PRESS RELEASE from the Iowa Republican Party

For Immediate Release
Monday, February 14, 2011
 
Des Moines – In a bid to continue building on the recent successes of Iowa Republicans, Chairman Matt Strawn today announced that the Iowa GOP will be holding a year-long series of events across Iowa designed to support and prepare county organizations for the 2012 presidential cycle.

A key feature of the statewide fundraising campaign will be highlighting a national political leader at each event. The kick-off event will be a Chairman’s Dinner the evening of Tuesday, March 15 in the Quad Cities featuring Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour.

“The Iowa GOP is only as strong as our grassroots members and county party organizations,” said Strawn. “Building a statewide organization to compete with an Obama re-election machine will require unprecedented coordination and hard work by Iowa Republicans. By taking the state GOP out of Des Moines and to every corner of Iowa, we will be prepared for that fight.”
The statewide series of events will feature national political leaders headlining breakfasts, lunches, dinners or coffees all around Iowa. At every stop, those national leaders will be joined by Iowa GOP officials, local county leaders and elected officials.

In explaining the decision to kick-off the year-long series of events in Scott County, Strawn said Iowa's third-largest county is the epitome of a rejuvenated and rebuilt Iowa GOP. “Not only did Scott County Republicans deliver for Terry Branstad in November, they won a Dem-held State House seat and swept all three county supervisor seats to hold a 4-1 GOP margin on the Board,” said Strawn, noting that only two years earlier President Obama carried Scott County with nearly 57 percent.

According to Iowa GOP officials, the final details of the March 15 Chairman’s Dinner with Governor Barbour will be released later this week. Iowa GOP officials also indicated the state party has been in contact with numerous national Republican leaders and will have additional event announcements in the coming weeks.