In essence, Gettemy has used the task of getting his name on the ballot to legitimize his campaign.

Many think that his late entrance into the race will be too steep of a hill to climb, but none of the candidates in this race have built a significant fundraising advantage. It’s also important to note that, in 2008, the 2nd District candidates didn’t have their campaigns running on all cylinders until after the district conventions were held. Gettemy is a candidate to watch.

In the gubernatorial race, Bob Vander Plaats filed his petitions on the first possible day candidates were allowed to submit them. He submitted 4,766 signatures and qualified in 28 counties. By submitting his petitions on the first possible day, Vander Plaats was making a statement about his campaign organization.

Yesterday, Terry Branstad submitted his petitions, and in doing so, he also made quite a statement. His campaign submitted 9,146 signatures, more than double the required number of 3,412. Branstad also qualified in 84 counties, an impressive feat when you consider that the minimum requirement is only ten counties.

It’s apparent that the Branstad campaign used the petition requirement to test its campaign organization. Through a simple task, the campaign was able to evaluate their young field staff to see what parts of the state they are strong in and where their campaign is weak. If used correctly, this can be an advantage for a campaign if they follow though and build on the organization they now have in place.

The Branstad campaign has received a lot of criticism about everything from where the campaign held its kickoff event, to the “struggles” that they were having in collecting the necessary signatures to place his name on the ballot. While none of the Republican gubernatorial campaigns seem to be building tons of excitement, the Branstad apparatus continues to impress on the fundamental aspects of building a campaign.

Both the Gettemy and Branstad campaigns wisely used to the petition requirement to help build their campaigns. Bob Vander Plaats also deserves credit for getting the petition requirement done and out of the way quickly. By doing so, it allowed his staff to move on and focus on other organizational tasks.

It will be interesting to see how the 2010 gubernatorial primary progresses. Will Vander Plaats be able to build the necessary coalitions to win on June 8th, or will Branstad’s investment in organization pay huge dividends and lead him to victory?

Photo from GovernorBranstad2010.com

Since last July, Terry Branstad has led Culver the polls by anywhere from 16 to 29 percent. Branstad’s chief primary opponent, Bob Vander Plaats, has also beat Culver in head-to-head polls since last fall, but by a lesser percentage. Even relatively unknown State Representative Rod Roberts polled well in a matchup between himself and Culver. Roberts trailed the incumbent Governor by only 5% in February, just outside of the poll’s margin of error.

With each new set of poll numbers that are released, Iowa Republicans are becoming more and more confident that they have a real chance to unseat Culver in November. If successful, it will be the first time an incumbent governor has not been re-elected in Iowa since 1962.

Governor Culver’s vulnerability in polls means that the candidate who gives a victory speech on primary night will likely be giving an inaugural speech next January. With just three months until the primary, the Republican gubernatorial race is now in full swing.

The biggest development thus far in the race is that there will be a series of three Republican debates this spring. The debates will be held in Sioux City, Cedar Rapids, and Des Moines. By agreeing to the three debates, Branstad avoids any criticism that he is unwilling to debate his primary opponents, but he also opens himself up to be attacked in front of a TV audience. The gubernatorial candidates have now shared a common stage a number of times, but for the most part, Vander Plaats and Roberts have not used those opportunities to criticize Branstad directly.

All three candidates spoke at the Iowa Christian Alliance event last week, but no candidate took a shot at Branstad. Vander Plaats did criticize Branstad at the Scott County Republican convention a week ago Saturday, but beyond that, there have not been as many sparks flying around in the primary as some had expected.

As the primary campaign enters into its final stage, it’s once again time to see how the Republican gubernatorial primary has evolved over the last year. For much of 2009, Bob Vander Plaats focused on one issue – gay marriage. Vander Plaats’ entire campaign last year centered around the Iowa Supreme Court’s April 3rd decision that opened the doors for gay marriage in the state.

Vander Plaats has vowed to put a check on the Court’s power by implementing an executive order that would put a stay on gay marriage until the people of Iowa have an opportunity to vote on the matter. Vander Plaat’s stay on gay marriages might have to last through his entire first term in office, since the process of passing a constitutional amendment is a difficult one in Iowa.

Some of Vander Plaat’s most ardent supporters have taken Terry Branstad to task for his pick of Joy Corning to serve as his Lt. Governor during his last two terms in office. Corning supports homosexual rights. Yet, at the Iowa Christian Alliance event last week, Vander Plaats chose not to talk about Branstad’s past and instead focused on jobs and the economy.

Vander Plaats is already identified as the socially conservative candidate in the race, so one might understand why he made the decision to talk about other issues at the event. However, his decision to not draw a stark contrast between himself and Brastad in a room packed with social conservatives and the media seems like another missed opportunity for his campaign. The closest Vander Plaats came to criticizing Branstad was a vague reference to gambling, which got its start in Iowa while Branstad was governor.

Branstad, on the other hand, used his time behind the lectern to tell those in attendance that he shares their values and has fought for them as governor. He talked about the Defense of Marriage Act that he signed into law, legislation that allowed parents to educate their kids at home, and statistical reporting, parental notification, and banning partial birth abortions.

As a former high school basketball coach, Vander Plaats should realize that the end of the game is drawing near, and while he’s still in the game, he’s going to need to hit some three pointers to pull off an upset. Thus far, he is playing like the looming primary is just halftime.

While Vander Plaats has a dedicated group of supporters across the state, you can now start to see the differences between the Branstad and the Vander Plaats campaigns.

The Vander Plaats campaign consists of a core group of five or so paid staffers. The Branstad campaign has more field staffers than Vander Plaats has paid staff. This allows Branstad to have a presence at various Republican gatherings across the state, not just where the candidate is visiting. I noticed this in Cedar Rapids last Tuesday. The only campaign to have a representative at the Five Season’s Republican Women’s luncheon was Branstad. These little things make a difference in the outcome of a campaign.

Last fall, Branstad was criticized for not attending county GOP events like the other candidates. While it’s likely that some are still bothered by his early absence, Branstad has traveled the state and hosted his own events. By doing so, he has been able to identify more supporters for his campaign than just those who regularly attend GOP meetings and events.

If Vander Plaats wants to win the GOP primary in June he’s going to have to be more aggressive and show a willingness to attack Branstad. The three upcoming debates provide him with an opportunity to do just that, but if he wants to build his case against Branstad, he needs to start making those arguments now.

As this campaign progresses, it is becoming more and more like the Republican gubernatorial campaign of 2002. Instead of Doug Gross joining the race late, we have Branstad. Instead of Steve Sukup being the candidate who many expected to win the primary until Gross’ late entry, you have Vander Plaats. Then there is Rod Roberts, who while nobody gives him any chance of winning, he will stay clear of the negative attacks between Branstad and Vander Plaats, and find himself as the fresh-faced alternative in the race, much like Bob Vander Plaats was in 2002.

While the sparks have yet to fly, the Republican gubernatorial primary will provide plenty of fireworks before it’s all said and done. How good or bad the fireworks display will be this year is up to Vander Plaats. Thus far, Vander Plaats’ allies have been the ones attacking Branstad. That might get some people talking, but if Vander Plaats wants to be the Republican nominee, he must be willing to draw the stark distinctions between himself and Branstad.

Photo by Dave Davidson

Last Saturday, I recorded Dave Funk, Jim Gibbons, and Brad Zaun’s speeches at the Polk County Convention. Mark Rees spoke later in the afternoon after I had left. The speeches provide an indication of what message each particular candidate is promoting.

Out of the three speeches, I thought Gibbons provided the most content in regards to current issues. He spoke about healthcare, cap and trade, and the government’s out of control spending. It was obvious that both Zaun and Funk had more enthusiastic supporters in the room and provided more one-liners, but Gibbon’s provided more substance.

Something to keep an eye on: Even though I’m now a Polk County resident and voter, I still receive invites to Republican events in Poweshiek County. Last week, I received an invitation to a Gibbons for Congress fundraiser, which is being hosted by Pete Brownell of Montezuma.

Brownell owns Brownell, Inc., the world’s largest supplier of firearm accessories and gunsmithing tools. While it is not odd that the would support one of the 3rd District Congressional candidates, I was a little surprised when I got the invitation from the Gibbons campaign since the Brownell family had been Dave Funk’s largest financial backers to date. This is the stuff that happens in big primary fields. Either way, it’s a big score for Gibbons.

Brad Zaun

Zaun received a huge ovation from the Urbandale section of the Polk County Convention as he was introduced. Zaun used his speech to let people know that he will always listen to his constituents, and has done so as a mayor and member of the legislature.

Out of all the candidates speeches, Zaun offered the most one-liners and the audience ate it up. He is extremely likeable and goes about his campaign in a positive and upbeat manner. If I had to compare Zaun to a national candidate in terms of style, he reminds me of Sarah Palin. He’s funny, delivers great lines, but can be a little short on substance from time to time.

Word on the Street: Zaun has been aggressively fundraising and been willing to meet with those who have already supported his opponent’s campaigns. That’s a good sign for his campaign, but we will have to see if he is successful in getting people to hedge their bets and donate to his campaign as well.

Dave Funk

Funk spoke to the convention right before lunch. Polk County was not the first convention he hit last Saturday. As such, he missed the opportunity to speak at the same time as Zaun and Gibbons. Those side by side comparisons are always nice if you are a candidate in Funk’s shoes.

Funk also received a warm welcome by the convention delegates. Funk’s used a big chunk of his speech to attack one of his opponents, but chose not to do it by name. Funk’s attack were aimed at Jim Gibbons, but if I would have to guess 75% of the delegates didn’t understand that he was attacking Gibbons for having the former Speaker Hastert at a fundraiser.

Funk also attacked the people who are supporting Gibbons financially. If Funk wins the primary he’s going to need to raise huge sums of money. Attacking another candidate’s donors for “drinking at taxpayers trough for their own personal or business interests,” is odd and unseen in politics. It’s also interesting coming from a candidate who receives farm subsidies himself. I guess I don’t understand the difference except for the scale of the subsidies.

On a lighter note: Funk hit a turkey while traveling around to the county conventions with his Toyota 4 Runner. Funk posted a picture on his Facebook page. I’ve had a pheasant hit my windshield once and I was amazed at the damage it did. That was scary enough, I can’t imagine hitting a turkey. Good to see that Dave has a sense of humor about this stuff and was smart to post it on his Facebook page.

Mark Rees

Mark Rees opened his campaign headquarters last night in historic Valley Junction. Rees’s headquarters is decked out with American flags and is already loaded with small yard signs and big Rees for Congress barn signs.

The location of his office should help expand the visibility of his campaign. In the summer there area hosts a farmers market on the weekends and live music on Thursday nights.

In talking to campaign manager Nathan Treloar, Rees has the necessary petitions signed to place his name on the ballot. While Rees is relatively unknown in Iowa political circles, Treloar cut his teeth on Bob Vander Plaats’ 2002 gubernatorial campaign and later worked for the Republican Party of Iowa.

Zaun and Gibbons photo by Dave Davidson
Funk photo from his Facebook page

All three of the Secretary of State candidates spoke at the Dallas County event on Friday night. Eichhorn was the first to speak, and I thought he gave a great speech. He was confident, knowledgeable, and likeable. Sanger spoke so softly it was almost a whisper, but despite his soft voice, his full beard makes quite a statement. Sanger’s main campaign position is do away with the signature requirements to get ones name placed on the ballot. That’s ironic since he was the first candidate to turn in his signatures.

Schultz shined last Friday night and again at the Polk County Convention the next morning. In both instances, he spoke for about five minutes, yet in that short amount of time he conveyed a lot of information about himself and what he wants to do as Secretary of State. He started his speech by giving the audience some stats about how many business forms and inquiries the Secretary of State’s office handles. He then says that he will use the office as a bully pulpit to promote business in Iowa.

He then asks people if they have ever heard of ACORN. Schultz uses the questionable tactics used by organizations like ACORN as a call to for changing Iowa’s elections laws. He then tells a story about buying doughnuts for campaign volunteers at a Hy Vee in Council Bluffs. He grins as he reminds people that he was asked to show a photo ID when using a check to buy twenty dollars worth of doughnuts.

He then asks people how many have flown recently. He asked them to raise their hands if they had to show a photo ID before boarding an airplane. Of course they all nodded in agreement. He then asked, so why is it when we go to vote, we don’t have to prove who we are.

Schultz has also proposed creating a voter fraud hotline based off of the same principles as Crime Stoppers. That way, the Secretary of State’s office can react to claims of voter fraud not political parties and candidates.

A couple of days ago, Schultz released his first legislative endorsements. It included, former Speaker of the Iowa House Brent Siegrist, State Representative Doug Struyk, and Representative Greg Forristall.

Below is the video of Schultz’ speech from the Polk County Convention. It runs about five minutes.

Just as it was four years ago, another relatively unknown politician came to Des Moines last night to speak to the four hundred or so people gathered at the Iowa Christian Alliance kickoff event. As was the case with Huckabee in 2006, nobody really thinks that former United States Senator Rick Santorum has any chance of winning the Iowa caucuses in 2012. Sure, he’s a nice enough guy and impressive speaker, but he’s got a weird last name. There is no way that Rick Santorum is a credible presidential candidate, right?

If the 2008 Republican caucuses taught us anything, it’s that we should never underestimate an authentic conservative candidate who is blessed with phenomenal communication skills. While you may laugh at his last name or scoff at the fact that he lost his re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2006, Rick Santorum will be a major factor in Iowa if he decides to run for president in 2012.

While the similarities between Huckabee and Santorum are uncanny, the circumstances surrounding their speeches to the Iowa Christian Alliance couldn’t be more different. In 2006, nobody in the national media noticed that Huckabee was Iowa bound. He slipped in and out of Iowa basically unnoticed. Santorum was greeted as he stepped into Iowa by a round of automated phone calls that accused him of being a pro-life fraud.

Anyone who has followed Santorum’s career would recognize that the attack of Santorum on the life issue is complete nonsense. The tactics of these attacks are becoming all too familiar in Iowa. The people behind the calls either failed to realize or simply don’t care that Santorum has recently admitted that his support of Arlen Specter in the 2004 U.S. Senate primary in Pennsylvania was a mistake. Not only did Santorum say as much at CPAC last month, but he did so again last night in Des Moines.

No matter how misguided the attacks of Santorum are, he said that he wasn’t upset with those behind the calls. Instead, he said that he admires their commitment to the issue of protecting the unborn, and admitted that while he had a 100% pro-life voting record, he didn’t always fight for life, so in some ways being called a fraud on the life issues wasn’t totally out of line.

Santorum then shared with the audience his pro-life testimony. He told the story about his wife’s pregnancy in 1996, when the doctors told the Santorums that their unborn son had a fatal birth defect and likely wouldn’t live. Instead of aborting the child, they named him Gabriel. Santorum said he held his son for two hours in the hospital before he died.

As part of the grieving process, Santorum’s wife Karen wrote a series of letters to Gabriel. The letters were later compiled into a book entitled Letters to Gabriel: The True Story of Gabriel Michael Santorum. Throughout his speech, Santorum read portions of the book. He delivered a powerful pro-life testimony that moved many in attendance emotionally.

If Santorum does run for president and finds success in Iowa, political pundits and members in the media will once again try and paint the picture that the only reason Santorum is a viable candidate in Iowa is because of his ultra conservative views on issues like abortion and gay marriage. Such a simplistic view of Santorum would severely understate what he would bring to a potential presidential campaign.

Unlike Huckabee, Santorum is well versed in foreign policy. He served eight years on the on the Armed Services Committee, is also a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a Washington think tank where he founded a program called “America’s Enemies.” Out of all the rumored potential 2012 candidates, Santorum will likely have the most foreign policy experience.

Even though he will have to account for his unsuccessful 2006 re-election campaign, Santorum is not associated with the current congress that is unpopular with the American people. During his visit to Dubuque last October, he was tough on his former Republican colleagues. He chastised Republicans for passing the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). He said that he prayed that Sen. John McCain would suspend his campaign to go back to Washington to blow up the idea, something Santorum admitted McCain was good at. Yet McCain supported it, which Santorum believes led to his defeat.

He also stated that, by supporting TARP, Republicans helped pave the way for a newly elected President Obama to expand on what Congress had already started. In essence, he said that after Republicans had opened the door to government takeover of certain businesses, President Obama was given the green light to kick the door open by bailing out the auto companies and pushing for government controlled health care.

There is no doubt that his failed 2006 campaign will haunt him, but Santorum lost that race while standing firm on conservative principles, and there is no shame in that. Potential candidates are already starting to position themselves in Iowa for the 2012 caucuses. Of all the possible candidates, Santorum has probably done himself the most good thus far. Santorum is making the most logical steps in formulating an Iowa caucus campaign.

Santorum is a full spectrum conservative with all the abilities that Mike Huckabee had in 2008. He is one candidate to keep your eye on in Iowa.

Photo by Dave Davidson

“I can no longer remain neutral,” said Schickel, a former state representative and Mason City mayor. “Our party is currently divided. Neither of the frontrunners has shown that they can bring the two sides together. If the current division continues we will certainly lose in November. Rod Roberts has the best chance of beating Chet Culver.”

“He is the only candidate who has demonstrated he can bring together the fiscal and social conservative wings of our party. He has also proven that he can attract the Independents and Democrats that are critical to victory,” Schickel said. “He has done it during the campaign. He did it as a state representative. And he did it in five previous elections.”

“Rod is an underdog right now, but he is also the candidate with momentum,” Schickel said. “While the numbers for the frontrunners have remained essentially flat, Rod in the past three months has gone from almost no voter recognition to capturing 19 percent of the Republican vote in the Dallas County straw poll and winning the Guthrie County straw poll this past weekend.”

“Whenever Republicans meet him, they are won over,” Schickel said. “He is a solid fiscal and social conservative who is also a fresh face. That is exactly what our party needs, and more importantly, what Iowa needs.”

Former Arkansas Governor and Fox News personality Mike Huckabee led the field of candidates with 17% of the vote. He is followed closely by Mitt Romney with 14%, and in third place was Sarah Palin with 11% of the vote. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty garnered just 1% of the vote. The only other candidate that the survey included was former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson. Johnson received less than 1% support.

With all of the perceived frontrunners under 20%, and with the likelihood that one or more of the top three candidates will not ultimately run for president, Iowa is wide open in 2010. Mike Huckabee is the only 2008 candidate who has maintained a presence in the state. He has also made more trips to Iowa since the 2008 caucuses than any other presidential hopeful. He has visited the state two different times to sell books, and he has also traveled to the state to support Bob Vander Plaats’ campaign for governor. Vander Plaats served as Huckabee’s campaign chairman in Iowa.

Sarah Palin visited Iowa briefly as part of her book tour, and Mitt Romney is scheduled to visit the state later this month. In the lead-up to the 2008 caucuses, Romney built an impressive field organization but failed to find enough support to win the caucuses. While unsuccessful in 2008, Romney will have an advantage that he didn’t have before – a list of previous supporters to whom he can reach out.

Iowa, however, will not be an easy place for Romney to campaign. Doug Gross, his 2008 Iowa Chairman, seems to have gone sour on Romney. He also has a hostile relationship with Jan Mickelson and Steve Deace on WHO radio, Iowa’s only statewide media outlet. For Romney to be able to come into Iowa and run for president again, he will have to walk a delicate line of focusing on the fiscal conservative that he is comfortable talking about, while remaining the social conservative he told Iowans he was in 2008. If he is unable or incapable of doing that, Iowa will haunt his second attempt at the presidency.

Sarah Palin remains a mystery. Many believe that, if she did have presidential aspirations, she would have made a splash in Iowa by now. Regardless of what people think of Palin, she is incredibly popular and would have tremendous appeal to caucus goers. Her third place finish in this poll is surprising and probably not reflective of the support she would receive if she did run.

The candidates that should be the most excited about these polling numbers are people like Tim Pawlenty and the others who were not polled. With 57% of likely caucus voters undecided, there is plenty of room for candidates to come to Iowa and stake their claim. One such candidate is former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, who will headline an event tonight for the Iowa Christian Alliance in Des Moines.

The Rightosphere.com poll was conducted by Right Way Marketing. The sample size was 300 registered Republicans. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 5.66%.

Photo by Dave Davidson

This year, Vander Plaats will see the primary through to the end. If he wins, he will have finally secured the Republican nomination. If he loses, his decade-long quest to lead the state of Iowa will be over. 2010 is likely a make or break year for Bob Vander Plaats. It’s either win or go home.

Since he first came on to the political scene ten years ago, Vander Plaats has impressed Republican activists with his speaking abilities. He has also proved himself to be a capable fundraiser. In each of his three gubernatorial campaigns, Vander Plaats has been able to raise a significant amount of money.

While raising money hasn’t been Vander Plaats’ problem, spending it has. In his 2006 campaign, Vander Plaats raised over $800,000, but his off year expenditures totaled almost $600,000. Vander Plaats showed a similar pattern in 2009.

Vander Plaats raised $600,000 last year, but he spent $400,000. That’s almost more than all the other Republican gubernatorial candidates spent combined in 2009. Campaigns need to spend huge amounts of money in the final two to three months on radio and television ads. They need to spend money on direct mail, phone calls, and absentee ballot programs. Yet, Vander Plaats is once again in a familiar position: months away from an election with limited funds. That means he has to bet heavily on his grassroots support.

Even though Vander Plaats finds himself in a familiar position, his 2010 primary campaign is his best campaign to date. Unnoticed by many in the GOP and members of the media is the number of people Vander Plaats is attracting at his events across the state. Branstad is also attracting large crowds at his campaign events, but Vander Plaats seems to have a spring in his step lately.

What’s interesting to note is that, in previous years, Republican candidates didn’t hold a lot of town hall style forums like the events Vander Plaats and Branstad are holding. If they had, not many people would have probably shown up. The 2010 gubernatorial campaign looks more like a presidential caucus campaign than ever before, candidates are drawing respectable crowds as they travel across the state, the campaigns are visiting places on the map that are represented by black dots, not just the yellow hues that indicate an urban area.

With Mike Huckabee’s upset Iowa Caucus victory still fresh in the minds Vander Plaats and his staunch supporters, it’s no wonder that his campaign thinks that they have a shot at a huge upset on June 8th. There are more parallels between Huckabee and Vander Plaats than just the fact that Bob chaired Huckabee’s caucus campaign.

Like Huckabee, Vander Plaats is an impressive communicator. Likewise, his campaign is perceived as being the underdog in the race, which means volunteers and supporter tend to work harder. Vander Plaats is also the social conservative in the race. While many candidates try to woo the GOP base, primary voters usually gravitate to the more authentic pro-life, pro-marriage candidate. In the Republican primary for governor, that’s Vander Plaats. This same factor was in place for Huckabee in the lead-up to the 2008 Iowa caucuses.

Yet, before the Vander Plaats crowd starts predicting that an upset is in the making, they must remember this is a primary, not a caucus. Twice as many people will vote in the Republican primary for Governor as voted in the 2008 Republican presidential caucuses. If Vander Plaats is able to generate the same 40,954 votes that Huckabee received in the caucuses, it will probably only get him 20% of the vote.

Winning a primary and winning a caucus are two different things. In a caucus, a candidate like Huckabee can survive on a shoestring budget, catch fire, and win. That can happen for a number of reasons. First, there is no early voting in a caucus. Not only are you prohibited from submitting an absentee ballot, but you also have to show up for a meeting at a particular time to cast your vote.

Primaries are different animals. You can vote absentee, early in the morning before you go to work, or at night on your way home. It also only takes a few minutes of your time to cast your vote. This is why having the financial resources to run an absentee program and campaign ads is so critical. If you can get someone’s attention for just a moment, you can get them to cast a vote for you.

If the 2010 Republican gubernatorial race were going to be decided at a caucus, I probably would put my money on Bob Vander Plaats. As we all know, this isn’t a caucus, it’s a primary. So while Vander Plaats might look and feel like Huckabee of 2008, he will have to produce at least two times the votes that Huckabee did in the caucuses if he wants to win the Republican gubernatorial nomination.

Photo by Dave Davidson

“As both a fiscal and a social conservative, Rod Roberts has been an effective leader for Iowa House Republicans. He’s been a unifying leader for House Republicans, and he will be a unifying leader for the Republican Party of Iowa as our party’s nominee for governor,” said Dolecheck, a fourteen-year state representative from Mount Ayr.

“Republicans need to be united to win in November. I am convinced that Rod Roberts is the Republican candidate for governor who can unite our party and then win the governorship this fall. I am proud to support his candidacy,” said May, a six-year state representative from Spirit Lake.

State Representative Roberts welcomed Dolecheck and May to the campaign.

“I very much appreciate the support from Cecil and Mike. They understand how important it is for Iowa Republicans to be united in the gubernatorial election in November. As both a fiscal and a social conservative, I am ready to unite and lead our party,” said Roberts, an Assistant Minority Leader in the Iowa House. “I thank Cecil and Mike for their support, and I look forward to working with them as our party seeks to take back the Governor’s Office.”

Greiner makes the SD 45 a likely Republican pick-up in the fall.  She would join former State Representative Bill Dix and current State Representative Kent Sorenson as the top Republican recruits in the Senate.

Darin Beck Announces State House Candidacy

Cedar Valley restaurateur, Darin Beck announced his candidacy for House District 19.  Beck will face Democrat incumbent Rep. Bob Kressig this fall.  House District 19 consists of Cedar Falls and the western part of Black Hawk County.

Beck owns a number of restaurants in Waterloo, Cedar Rapids and Grinnell, and chaired the Iowa Restaurant Association in 2006 and 2007.  He is an outstanding recruit to run against Kressig, who was elected in 2004.